Symbolism of Death Used in Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson and “Home Burial by Robert Frost

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In the poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, by Emily Dickinson and “Home Burial”, by Robert Frost, literary elements are used throughout both poems to get the message the authors are trying to portray. One main important literary element that is used to entice the reader, is symbolism, because it helps the authors describe something without actual describing it. Symbolism is also used because it shows how significant an object is. Characterization is also an important literary technique because it, gives the reader an idea on how the character would act, work, and their values in life. Death is a topic that is used in both poems. Also, every character express their opinion about death differently.

The first poem is “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, is about the woman who is later revealed to be a girl is picked up by Death and Death symbolized as a kind and patient man. As the poem continues the pair is in a carriage that symbolizes the journey to death and they are watching children play. Which represents life and the setting sun, that represents the end and in this case the sun represents the speaker’s world ending. When the two reach their destination, the speaker comes in contact with her grave and the story ends there. However, the final stanza states that she has been there for centuries and she has become immortal. The theme in the poem is mortality because the speaker is familiar with death as something that happens on a daily basis, which it does. She seems to be fine with having death around and eventually learned that there is no way of escaping him, because his arrival is for only him to know. Lines 1-2, “Because I could not stop for Death-/he kindly stopped for me-“ personifies that D...

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...he main thing that is talked about in both poems because some characters know how to accept it and believe it’s a part of everyday life. Other characters or character believe that death is something that should be grieved about and not taken lightly. In both poems Amy, and the narrator in the poem, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, are struggling to control the situation. But, instead of facing the issue head on they would rather leave. Both characters are trying to learn how to accept the situation, but only the narrator of Dickinson’s poem accepts, while Amy leaves likewise.

Death is important to both poems because it expresses each character’s reaction and the importance of accepting death. If you don’t you’ll be grieving and angry for a long time. Both poems tie in with each other due to this, but are different because the characters reacted differently.

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