...Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson's unusual character and style has made her become one of the world's most famous poets. Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10,1830 to a prominent family, her father Edward Dickinson was both a lawyer and the Treasurer of Amherst College. Emily"s mother was Emily Norcross Dickinson. Emily had one older brother, William Austin and a little sister, Lavinia. She was educated at the Amerherst Academy, the institute that her grandfather helped found. She also spent a year at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but had left because she did not like the religious environment. For a woman of this time, this much education was very rare. Emily Dickinson was a very mysterious person as she got older she became more and more reclusive too the point that by her thirties, she would not leave her house and would withdraw from visitors. Emily was known to give fruit and treats to children by lowering them out her window in a basket with a rope to avoid actually seeing them face to face. She developed a reputation as a myth, because she was almost never seen and when people did catch a glimpse of her she was always wearing white. Emily Dickinson never got married but is thought to have had a relationship with Reverend Charles Wadsworth who she met in the spring of 1854 in Philadelphia. He was a famous preacher and was married. Many scholars believe that he was the subject of her love poems. Emily probably only saw Wadsworth...
Words: 763 - Pages: 4
...March 5, 2014 Essentially I feel that each poem in its own “Funeral Blues” (W. H. Auden), “Death, be not proud” (John Donne), and “Because I could not stop for Death” (Emily Dickinson) are unique in their own way however, I feel that two poems in particular may show more similarity in each other versus all three being compared at once although, I will be comparing and contrasting all three poems towards the end of this essay. For example, When reading “Funeral Blues” (W. H. Auden), I felt a greater sense of similarity to “Because I could not stop for death” (Emily Dickinson) versus “Death, be not proud” (John Donne) so I will begin to discuss those poems first. When comparing each poem I will list the related styles between the two and the same for contrasting each when discussing the distinctive differences. In “Funeral Blues”; a poem about the mourning of a dear loved one, Auden used a great sense of imagery when writing to assist the audience in creating a mental picture. Each line used a great amount of detail for example, when Auden wrote “Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead scribbling in the sky the message he is dead.” It was easy for me to actually picture this statement mentally due to his choice of words. Also, he uses a rhyme scheme that is successful in expressing the deep mourning and sorrow that he feels. The same feelings expressed in “Funeral Blues” can also be felt in “Because I could not stop for death” (Emily Dickinson). As in Auden’s poem when speaking...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...In The poem “Because I could not stop for Death“ by Emily Dickinson, the speaker tells of her journey with Death and Immortality. Death is portrayed as a gentleman suitor. This gentleman stops to pick up the speaker and take her for a leisurely and relaxing ride in a horse-drawn carriage. The speaker is comfortable with Death, she is not afraid nor does she beg for more time as they pass through the town where she has lived her life. Along the way she see children playing, fields of grain and the setting sun. It is a peaceful ride. The speaker describes Death as civil as he travels with her towards eternity. Although the speaker in the poem could not stop for death on her own and the poem is about the speaker’s own death, she is not fearful or hesitant to follow Death to her resting place and then on to eternity. In her poem, “Because I could not stop for Death” Emily Dickinson uses personification, imagery, and symbolism to tell of a woman’s peaceful journey from life to death and then to eternity. In this poem the first literary element that Emily Dickinson uses is personification. She personifies death as a male gentleman who comes calling on the speaker. Death is described as being kind as well as having civility and patients. Death is introduced in the poem right at the start. The speaker says, “He kindly stopped for me” (Dickinson, 1863, line 2). He does this because she was unable to stop for him. He then takes her on a slow drive through the town where she lives. The...
Words: 1103 - Pages: 5
...Emily Dickinson “Because I could not stop for Death-” and “I heard a Fly buzz- when I died” Emily Dickinson has a very intriguing manner of writing. Exploring her poems, I realize she conveys her own obsession with demise. Many of her writings on this subject depict death in different ways. It is represented as a gentle metaphor or as a hopeless distraction. Dickinson portrays these contrasting views of death in her poems: “Because I could not stop for Death” and “I heard a Fly buzz- when I died.” Kreidler, Michele L. "Emily Dickinson "Because I Could Not Stop For Death." Literary Contexts In Poetry: Emily Dickinson's 'Because I Could Not Stop For Death' (2009): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 29 May 2014. Meyer, Michael. "The Study of Emily Dickinson." The compact Bedford introduction to literature: reading, thinking, writing. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. . Print Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” follows a woman’s passage from expiry into eternal life. The carriage that picks her up is a representation of immortality, while death is embodied as a gentleman that is taking a friend on a carriage ride. The driver “knew no haste” as they slowly drove. This personified version of death is kind and peaceful. As they continue on their trip, it is understood that death is a normal part of existence as they ride passed ordinary events of being; students playing, beautiful fields, and the setting sun. The conclusion of the poem...
