...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...
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...In the poem "Because I could not stop for death", Emily Dickinson talks about her acceptance of death as something inevitable that comes to her and she has no control over it; although she seems confused about being alive or dead as she keeps narrating. In the first stanza, when she says" I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me", she’s not ready to die but accepts the fact that it is a natural thing that happens to all human beings, and comes at its own time, no matter what you are doing or where you are it will come and take you, to which she seems content with. She personifies death as if it was a kind gentleman, or her groom that comes to pick her up and take her away in his carriage on a pleasant ride; she also realizes that ironically someone else is riding along with them, Immortality—looking at it in a positive way. It is also interesting to point out how she separates death from immortality, when she says “The carriage held but just ourselves—and immortality”. She seems excited about her journey with her two companions, and feels so pleased by this gentleman’s courtesy that she gives up her distress and freedom to enjoy it –when you are dead, there are no more troubles and no more leisure time. She feels happy with her exchange of life for death’s civility. It now seems that she wanted to die sooner but couldn’t, and death came to her but in slow form as if she was ill. She doesn’t realize where she is headed as he drives the carriage away slowly, with...
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...Emily Dickinson The poem “Because I could not stop for death” by Emily Dickinson is based on several cognitive metaphors, for instance: life is a journey or life is a cycle. They are expressed explicitly; life ends with a journey through all the destinations enumerated in the poem; it has a start and the final point. Also life is a path, because they follow the path and at its sides they observe different things and people. The metaphor life is a day is expressed by the lines “we passed the fields of gazing grain, We passed the setting Sun”, where, obviously, the first image means young ages and the second one is about the old ones. This metaphor is widely used in folk texts and in both Russian and Ukrainian languages there are correspondences e. g. на закате своих дней. The pattern purposes are destinations suits this poem because the person dies but this process is described as moving to the other place. The image of the HOUSE is important for the poem. It symbolizes a coffin, or the final destination, or the end of the journey. This complex image renders the beliefs that the dead live in their world under the ground, because only alive people need a place to live. It is interesting that in this poem Death is addressed like “he”. It reveals the difference between American and Ukrainian concepts: for us death is a woman and for them it is a man (or for this particular literary text). One of the possible interpretations is that men tend to destroy everything. Here it is...
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...“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....
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...Life Analysis of the poem” Because I Could not Stop for Death” from Emily Dickinson “Because I Could not Stop for Death” is a poem written by the famous American poet Emily Dickinson in nineteenth century. She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Because she did not care about being famous or getting benefit from her writing, only 7 of her poems got published out of 1775. In 1886, after she died, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a famous American writer collected her poems and published them in 1890, but most poems got changed. Till 1995, her poem was collected by Tomas Johnson and changed back to what they were. Tomas Wentworth Higginson thought her poem showed her specially understanding of nature and life, she had the deepest, and creative insight. Death, Eternal, and Love are three important theme of Dickinson’s poems. Dickinson was good at observing, and detailed describing. Most of her poems were from her experience and her own feeling, and her poems could give readers a usual and deep feeling. She was one of the greatest and effective female poets in nineteenth century. Her poem “Because I Could not Stop for Death” was famous of the distinctive understanding of Death. Dickinson’s understanding of Death was so distinctive and meanwhile, the poem was full of Philosophy. The poem “Because I Could not Stop for Death” was short but veiled. The whole poem contained of 24 lines, 6 verses, and 4 verses made 4 lines of the poem. Dickinson combined Death with formal elements to show...
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...Because I Could Not Stop for Death English Summary Author: Emily Dickenson The piece I chose to analyze was a poem by Emily Dickinson called “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” She was a very famous writer and wrote many pieces concerning the topics of death and immortality. I believe that this poem was about her journey of life and a calm reflection of what death meant to her. For instance in her first stanza she writes “Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me; the carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.” I believe that this line states that death is inevitable. By saying that death kindly stopped for her, she refers to death as a patient gentleman waiting to take her further into the future. Also if death is the polite suitor, then immortality or the carriage would be the chaperon. Another example would come from the line “We slowly drove, he knew no haste, and I had put away my labor, and my leisure too, for his civility.” Meaning that her life is moving at an easy and unhurried pace, as she accepts deaths offer to accompany him. From this stanza I assume that the drive with death symbolizes her leaving life. In addition to the last line the stanza, “We paused before house that seemed a swelling of the ground; the roof was scarcely visible, the cornice but a mound.” I believe she is referring to her grave as a house, which is another indication of how comfortable she feels about her death. In conclusion I believe...
