Emily Dickinson Personification

The amazing poem entitled, Because I could not stop for Death, was written by a 19th century poet, Emily Dickinson. It was considered as one of her famous masterpieces of American poetry. This lyrical poem was published in 1890; as a quatrain consisting of six stanzas. Dickinson paints a portrait of death which is neither brutal nor fearful, but instead it is a calm way to an individual’s inevitable end. Dickinson’s usage of crisp imagery and multiple layers of personification convey the message as; do not be afraid of death.
To begin with, the poet uses personification to send her readers the message. It is giving human characteristics to non-human things. “Because I could not stop for death; He kindly stopped for me” (1, 2). In this line,

Dickinson gives Death, the human trait of being kind. Death can never be kind to anyone; it can only bring an individual, sufferings and stress. This poet is also giving a positive connotation about death by stating that it was so kind. Another personification has been used in the same line, “He kindly stopped for me” (2). Death has been given the human action of stopping by, for the speaker. An individual does not try to get in the way of death because it is very frightening and brings discomfort; however the poet states that Death had stopped for him. Death does not halt for anyone at any time. Sometimes it occurs suddenly and in most cases it is even unpredictable. Therefore it is impossible for Death to take a break for the speaker.
Secondly, Dickinson also uses imagery to help her readers identify the theme.

It represents objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. “We paused before a House that seemed; A Swelling of the Ground” (17-18). The words that are used to describe the house aren’t welcoming enough for an individual to enter into it. A house is a place where a person can inhabit, however in the context; it is located below the surface of the Earth. The swelling of the ground can be clearly sensed through sight, and smell. An individual can be able to see all the openings in the ground and also can smell the freshly dug out soil from the ground below. This line states that the speaker is going to her burial spot also considered as a gravesite. “The Roof was scarcely visible” (19), this clearly explains that the grave which was also considered as a house, has now been covered with soil while the speaker is in her grave. This pit can be sensed through an individual’s touch and sight. We can identify that while the speaker is buried beneath the surface of the Earth, the little insects and worms might be crawling on her skin. While she is buried in there, she could still see a small amount of light through the small holes of the

soil.
In conclusion, I personally think that this poem was well constructed, and that Dickinson was clever enough to portray an emotional story in a lyrical poem composed of quatrains. The speaker was going on quiet route in a carriage with Death to her grave. She had no fear what so ever to meet her inevitable end. This extraordinary work was excellently presented and it was easy to comprehend due to her use of several examples of personification and strong evidences of imagery were the two main codes and conventions that were used by Emily Dickinson to send us her message. These contributed to the determination of the theme which was; Do not be afraid of your fatality. She wasn’t afraid at all for her inevitable end. These codes and conventions facilitated the comprehension and understanding of this this magnificent art of literature.