Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” details an intimate carriage ride between the speaker of the poem and “Death,” personified. The reader travels on a journey with the speaker and “Death,” passing through a figuratively bountiful life, and ultimately ceasing at “eternity.” The poem is a commentary on how difficult it is to accept one’s own immortality.
The rhyme scheme of the poem becomes important in creating a feeling of motion throughout, mimicking the carriage ride. Dickinson uses the classical hymn stanza, an iambic quatrain with 8 and 6 syllables repeating. Furthermore, there is slant rhyme on the second and fourth line of every stanza. For example, the words in stanza two, like “away” and “civility” are not rhymed identical but are close enough for there to be anticipation of the rhyme when reading. The only stanza that fails to have a slant rhyme is stanza 3, where “ring” and “sun” are put in the rhyming positions. Dickinson creates this friction to enhance the feeling of separation between the living children, depicted in the stanza, and the speaker who is being carried off by “Death.”
Dickinson establishes a plot, in this case a carriage ride, “which creates in the reader a subtle sense of expectation, the anticipation of closure” (Anderson 218). The first line starts as if in the middle of a sentence using the word “Because,” further stressing the fact that the speaker does not want to “stop for Death,” or cease living her life (2). The speaker goes on to say that “The carriage held but just ourselves/And Immortality” (3-4). With the carriage only holding the speaker and “Death,” it is interesting that the speaker goes on to say that also “Immortality” is in the carriage. Does Dickinson mean that “Immortality” is also personified, being the only other word capitalized besides “Death,” and therefore represents a fellow traveler? I do not think that that is Dickinson’s purpose to personify “Immortality,” for it is not mentioned throughout the rest of the poem. Instead I feel she capitalized “Immortality” for the sake of drawing attention to the magnitude of “life” beyond death. The speaker realizes that this is not an ordinary carriage ride with a “kindly” gentleman, but one that will transcend time and space; and one whose destination is not finite.
In stanza 2, the speaker and “Death” continue on their journey towards an undisclosed destination. The speaker states that they “slowly drove, he knew no haste,” (5) which is not surprising since death is eternal there would be no rush in the after-life. The speaker goes on to say that due to the nature of their journey she puts away “[Her] labor, and [her] leisure too,/For his civility” (214). Dickinson creates this paradox between “labor” and “leisure” for the speaker will need neither where she is going.
The third stanza creates images that the speaker and “Death” are traveling through a lifetime of memories. The first image is that of children playing “at wrestling in a ring” (10). This image is symbolic of childhood. The ring that the children play acts as a barrier into the living world, for which the speaker no longer belongs. Lilia Melani states that “here the speaker is excluded from activities and involvement in life; the dead are outside ‘the ring’ of life” (par.6). Next, the carriage passes “fields of gazing grain” (11). The grain here is a symbol of fertility, thus this part of their journey represents middle life and parenthood. The alliteration of “gazing grain” not only sounds interesting but also alludes to the idea that the grain has eyes, like children would. The final image drawn here is that the carriage passes “the setting sun” (12). The “setting sun” is an archetypal image for an older person, one approaching death. Thus, the cycle is complete, going from children playing to the setting sun; childhood to one’s death bed. This cyclical movement is further enhanced in the repetition seen at the beginning of lines nine, eleven, and twelve.
Stanza 4 is where the speaker becomes unsure of her surroundings and thus the images are muddled. She states that they “paused before a house that seemed/A swelling of the ground” (13-14). The use of the word “seemed” shows the uncertainty at which the speaker is detailing the events. So what, if not a house, is the speaker seeing? The speaker, I believe, is looking upon her own grave. The “swelling of the ground” (14) refers to the actual grave sight, the “home” of the dead. Furthermore, the speaker describes this “house” by saying that the “roof was scarcely visible,/the cornice but a mound” (15-16). The “roof “ is hard to see because there are no roofs on gravestones. And the cornice, or what would be molding on a house, is only a “mound,” just like there would be a mound of earth encircling where the casket was lowered. The speaker’s confusion throughout this stanza is based on her realization that “Death” has finally stopped for her, and she will no longer be among the living.
The final stanza captures the insurmountable and unimaginable amount of time the speaker has passed since her ride with “Death.” She professes that;
Since then ‘it is centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity (17-20).
Again, Dickinson uses paradox, between “centuries” and a “day.” The speaker states that the day she realized the ultimate journey of the carriage, or death, seemed longer that each century she has been dead.
Dickinson takes her readers on a journey with “Death” in a carriage ride. From childhood games to aging, the reader sympathizes with the speaker in her realization that her journey with “Death” is final, and that she will never return from this journey. The poem is a commentary on the acceptance of death, that for the speaker and for everyone the acceptance of death is difficult. And often, one does not want to stop for death, and in those cases “he will kindly stop for” you.
Works Cited
Anderson, Douglas. Presence and Place in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry. New England Quarterly, Aug. 2010.3 Feb. 2010.
