Because I Could Not Stop For Death Poetry Analysis

599 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Emily dickinson outlook towards death

Poetry often uniquely portrays elements of life that all people are familiar with, because of this poets often write on topics like love and nature. So understandably poets have written many interesting poems on death because although none of us have experienced it ourselves, it effects all our lives. For example the poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson uses amazing personification to flesh out her beliefs of death by his human like interactions. Another amazing artwork, “Death Be Not Proud”, by John Donne describes how death is not the dreadful terror that people often fear. Likewise the poem “I Heard a Fly Buzz -When I Died” by Emily Dickenson shows the worthlessness of our earthly possessions. All three poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, “I Heard a Fly Buzz -When I Died”, and “Death Be Not Proud” all demonstrate the author’s opinion of death. First off the poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” portrays a slow, polite, and not so terrifying death. The poem describes death in a very person like form who does not take you on a hard or difficult trip but instead slow and leisurely. Seemingly the poem says death will happen anyway it is just a matter of when. However one of the most powerful lines of the poem lies in the last stanza, “Since then – …show more content…

The poem begins by mocking death by belittlingly its powers. It talks about how people overate death’s power. After an appealing roast of death, the poet shows his reasoning for his beliefs. As the poem states “One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.” The poem says that because after we die we will go to heaven, death will no longer bother us. Looking at it from that view death really has no power, because after death we will live forever and never die again. In conclusion this poem states that death has no power or

Show More
Related

  • Compare Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night And Because I Could Not Wait For Death

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two poems, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas and, “Because I Could Not Wait for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, we find two distinct treatments on the same theme, death. Although they both represent death, they also represent it as something other than death. Death brings about a variety of different feelings, because no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing. The fact that our faith is unknown makes the notion of death a common topic, as writers can make sense of their own feelings and emotions and in the process hope to make readers make sense of theirs too. Both Dickinson and Thomas are two well known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of these emotions. The poems both explore death and the

    Read More

  • Comparing Whitman And Dickinson's Poems

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dickinson’s poem has no life after death; her poem speaks of the finality of death. Compared to Whitman’s poem there is no recycling of life, only the blinding dark and loss of self. Dickinson’s poem ends with the line, “And then the Windows failed-and then I could not see-“(Dickinson 1248). This line emphasizes Dickinson’s point of there being no afterlife. Her grim tone is well defined throughout her poem as the speaker of the poem lies in their death bed, while others wait with breaths held in for the speaker to die. The tone of Dickinson’s poem carries a gruesome burden of weight in how death is inescapable and leaves the reader with a dark cloud over their heads of the inevitability of it all. The speaker of the poem awaits their death as “The Eyes around-had wrung them dry-And Breaths were gathering firm” (Dickinson 1248). Her poem steadily maintains her morbid tone throughout her writing, emphasizing her points and interpretation of death. Dickinson views death as the finale of life. She believes there is nothing left to be fulfilled

    Read More

  • Two Viewpoints of Death in Emily Dickinson's Poetry

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two of Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I heard a Fly buzz-when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death” are both written about life’s stopping point, death. Although the poems are written by the same poet, both poems view death in a different manner. Between the two poems, one views death as having an everlasting life while the other anticipates everlasting life, only to realize it does not exist. While both poems are about death, both poems also illustrate that the outcome of death is a mysterious experience that can only be speculated upon with the anticipation of everlasting life.

    Read More

  • Image and Allusion In Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” provides a wealth of language that serves to give the reader a deeper and more intricate picture of what is occurring in the poem by utilizing powerful images. The reader may garner a heightened level of understanding about the poem by examining these figures of speech and how they function within the poetry.

    Read More

  • Death Literary Analysis Essay

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    Death has been a common topic for literature throughout history. There have been several plagues that have killed a massive amount of people. As organisms in general, we have come to accept the fact that we will all die in some way. Some people look at this subject positively, negatively, or neutrally. Most of the population in the world believe that there is some sort of afterlife in one way or another. Many arguments have been made to decide what is most likely, and people discussing their take on the matter. Emily Dickinson describes death as being very, very slow. Death is in no rush and is somewhat caring to a certain degree. John Donne chooses to make fun of death, and challenge the commonly accepted ideas. These poems attack this subject from completely different perspectives, but they’re are similar core ideas involved. Both poems suggest that death is a rather tame power or person.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Emily Dickinson's Guide To Mortality

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” death is personified as an amiable person of civility. “Because I could not stop for Death—/ He kindly stopped for me” (Dickinson 1-2). In these opening lines, Dickinson identifies the human tendency to oppose or resist death by claiming she “could not stop” living. This is the sentiment that Dickinson is trying to overturn with this poem. “When she says ‘he kindly stopped for me’, we can see she has no fear of death. She is not ready to go, but he thinks it was time for her to go. Her childhood, youth and old age are gone by and now she must go Home” (Ahmadi). In order to overturn the human tendency to oppose and resist death, she even calls Death kind in his consideration of her in order to paint death in a positive light for her readers. She further personifies Death in the next lines: “The Carriage held but just Ourselves—/ And immortality” (Dickinson 3-4). She identifies the other passenger of the carriage to be Immortality. This is meant to

    Read More

  • Differing Experiences of Death in "I Heard a Fly Buzz-When I Died" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Dickinson,

    1861 Words  | 4 Pages

    With her use of imagery, Emily Dickinson is able to govern how the reader feels and reflects about death. In her poem, "Because I could not stop for Death," the word "could" signifies that death has occurred as a past experience. Due to this poem being based on a past event, Dickinson is able to use imagery to relate death to a fresh memory of hers. In the beginning of the poem, Dickinson writes, "Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me." Not only does Dickinson portray death as a man, but she does so in a way that the man is not perceived in a negative way. She writes as if the man is her lover, kindly stopping in a way as if he was to suit her. Death is not to be our enemy, but instead is our companion. In the next two lines, in lines three ...

