Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death

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Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” is a lyric poem that is narrated by a person who encounters death; however, what’s more interesting is that the poem is surprisingly conveyed placidly. The speaker delivers her own perspective on the main idea—Death. Although each stanza reveals different details, these details, if connected, leads to the same main theme which is death. In the first stanza, Dickinson instantly informs the reader that the theme of the poem is death. Using the word “Because” to start the poem is a smart approach because it would sound as if the speaker is providing an explanation or an answer to a question. Dickinson capitalizes the word “Death” because her objective is to embody death as a gentleman, which …show more content…

This is a significant part because “We” may let the reader think that the speaker has some control on their pace. On the other hand, Dickinson’s quick shift to “He” tells the reader that he is in charge of their slow advance and the speaker is just riding with him. A calm tone of the poem makes the reader assume that the speaker doesn’t fear death, but due to their unhurried pace, little tension has developed in the poem. Moreover, in this stanza, Death’s generosity and politeness have made the speaker feel at ease and surrender all her worries as she is somewhat awed by his conduct. Judging from the speaker’s way of expressing her sentiment, she is beginning to feel more affable, social, and truly …show more content…

The fifth stanza, on the other hand, has answered all the intriguing points Dickinson has presented to the reader: “We paused before a House that seemed”(lines 17). Dickinson’s use of the word “House” as a replacement of the word grave or gravestone is a very shrewd technique to make the poem more interesting and challenging at the same time. Also, the next line: “A Swelling of the Ground—” (line 18), is the phrase that would make everything apparent and clear. Every dug area always leaves a little ascend in the ground, and every reader that realizes this would think that Dickinson is referring to a grave. Although the speaker realizes that it is her grave, she is surprisingly calm because she knows she cannot escape from

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