“In Atwood’s world, fresh bread smells of decaying corpses, of yellowed bones and broken teeth, of moss and maggots. The morbid and almost aggressive imagery in her poem shocks the reader and brings to the foreground the importance of death to the survival of the living. The decaying bodies of the dead are among some of the most important ingredients when it comes to enabling the earth to grow food.”

“Although death is not a buried secret among people, most individuals tend to ignore it; however, Atwood pushes readers to notice the many daily deaths that they encounter by observing images of bread in an ironic light. In the second stanza, Atwood likens domes of dough that lie “under a moist cloth” to a “live burial,” which connects the ideas of sustenance to the concept of death. The pale domes of dough resemble the colourless flesh of dead human beings wrapped in cloth while awaiting burial. ”

“Joshua Miles emphasizes the inevitable cycle of life and death, for it provides sustenance. Miles draws a white, dead cow to the left of the scene that is looking onto the live, black cow in the right half of the scene. The cyclical positioning of the heads of the cows, as well as the white inflections on the living cow, suggests the transfer of the task of death onto the next living creature.”

“His drawing contains no colours except for black and is executed in such a way that no distinct, sharp lines are seen, and instead every object is simply a product of shading, suggesting the continuity of life and death. This notion is also supported by the ends of his pages being ripped instead of having been cleanly cut. The process of living and dying is continuous and never-ending, and therefore cannot be constrained within the borders of his artwork.”

“By positioning the birds in this manner, Ateah states that she is “honouring the white bird” for sacrificing itself in order to provide sustenance for other organisms. The living birds are black and look like crows, which are known to eat the flesh of dead animals. By creating this funeral-like setting, Ateah conveys the life and death cycle. Death is necessary as it provides sustenance. ”

“Kijanka titles her piece “Insieme Como Uno,” which is Italian for “together as one.” Through this phrase, she establishes a connection between people and the earth. Kijanka places a rose on the ceramic human skull, which shows new elements of nature emerging from the earth while containing human elements inside of it. Next to the skull is the bone of a human finger. Kijanka states that she is bringing Atwood’s lines “What is left / after the ravens” to light.”

“Kijanka’s medium is clay sculpting, which in itself represents the remnants of past lives to create something new. While the skull is old and black, the rose is red and vibrant, shining with light, as is represented by the light bulb she has placed at the centre of the rose. Kijanka is echoing Atwood’s idea that everything plays a role in creating future life, even a skull barren of flesh.”