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"Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson

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"Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson

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Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –

The Dews drew quivering and Chill –

For only Gossamer, my Gown –

My Tippet – only Tulle –

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground –

The Roof was scarcely visible –

The Cornice – in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity –

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 4. What figures of speech are used? How do they contribute to the tone and meaning of the poem?

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 4. What figures of speech are used? How do they contribute to the tone and meaning of the poem?

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The figures of speech that are used are personification and allusion. Dickinson uses personification by giving Death human traits, such as being able to "kindly stop," for the speaker and referring to him as a man. Allusion is used by Dickinson by placing the speaker in an afterlife setting, which could allude to the heaven that is believed by Christians. The speaker is sitting in a carriage that "held but just ourselves- and Immortality." This implies that the speaker has moved past the mortal realm and has transitioned to another place. The personification used with Death in the beginning assists in making the tone calm in the beginning of the poem. The allusion to Christian heaven adds to the meaning of the poem by giving the reader some insight into what is really happening. It helps the reader grasp the concept that the speaker is dead and being taken to another place.

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 5. Are there any symbols? What do they mean? Are they universal symbols or do they arise from the context of this poem?

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 5. Are there any symbols? What do they mean? Are they universal symbols or do they arise from the context of this poem?

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The poem, "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson, uses numerous synonyms that correspond to the story. These symbols, usually corresponding to death. An example of a symbol from the stanza, "The Carriage held but just Ourselves –" (3) The carriage that is mentioned in the quote, is an allusion to the Irish folklore of Death Coach, and a universal symbol of death around Northern Western Europe. Dickinson uses this common symbol to create Death as a real figure, like the Grim Reaper. Dickinson then creates another symbol in the poem, "We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess – in the Ring – We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – We passed the Setting Sun –" (9-12) Dickinson is symbolizing the stages of life using different places and objects that create ideas. The school and children, being a symbol of childhood and innocence, the first stage of life. In accordance, the fields of gazing grain, can represent middle-aged life, and the fields, representing work and stress. Then, the setting sun, a symbol of closure and conclusion, represents the narrator's final days, being taken away by the Carriage to death.

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6. What is the theme (the central idea) of this poem? Can you state it in a single sentence? Elaborate on your idea.

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6. What is the theme (the central idea) of this poem? Can you state it in a single sentence? Elaborate on your idea.

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The theme of this poem, is the perspective of an immortal eyes watching upon the cycle of life. This theme is focused upon from many different types of word choice that Dickinson uses in the poem, "The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality." (3-4) Dickinson mentions that the carriage that carries the narrator and "death" holds immortality, meaning that the narrator is experiencing immortality as well. Throughout the poem, the narrator experiences symbols of the stages of life, where as they are immortal, can watch as generations past by. Dickinson writing, "Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity –" (21-24) The narrator explicitly announces that centuries have passed by like hours, upon climbing into the carriage that brought them immortality. In closing, the theme of the poem is the interpretation of life through immortal eyes.

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 3. What images does the poet use? How do the images relate to one another? Do these images form a unified pattern (a motif) throughout the poem?

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 3. What images does the poet use? How do the images relate to one another? Do these images form a unified pattern (a motif) throughout the poem?

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Dickinson uses images of children playing, the speaker being in thin clothing, and the coffin that the speaker will be placed in. In stanza three, the speaker recounts her experience in the carriage as they, "passed the School, where Children strove at recess- in the Ring-". The imagery of children lightens the atmosphere of the poem in this stanza. The speaker also describes being in an environment where "The Dews drew quivering and chill," which did not suit the clothing that she was in. It shows a sudden shift in tone as the speaker transitions from talking about children playing to being in a cold environment. The speaker describes the coffin as "a House that seemed a swelling of the ground- the roof was scarcely visible- the cornice- in the ground," Although it is not clearly stated that her new house is a coffin, the fact that the walls are in the ground and the roof was scarcely visible implies that a fresh grave has been dug just for her. The image of her thin clothing and her grave connect because they both share the dark feeling that the reader gets when they read the lines.