Preview

Analysis of Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1279 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis of Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop for Death
Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death
Collamer M Abbott. The Explicator. Washington: Spring 2000.Vol. 58, Iss. 3; pg. 140, 4 pgs
People: Dickinson, Emily (1830-86)
Author(s): Collamer M Abbott
Document types: Feature
Publication title: The Explicator. Washington: Spring 2000. Vol. 58, Iss. 3; pg. 140, 4 pgs
Source type: Periodical
ISSN/ISBN: 00144940
Text Word Count 1077
Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=000000056709394&Fmt=3&cli entId=43168&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Abstract (Document Summary)
Once one realizes that Emily Dickinson is talking about a stone burial vault in "Because I could not stop for Death," an image that expands the metaphoric power of the poem, one can appreciate more fully related imagery in her poems. The figure of the "House" in "Because I could not stop for Death" and "I died for Beauty" expands the symbolism immeasurably beyond the moldy receptacle of an underground grave, to a hospitable dwelling. Full Text (1077 words)
Copyright HELDREF PUBLICATIONS Spring 2000
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 GroundSince then--'tis Centuries-and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

were toward Eternity--*

-Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" (no. 712) has aroused conflicting interpretations. For example, Clark Griffith in The Long Shadow sees


Cited: Farr, Judith. The Passion of Entity Dickinson. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1992. Griffith, Clark. The Long Shadow: Entity Dickinson 's Tragic Poetry. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1964. Johnson, Thomas H. The Complete Poems of Entity Dickinson. Boston, Little, 1955. All references to Dickinson 's poems are to this edition. Miller, Ruth. The Poetry of Entity Dickinson Middletown: Wesleyan UP, 1968.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparison of Smooth Talk to “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Comparison of Smooth Talk to “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”

    Rubin, Larry. “Explicator” 42, 1984: 57-59. Literature and the Writing Process. 9th ed. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. Upper Saddle, NJ: 1999. 161-162.…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explication of Emily Dickinson's Poem: Because I Could Not Stop for Death Essay Example
    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Explication of Emily Dickinson's Poem: Because I Could Not Stop for Death Essay Example

    The poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson expresses the speaker's reflection on death. The poem focuses on the concept of life after death. This poem's setting mirrors the circumstances by which death approaches, and death appears kind and compassionate. It is through the promise of immortality that fear is removed, and death not only becomes acceptable, but welcomed as well. As human beings, we feel that death never comes at a convenient or opportune time. When Dickinson says, "Because I could not stop for Death," she causes the reader to ask why she could not stop. The obvious answer is that she was so wrapped up in her own life that she did not think about death. She makes it clear that it is inescapable, though, when she says, "He kindly stopped for me." The next lines, "The Carriage held but just Ourselves-/And Immortality," signify that the miracle of life is our most precious possession and promises the gift of unending life. Immortality's presence helps to remove fears as we exit the physical world and provides the recipient with the necessary assistance to assure that the transition from reality to spirituality is a pleasant experience. If the promise of immortality did not exist, one would never go along willingly, nor would one welcome death without fear. Death and the speaker ride along with absolutely no concept of the passage of time. They are not hurried, as they have forever to reach their destination. This is stated in the line "We slowly drove-/He knew no haste." Having completed all her earthly chores, the speaker states that they are no longer of any concern to her. Now there is no sewing, cooking, cleaning, farming, or caring for loved ones. The speaker has been allowed the luxury of rest and relaxation, as the next lines reveal: "And I had put away-/My labor had my leisure too." Therefore, the person and death share a reminiscent journey together as they stroll down…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    An Analysis Of Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death
    • 113 Words
    • 1 Page

    An Analysis Of Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    Emily Dickinson, a chief figure in American literature, wrote hundreds of poems in her lifetime using unusual syntax and form. Several if not all her poems revolved around themes of nature, illness, love, and death. Dickinson’s poem, Because I could not stop for Death, a lyric with a jarring volta conflates several themes with an air of ambiguity leaving multiple interpretations open for analysis. Whether death is a lover and immortality their chaperone, a deceiver and seducer of the speaker to lead her to demise, or a timely truth of life, literary devices such as syntax, selection of detail, and diction throughout the poem support and enable these different understandings to stand alone.…

    • 113 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5
    • 312 Words
    • 3 Pages

    5

    "5.05 Works Cited." English I V12: 3642. Florida Virtual Schools, 03 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 May 2013.…

    • 312 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Horses Heads Were Toward Eternity
    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Horses Heads Were Toward Eternity

    However, in “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” Emily Dickinson creates a safe haven and reminds readers that it is about perception and personal interpretation. When analyzing the poem and only considering the text, there is a dark picture painted. However, when readers begin to use their own inferences, the poem is given a different tone and purpose. The poem enables readers to create their own ideas of death and…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Dickinson's "Because I Could not Stop for Death"
    • 1044 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dickinson's "Because I Could not Stop for Death"

    The first line indicates the theme by using the word "death". In a critical analysis of the poem by Allen Tate, he says that "every image is precise and moreover not merely beautiful, but fused with the central idea" which in the poem is death (Tate, 84). Engle's main point on "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" is that Dickinson uses the poem to refute death in its entirety. She begins by citing the opening line of the poem. Engle interprets this line to mean that Death, as an end point, ceases to be: "It is simply not her nature to stop for Death. She realizes that she cannot recognize Death's power over her. Once she reckons with that eternal or divine bent within her, Death stops; that is, Death ceases to be what Death is- and end," (Engle 74). This brings in the other character in the poem that also takes the carriage ride with, almost posing as a silent chaperone. This character is Immortality. If these two men are separate entities, what is Emily Dickinson asserting about the end of human life? This seems slightly unclear.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Death In Emily Dickinson's Poetry
    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theme Of Death In Emily Dickinson's Poetry

