Similarities Between 465 And 712

In poems 465 and 712, Dickinson writes about two different possibilities for what the afterlife may be. In poem 465 the speaker expresses that once one dies, he or she may go into a state of eternal unconsciousness. Many people believe there is a conscious afterlife and the thought that there may not be one can be frightening to some. In poem 712 the speaker has a much more willing approach to death, as she never fades out of consciousness. However, as the speaker learns, eternal consciousness can be daunting as well. Although poem 465 is about being unconscious for eternity, and poem 712 is about being conscious for eternity, both poems are bleak as they each depict a state of everlasting sorrow.

Poem 465 focuses on the opinion

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker seems to not mind death’s coming for her as she talks about how nice death is: “He kindly stopped for me— . . . For His Civility—” (2, 8). The speaker also states she is picked up by death in a carriage which seems somewhat luxurious: “The Carriage held but just Ourselves—/ Add Immortality—” (3, 4). The speaker in the prior quote states she was with “Immortality” in the carriage, which leads to the understanding she will never die in the state she is currently in. The speaker initially seems to be at peace as she rides in the carriage as she says, “And I had put away / My labor and my leisure too,” (6, 7). However, at the end of the prior quote, the speaker states she also put away her leisure too, which is the first sign of negativity in the poem. This boredom escalates further as she watches children at recess play, fields of grazing grass, and the sunset. As time went on she began to become to grow cold, which may have been symbolism for how she felt: “The Dews drew quivering and chill— / For only Gossamer, my Gown— (14-15). Next, she presumably speaks of the carriage stopping at her grave: “We paused before a House that seemed / A Swelling of the Ground— / The Roof was scarcely visible—” (20-22). However, the carriage only stopped briefly as it began to move again towards eternity: “I first surmised the Horses’ Heads / Were toward Eternity—” (27, 28). It is at this point the speaker truly grasps the concept of eternity and how she will be stuck in this carriage alone forever. This poem points out that maybe eternal consciousness is not as pleasurable as it may seem, and living people cannot truly grasp how long eternity is. This ending is why I believe this poem should be considered that of eternal misery, although it began with a positive