Words: 612 - Pages: 3
...“Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” “I Heard a Fly Buzz,” and “Death, Be Not Proud” speak on death. Emily Dickinson wrote both “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “I Heard a Fly Buzz.” John Donne composed “Death, Be Not Proud.” These poems, written over 200 years apart, show how people continually try to understand and process death. Dickenson and Donne used different rhyming patterns to express their thoughts on death. It seems that the only similarities that these authors share appears to be that they wrote about death and were both poets. Emily Dickinson wrote “Because I could not stop for Death” in 1863. Dickinson's poem was not published until 1890, twenty-seven years after it was written and 4 years after Dickinson died. Emily Dickinson spent her life living in isolation. Some consider this Dickinson's most famous poem. In this poem, Dickenson looks at death and the journey that “Death” goes on. Death passes a schoolyard, fields of grain, and the setting sun as it heads toward eternity....
Words: 479 - Pages: 2
...The Paradox of Death Death comes to us all one way or another, there is no escaping death. Our natural life’s cycle must take its course. The core focal point of this exposition is to compare and contrast the symbol of death and impermanence in the poems Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson and Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas. Each poem offers a different perspective towards accepting death. In one literary work we have someone who welcomed death submissively, in contrast to another literary work where the author is willing someone dear to him to fight against death. Together the two literary works incorporated the same theme with dissimilar points of view, ranging from the way they utilize their respective literary devices such as personification, point of view, symbolism, figure of speech, tone, mood and imagery. The unconformity of the poems “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” and “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” overshadows the parallel theme of death connecting them. The first poem I’ll discuss will be the poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson, which is written in the using a meter form. In agreement with Karen Silvestri, “meter in poetry is what brings the poem to life and is the internal beat or rhythm with which it is read (Silvestri, 2014)”. “Poetry is meant to be recited and the number of beats per line of spoken poetry determines the name of the rhythm, though not often seen, rhythms are named...
Words: 2143 - Pages: 9
...Emily Dickinson had many tragic life experiences that influenced her poetry and caused her to write on the theme of death. Dickenson’s life was filled with multiple tragic deaths, which caused her to spend half of her life in sorrow. She experienced many deaths of people close to her, in which influenced her writing as a major reoccurring theme. Although Emily Dickinson wrote about death, she often times wrote about it in very odd ways such as death being eternal but also death as a state of life and this can be seen in her poems, “Because I could not stop for Death”, “I heard a Fly buzz”, and “I died for Beauty. Emily Dickinson writes the majority of her poetry during a period of stress because of the Civil War, which also influenced the depressing yet unique way of her poems. Her poem, “Because I could not stop for Death”, is an ironic allegory in which death is portrayed as a gentleman. In the first line she writes, “Because I could not stop for death/ He kindly stopped for me” (1-2) meaning that she is coming to meet death on his own terms. Usually death is shown as being unavoidable and all around evil, but Dickinson describes her carriage ride as, “I had put away/ My labor and my leisure too/ For His Civility,” (6-8). She describes death as being civil meaning that death was courteous and polite. The way that Dickinson capitalizes “His” gives that line a possible religious context as well because when writing about God, His name is always capitalized. The next line speaks...
