In class we have been talking a lot about death, going to the extent of saying that only through death does our lives have coherence and meaning. I thought it was very interesting when Professor Zimmerman made this comparison (using death and meaning of life). I think in reference to books and reading, the idea holds true. Through conclusions (and plots) we grasp the meaning of former episodes. NovelS attain meaning throuh the ending (I guess that's why after reading a long novel which has a crappy ending, we are so disappointed. The novel could be great but if the ending isn't then it virtually destroys the work. Endings are truly very important). However, I don't know if I agree with the idea of endings in regards to people's actual lives. If a person dies young, I don't think very much meaning can be attained at all through his/her death. I think as people grow older they are able to grasp different meanings from occurences of their earlier days, but I don't think death is necesssary at all for such to happen..only time. Just an idea.