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...‘BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH’ – Emily Dickinson Summary Death, in the form of a gentleman suitor, stops to pick up the speaker and take her on a ride in his horse-drawn carriage. They move along at a pretty relaxed pace and the speaker seems completely at ease with the gentleman. As they pass through the town, she sees children at play, fields of grain, and the setting sun. Pretty peaceful, right? As dusk sets in our speaker gets a little chilly, as she is completely under-dressed – only wearing a thin silk shawl for a coat. She was unprepared for her impromptu date with Death when she got dressed that morning. They stop at what will be her burial ground, marked with a small headstone. In the final stanza, we find out the speaker's ride with Death took place centuries ago (so she's been dead for a long time). But it seems like just yesterday when she first got the feeling that horse heads (like those of the horses that drew the "death carriage") pointed toward "Eternity"; or, in other words, signaled the passage from life to death to an afterlife. Analysis Death OK, so death is not a new concept to us but Dickinson does a good job making it fresh and strange by having death take the form of a man. You might be tempted to think of the grim reaper, with his black cloak and dangerous-looking scythe (the curved sharp thing he's always carrying around), but, no, Dickinson's Death is a real smooth operator. He's the kind of guy who would hold the door open for his...
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...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....
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...Most do not want to even think about death much less speak about it. The subject is many at times be avoided due to what it commonly corresponds with. Death is often portrayed to be a conclusion of life and is associated with having a dark or eerie vibe. In this poem “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” Emily Dickinson gives a different illustration of death as having a rather sense of tranquillity and comfort to form a new beginning through the use of symbolism, imagery, and paradoxes. Death could be interpreted in a variety of ways, especially in literature. Thus making numerous ways to interpret this piece of literature, mostly depends on how the author wants the symbolism to be seen through the reader's eyes. In “Because I Could Not...
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...Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell Tale Heart” are both pieces by famous American authors from the same time period. In the text "Tell Tale Heart" and the text "Because I Could Not Stop for Death", both of the narrators accept death. In the one text, "Tell Tale Heart", the narrator accepts death by justifying it with something that is bothering him, while in the other text, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death", the narrator accepts it and doesn’t try to run away from death. In the time period of both of these writers, death was not accepted the way the poems made it seem. During this time people were scared of death and would try to escape it, but the narrator of “Because I Could Not Stop for...
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...Because I Could Not Stop For Death "Because I couldn’t stop for death" is a lyric poem, composed of six quatrains. It is one of Emily's Poems that deal with death. Here we see death personified. He is not frightening, scary or threatening, but a gentle guide who lead her to eternity. The speaker feels no fear when Death picks her up in his carriage; she just sees it as an act of kindness and politeness as if she is his date. Death is introduced as the leading character and focus of the poem, performing a human action by stopping for someone on his way. Substitute Death as any guy's name: "Because I could not stop for Tom – He kindly stopped for me." Now the beginning of this poem seems like the first meeting of two lovers. Actually at first, the speaker was so busy, but she was willing to put aside her distractions and go with death. Here the speaker may point to the fact that people spend much of their lives busy with work or amused with play so they don’t get to think about their own death. Before they start their journey, we thought that the carriage hold just the two of them, but then we discover that it also hold "Immortality". This is another example of personification. The Death drives the carriage in a very slow speed due to many possible explanations. Perhaps, the woman is now dead and the carriage has been transformed into a hearse, and they are moving at the slow deliberate speed of the lead car in the funeral. Another Possible explanation is...
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...In her poem “Because I could not stop for Death” Emily Dickinson uses allegory to represent the different stages of life. When the narrator mentions that he is the one who “put away [his] labor and [his] leisure” (Dickenson 765) for Death one could take this to imply that the narrator commit suicide; however the fact that death is mentioned to “[know] no haste” (Dickenson 765) suggests simply the fact that death comes when it will. The mention of laying aside both work and pleasure may also be interpreted as the fact that once we are dead, our bodies cease to do anything. The school full of children represents youth and childhood. Following that is the field of grain that represents maturation; just as grain grows and ripens in a field, a...
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...Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” surprisingly made me feel relaxed. It was a shocking poem that changed my perception on death. For my whole life I have always known death as a scary thing. I knew death as the thing that takes my loved ones away too early. But, Emily Dickinson describes death as a nice and calming occurrence. Emily Dickinson describes death as the person who takes others on their last journey before they cross over. The journey is filled with happy memories that they can take with them. The speaker says “We passed the School, Where Children strove” (9). Death is taking the speaker back to watch children play and be happy. The speaker also says “We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- We passed the Setting...
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...Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” tells a story of a woman’s encounter with Death and the journey they take together. The narrator who remains nameless throughout the poem takes her time to recount her tale of how she met with Death; the carriage ride they took that led them through the day and into the night to her final resting place. She describes her last memories of her day with compassion, narrating her feelings about Death and his demeanor as well as her inevitable fate, showing no fear of what is to come. Dickinson brought a fresh portrayal of Death within this poem, illustrating Death as a man. She gives him a less frightening aspect within the first stanza, recounting “He kindly stopped for me“(2). This form gives him a more gallant appeal towards the narrator. Rather than the normal reaper image that is thought of, Death can be viewed more as a suitor, giving the reader a chance to analyze the narrator’s feelings towards Him. As the poem progresses, the narrator speaks of Death driving slowly. Showing no urgency to reach the destination, the reader can conclude that her demise was neither quick nor one she was afraid of. In the first line of stanza three, the narrator...
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...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...
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