    Read More

  • The Afterlife

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    The speaker says, “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee / Mighty and dreadful, for thou art no so;” (Donne Lines 1-2). The speaker is trying to act strong and seem brave by calling out death; the speaker calls death weak and tolerable. The speaker says, “Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.” (Donne Line 4). The speaker continues to talk down to death like Death cannot touch him; the speaker sees death as a coward and not responsible for death itself. The speaker says that death cannot control when someone dies but he just goes and gets someone when the die. The speaker believes that fate, chance, kings, and people who kill themselves is what kills not Death. “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,” (Donne line 9). Throughout this poem the speaker’s tone towards death is cocky and

    Read More

  • Division of the Body and Soul in John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Sonnet 3"

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...at significance but more importantly, they see death as a way of escaping the sin and pain that manifests itself on earth. The body is considered a shipping crate when it comes to the soul. It is something for the soul to reside in until it has fulfilled its purpose on earth. Then it leaves, to start a new life in another shipping crate. With a clean conscious each of the characters in these poems are able to die guilt-free and both believe they will ascend to heaven. They acknowledge the fact that their souls will carry on after their bodies have died and seem to rest assure in the fact that there is more to life than the experiences they had on earth. Similar to the way souls are regarded by today's standards, it is something that departs from person upon death and carries the memory of an individual forever. I think John Donne would have agreed with this idea.

    Read More

  • Death Be Not Proud Personification

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    Doone personifies death in his poem to create imagery of inferiority in order to represent death as a weak character. The personification of death can be found in the first line as Doone states "death be not proud". In this statement the composer personifies death through characterising death, an intangible subject, with human characteristics of pride. Through establishing the personification of death in the beginning of the poem, Doone creates a direct dialogue between the reader and death. Hence the reader is able to visualise themselves looking down at death as an individual enabling death to be depicted as inferior/ weak. Doone integrates connotations throughout his poem to describe death in a condescending manner allowing death to be presented as weak. In lines "rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be" Doone's deliberate use of positive connotation enabled the composer to diminish the power of death. The words rest, and sleep connotes with peace and tranquillity, hence as Doone describes death as rest and sleep he ridiculed the fearful nature of death and is claiming that death should not be feared as it is as weak as sleeping. Therefore, John Doone's ironic style characterised by his use of imagery and connotation, demeaned the fearful nature of death portraying death to be weak and

    Read More

  • Because I Could Not Stop for Death

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because I Could Not Stop for Death is proclaimed to be Emily Dickinson’s most famous poem. This poem reveals Emily Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death. She portrays death as a gentleman that surprises her with a visit. Emily illustrates everyday scenes in a life cycle. While her metaphors explore death in an immutable way, her lines often contain as much uncertainty as meaning.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Peace Of Death

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    This line is stating that again people have no control over when they are going to die and how. It continues by saying “He kindly stopped for me-/The Carriage held but just Ourselves-/And Immortality.(2-4). In the first line, the poet capitalizes Death. Capitalizing death is personifying the word Death to be a noun. So going into the lines two and three “Death” (1) which the poet is referring to is like the coachman that drives a carriage around. Not only is “Death” being personified but “he” is being symbolized to death. So it goes both ways here. The poet also has a metaphor in this stanza. A carriage is being compared to death (1). But going back to line two, “he” stopped for this speaker. So the speaker did not die just yet. In line four it uses the word “immortality”, so the speaker is thinking that dying is not “the end.” There is

    Read More

  • Because I Could Not Stop For Death And Crossing The Bar

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    Death brings many positive and negative emotions with it, trailing behind the act of death like a slow reminder that everyone will have to endure its grasp one day. Both poems “Because I Could not Stop for Death”, written by Emily Dickinson, and “Crossing the Bar”, written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, are both poems that use symbolism to reflect the subject of death, and the journey to the other side. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is a poem that reflects the realization that despite people avoiding death, by living healthy lives, or by medicine, it catches up with everyone eventually, regardless of preparation. Alternatively, in “Crossing the Bar” the character is prepared and almost excited about his upcoming endeavor, there is not much negativity, if any at all, reflected around the characters final journey. Both poems describe death perfectly even though the descriptions are opposite, we are shown the

    Read More

  • The Theme of Death in Poetry

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Theme of Death in Poetry Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. While there are some comparisons between the two poets, when it comes to death as a theme, their writing styles were quite different. Robert Frost’s poem, “Home Burial,” and Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” and “I died for Beauty,” are three poems concerning death. While the theme is constant there are differences as well as similarities between the poets and their poems. The obvious comparison between the three poems is the theme of death.

    Read More

  • Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s timed essay I will be going over Emily Dickson’s “Because I could not stop for Death”. It's a pretty interesting poem but it’s kind of difficult to understand at first read. It contains a lot of old language and the theme is kind of danced around for most of the poem. But that does not mean we can’t figure out the meaning behind it. In this essay we will be looking at How Dickinson characterizes the experience of death, and What detail in the poem and/or literary techniques help to reveal her attitude towards death?

    Read More

More about Because I Could Not Stop For Death Poetry Analysis

Open Document