Because I Could Not Stop For Death Essay

This writing displays several elements of poetry, making it a poem. Because I Could Not Stop for Death is broken into five stanzas, each with a syllable pattern of 8-6-8-6. Although there is no specific rhyme scheme, there are several types of rhymes scattered throughout this poem.

For example, “He kindly stopped for me; … And immortality.” is an end rhyme, with me and immortality rhyming. Another example of end rhyme is “Their lessons scarcely done; … we passed the setting sun.” Throughout this poem there are several end rhymes, but there are also a few lines with eternal rhyme; “The carriage held but just ourselves”, in which the “el” in held and ourselves rhyme. There is also internal rhyme in “My labour, and my leisure too,” were “er” sound in labour and leisure rhyme. Due to all these rhymes and the syllable pattern, Because I Could Not Stop for Death is poetry.

Circle the Literary Era (2 points)

Colonial Revolutionary Romantic Realist

Defend position – provide specific evidence from the text which best suggests era.

The realist era centered around the concept of representing everyday things in art without idealizing them. Death is often something that is dramatized, but in this poem it is represented as an everyday thing. The author mentions how Death “kindly stopped”, extinguishing the idea of Death as a cruel and unforgiving event. The author then proceeds to tell the journey of death as a lethargic journey that does not differ from many “normal” things. “We passed the school where children played, … We passed the fields of gazing grain, We passed the setting sun.” are all examples of things the author saw while Death was carrying her/him away. In the realist era, authors would represent the topic as truthfully as possible, which the author does in this poem by informing the reader of their experience with death and how it was not idealized or macabre, but instead conveying that death is ordinary and representing it as realistically as possible. Because I Could Not Stop for Death belongs in the realist era because the entire poem centers around describing dying as something that did not vary from everyday life.

Circle the Gender of Author (2 points)

Male Female Non-binary gender identification

Defend your position – provide specific evidence from the text which best suggests gender

The gender of the author of Because I Could Not Stop for Death is not determinable from the text alone.

Although this poem is written in first person, there are no specifications about the author’s gender or any description of them from which to discern gender. While the pronouns “he” and “his” are used a few times, they are referring to the gender of Death, not the author. The only time the author is referred to is when the words “I” and “we” are used, but nothing more than that. Due to the fact that the author’s gender is never mentioned or described, it is impossible to identify the gender of the author.

Theme (not topic) (4 points)

Statement of theme (the author’s message about the topic):

The theme of Because I Could Not Stop For Death is Death should not be feared, instead accepted; for it is is subtle and ongoing.

Defend your position that this is a main theme of the text with specific evidence from the

text.

Throughout this poem, the author is recalling their experience with death and describing it as an ongoing process. The author remembers that “He kindly stopped for me;”, which portrays the message that Death is good-natured and should not be feared. The author also mentions that Death “knew no haste,” which shows that the author was not being rushed into the process of dying. “We passed the school where children played, their lessons scarcely done; We passed the fields of gazing grain, We passed the setting sun.” are examples of everyday things in life that the author noticed on the carriage ride towards death. These examples prove to the reader that death is lethargic and does not contrast with everyday life. “Since then ‘tis centuries;” explains that the author had died centuries ago, but they are still alive to remember when they “first surmised the horses’ heads Were toward eternity.”. This validates that death is not permanent, and that it should not be feared because it is neither sudden or violent. “The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality.” is another line that proves the author is not dying, but instead moving on to another way of life. The message of Because I Could Not Stop for Death is to accept death and recognize that it is an inevitable process that will never truly end but instead continue gently and forever.