Words: 1989 - Pages: 8
...2014 Dickinson versus Whitman Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson's works have numerous differences. Compared to Dickinson's short and seemingly simple poems, Whitman's are long and often complex. Yet both twentieth century writers share several similarities when scrutinized thoroughly. Though their approaches differ, they often deal with the same themes, and both pioneered their own unique style of writing. Using death as a theme is probably the strongest connection that Whitman and Dickinson share. Whitman's view on death is reflective of his belief in Transcendentalism. In "Song of Myself", Whitman uses the scientific principle of the conservation of energy to assert that there is life after death, because energy cannot be destroyed; only transformed. In stanza six, he writes "And what do you think has become of the women and children?/ They are alive and well somewhere,/ The smallest sprouts shows there is really no death" (Whitman 124-126). Whitman contends that life remains long after death, Dickinson's writings on death are more complex and contradictory. She personifies death, generally seeing as a lord or as a compelling lover. In one of her more popular poems, "Because I could not stop for Death", death is like a kindly courter. He picks her up in a "Carriage held but just for Ourselves-/ And Immortality" (Dickinson 3-4). Many of her other poems are about the moment of death, and what happens when the living cross over into the dead. In "I heard a Fly buzz- when I died"...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...Death is personified as a person in John Donne's, "Death, be not proud" as well as in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death". Despite the different implications in each poem, the central theme is death. The inevitable realization of death is explored in both poems, by examining death as a person and by reflecting the poets' religious beliefs. Although John Donne's poem was written in 1633, the theme of death can be compared to Emily Dickinson's poem, written about two centuries later. Both Donne and Dickinson are urging the readers not fear death. However, Donne addresses this theme with assertiveness while Dickinson is more sensitive to the subject. Both Donne and Dickinson are certain that death should not be feared and emphasize...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
...One can argue that it is not death that is scary; it is the fact that it is unknown. Emily Dickinson is known for her poems on death. The poem Because I could not stop for Death argues on this topic. According to Dickinson, death is a peaceful experience. She emphasises this theme with the use of style, characters, and imagery. Emily Dickinson uses tender diction, and repetition to emphasise the theme of death being a peaceful experience. In the poem, the reader is continuously bombarded with the peaceful vocabulary. Words such as “kindly,” “slowly,” “civility,” “setting sun” and others are used to make the tone quite mild and smooth. These words provide encouragement to the previously established image in the readers mind. This is significant because it helps emphasize the theme even more. Next, Emily Dickinson uses repetition in her work to help support the theme. She constantly repeats the word “We,” that symbolises the fact that she1 and death are together, with no pain. If there were some sort of tension between the personified death, and the speaker, Emily Dickinson would have used a word that shows separation between the two distinct characters. By using the style of diction and repetition Emily Dickinson supports her theme. There are two (and a minor one)2 major characters in the poem that all share the show the element of peace. The kind characteristics of the speaker, death and the horses’ highlight the theme. From the line “I had put away My labour and my...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...Death is presented as intimidating and scary in most cultures. Death and what happens after is the topic of many poems. Many of the poems are about death not being intimidating or alarming. One such poem being Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson. Another poem with a similar message Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne. Though Because I Could Not Stop for Death and Death, Be Not Proud both attempt to show that death is not intimidating, they use different depictions of death, the attitude of the narrator, and poem format. Both poets depict death as something people should not fear. Donne confidently ridicules death for being proud of nothing and claims that in the end death will die while everyone else is in the afterlife. He was a devout Christian which helps explain how he can seem so sure of his claim that death is pointless. Dickinson does not take an aggressive stance against death like Donne. Instead, she turns death into a civil gentleman that will give you a peaceful ride to your grave. In the end Donne and Dickinson both show death in a different light than expected by most people....
Words: 509 - Pages: 3
...Emily Dickinson’s feelings towards death in the poem “Because I could not stop for Death” Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” shows how the speaker is unfearful towards death. The poem consists of twenty-four lines, and six stanzas. She outlines how the death in the poem was in three stages: the car ride, the scenes, and the home. This is significant because the speaker shows the slow progression of her death and how it relates to an outline of her life. Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” shows her feelings of calmness and un-fearfulness towards death. The car ride symbolizes the beginning of the speaker’s death, and is the first setting of the poem. The death was announced in a carriage. “He...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...The Belle of Amherst is a play about Emily Dickinson, who is played by Julie Harris. Emily Dickinson was one of America’s greatest poets. Sadly, she was unknown during her lifetime. The play depicts Emily Dickinson based upon her poems, letters and her diary entries. Although she was a shy loner, she wrote about life and the sadness and joys of the heart like she fully experienced it. Watching The Belle of Amherst enlightened me on what Emily Dickinson was going through in her time. I learned that she was a jokester, baker and she also deliberately secluded herself. She purposely secluded herself in order to dedicate her life completely to poetry. Anyone could see that she truly loved poetry and she saw everyone as a rare creation, just like...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
...America was greatly influenced by the Civil War. There was a great suffrage movement happening at the same time, the Civil War and Reconstruction Era. One type of art used to express feelings is poetry. Emily Dickinson stands out as a poet of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era because her poetry communicated her...
Words: 1330 - Pages: 6
...believe. This quote relates to the poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson because they both say that death should not be scary, with death comes spending eternity in heaven. Dickinson describes her journey with death in this poem. Readers benefit from Dickinson's poetic voice through the theme, content, and literary devices that form a beautiful poem. The theme throughout the poem is that death should not be as scary as people make it seem. When someone dies, they spend eternity in heaven if they have a relationship with God. The last two lines in the poem say "I first surmised the Horses' Heads were toward eternity." So they were headed toward eternity in heaven. As said in 1 John 5:11 "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and life in his son." So when one has Jesus in their heart they have eternal life in him. This relates to the poem's theme because if one knows where they are going to spend eternity, death is not as scary. Emily Dickinson used many literary devices to enhance her poem. For example, death is personified throughout the poem; she made death seem to be a person. In the poem she says "He...
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