    Death is an odd thing, humans do not know what waits for them the moment their hearts stop beating, they do not know where they’ll end up going- but death is a common topic. Whether it be in movies or writing, death has made its impression on the world; especially on poet Emily Dickinson. Dickinson’s poems, “I heard a Fly buzz- when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death” focus on a consistent theme of death and her own curiosity on what it might be like to die herself. Dickinson’s life and use of the archetypal device have a connection to helping fuel her dreary, death revolving, poetry.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Emily Dickinson Diction
    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Emily Dickinson Diction

    There is a multitude of poems written with the theme of death, be it in a positive light or negative. Some poets write poems that depict Death as a spine-chilling inevitable end, others hold respect for this natural occurrence. In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death”, diction and personification is utilized to demonstrate the speaker’s cordial friendship with Death.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast Themes of Death in Emily Dickinson’s ‘How Many Times These Low Feet Staggered’ and ‘the Only Ghost I Ever Saw’.
    • 2208 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Compare and Contrast Themes of Death in Emily Dickinson’s ‘How Many Times These Low Feet Staggered’ and ‘the Only Ghost I Ever Saw’.

    Emily Dickinson, as a poetic writer, composed most of her works with the theme of death, the entirety of which can be categorised into three different periods of writings; the earliest mainly contained the themes of death and immortality, personifying death and elegiac poems and lacked the intensity and urgency of her later poems or their fascination with the physical aspects of death (VAN DAESDONK 2007). Because of Dickinson’s immense fascination with this subject it is interesting to compare her pieces against each other to see how her view of death changed over the years of her writing.…

    • 2208 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Transcendentalism In Because I Could Not Stop For Death
    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Transcendentalism In Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    Emily Dickinson is a well known Transcendentalist who became famous when her poems were published after her death. She promoted Isolationism, and Death in her poetry. The majority of her poems were about death and the experience of death. Emily’s poem the “Because I could not stop for death”, was about poem is about as a being or entity.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Emily Dickinson Research Paper
    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Emily Dickinson Research Paper

    Throughout the history of human kind, there have existed a significant number of poets, who did not care to write about “happy things.” Rather, they concerned themselves with unpleasant and sinister concepts, such as death. Fascination and personification of death has become a common theme in poetry, but very few poets mastered it as well as Emily Dickinson did. Although most of Dickinson’s poems are morbid, a reader has no right to overlook the aesthetic beauty with which she embellishes her “dark” art. It is apparent that for Dickinson, death is more than an event, which occurs at least once in a lifetime of every being. For her, death is a person, who will take her away with Him, when the right time comes,…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dickinson and Her Religion
    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Dickinson and Her Religion

    Emily Dickinson was one of the greatest woman poets. She left us with numerous works that show us her secluded world. Like other major artists of nineteenth-century American introspection such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Melville, Dickinson makes poetic use of her vacillations between doubt and faith. The style of her first efforts was fairly conventional, but after years of practice she began to give room for experiments. Often written in the meter of hymns, her poems dealt not only with issues of death, faith and immortality, but with nature, domesticity, and the power and limits of language.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death
    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    “Because I could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me-…” (Dickinson 1-2). Emily Dickinson was born in 1830 in Amherst, MA, and lived a fairly normal childhood. She attended an all-female college in her birth town, but her life changed after her cousin passed away. After that tragic event she developed, a rare mental condition that made her stay inside, and not go outside at all. It eventually got so bad that she would not even leave her bedroom. Dickinson wrote letters to all of her friends and family since she did not exit her room. She had a unique obsession with death, and this can be shown in her poems, specifically the poem “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”. This poem used many unique ways of writing such as her capitalization and punctuation in her poems, her use of slant rhymes, and also her use of personification on different, seemingly unimportant words to convey her obsession with death in her poem “Because I Could Not Stop For Death.”…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Because I Could Not Stop For Death By Emily Dickinson
    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Because I Could Not Stop For Death By Emily Dickinson

    “Because I could not stop for Death,” is a poem by Emily Dickinson where she uses death as a person and the speaker is communicating its journey from beyond the grave. This is my first time reading Dickinson and I am impressed by her style; furthermore in the few poems I had read I notice the usage of death over and over again. In this poem she persuades the reader by the way she opens the poem; the speaker is too busy for death, so death “Kindly” takes the time to do what she cannot and waits for her. Death is not frightening or intimidating but rather a soft and lighted guide that leads her to eternity and she feel no fear when she pick her up in his carriage. The sense of peace takes over the reader and can feel she is happy that death…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Death In Emily Dickinson's Poetry
    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Death In Emily Dickinson's Poetry

    Emily Dickinson is unquestionably one of the most significant, innovative, and renowned American poets. She did not always receive such high praise, however, as most of her fame and honor was obtained long after she died. While she was alive, she lived most of her life isolated from society as a recluse. During this reclusion, however, she wrote almost eighteen hundred poems, and one of these included “Because I could not stop for Death” (Mays 1187). This is one of her most popular poems and that is in part because it allows the audience to analyze the topic of death and the struggle to come to grip with one’s own demise. The concept of Death is humanized within this poem. “He” is portrayed as a groom and a conductor, as much as he is a robber…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More