Melani, Lilia. Death is Personified. Feb. 2009.3 Feb. 2010.
The rhyme scheme of the poem becomes important in creating a feeling of motion throughout, mimicking the carriage ride. Dickinson uses the classical hymn stanza, an iambic quatrain with 8 and 6 syllables repeating. Furthermore, there is slant rhyme on the second and fourth line of every stanza. For example, the words in stanza two, like “away” and “civility” are not rhymed identical but are close enough for there to be anticipation of the rhyme when reading. The only stanza that fails to have a slant rhyme is stanza 3, where “ring” and “sun” are put in the rhyming positions. Dickinson creates this friction to enhance the feeling of separation between the living children, depicted in the stanza, and the speaker who is being carried off by “Death.”
Dickinson establishes a plot, in this case a carriage ride, “which creates in the reader a subtle sense of expectation, the anticipation of closure” (Anderson 218). The first line starts as if in the middle of a sentence using the word “Because,” further stressing the fact that the speaker does not want to “stop for Death,” or cease living her life (2). The speaker goes on to say that “The carriage held but just ourselves/And Immortality” (3-4). With the carriage only holding the speaker and “Death,” it is interesting that the speaker goes on to say that also “Immortality” is in the carriage. Does Dickinson mean that “Immortality” is also personified, being the only other word capitalized besides “Death,” and therefore represents a fellow traveler? I do not think that that is Dickinson’s purpose to personify “Immortality,” for it is not mentioned throughout the rest of the poem. Instead I feel she capitalized “Immortality” for the sake of drawing attention to the magnitude of “life” beyond death. The speaker realizes that this is not an ordinary carriage ride with a “kindly” gentleman, but one that will transcend time and space; and one whose destination is not finite.
In stanza 2, the speaker and “Death” continue on their journey towards an undisclosed destination. The speaker states that they “slowly drove, he knew no haste,” (5) which is not surprising since death is eternal there would be no rush in the after-life. The speaker goes on to say that due to the nature of their journey she puts away “[Her] labor, and [her] leisure too,/For his civility” (214). Dickinson creates this paradox between “labor” and “leisure” for the speaker will need neither where she is going.
The third stanza creates images that the speaker and “Death” are traveling through a lifetime of memories. The first image is that of children playing “at wrestling in a ring” (10). This image is symbolic of childhood. The ring that the children play acts as a barrier into the living world, for which the speaker no longer belongs. Lilia Melani states that “here the speaker is excluded from activities and involvement in life; the dead are outside ‘the ring’ of life” (par.6). Next, the carriage passes “fields of gazing grain” (11). The grain here is a symbol of fertility, thus this part of their journey represents middle life and parenthood. The alliteration of “gazing grain” not only sounds interesting but also alludes to the idea that the grain has eyes, like children would. The final image drawn here is that the carriage passes “the setting sun” (12). The “setting sun” is an archetypal image for an older person, one approaching death. Thus, the cycle is complete, going from children playing to the setting sun; childhood to one’s death bed. This cyclical movement is further enhanced in the repetition seen at the beginning of lines nine, eleven, and twelve.
Stanza 4 is where the speaker becomes unsure of her surroundings and thus the images are muddled. She states that they “paused before a house that seemed/A swelling of the ground” (13-14). The use of the word “seemed” shows the uncertainty at which the speaker is detailing the events. So what, if not a house, is the speaker seeing? The speaker, I believe, is looking upon her own grave. The “swelling of the ground” (14) refers to the actual grave sight, the “home” of the dead. Furthermore, the speaker describes this “house” by saying that the “roof was scarcely visible,/the cornice but a mound” (15-16). The “roof “ is hard to see because there are no roofs on gravestones. And the cornice, or what would be molding on a house, is only a “mound,” just like there would be a mound of earth encircling where the casket was lowered. The speaker’s confusion throughout this stanza is based on her realization that “Death” has finally stopped for her, and she will no longer be among the living.
The final stanza captures the insurmountable and unimaginable amount of time the speaker has passed since her ride with “Death.” She professes that;
Since then ‘it is centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity (17-20).
Again, Dickinson uses paradox, between “centuries” and a “day.” The speaker states that the day she realized the ultimate journey of the carriage, or death, seemed longer that each century she has been dead.
Dickinson takes her readers on a journey with “Death” in a carriage ride. From childhood games to aging, the reader sympathizes with the speaker in her realization that her journey with “Death” is final, and that she will never return from this journey. The poem is a commentary on the acceptance of death, that for the speaker and for everyone the acceptance of death is difficult. And often, one does not want to stop for death, and in those cases “he will kindly stop for” you.
Works Cited
Anderson, Douglas. Presence and Place in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry. New England Quarterly, Aug. 2010.
Melani, Lilia. Death is Personified. Feb. 2009.
Dearest Kira,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very helpful how you analyzed every section of the poem, it really helps readers to further understand the Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death". By beginning your essay with a discussion of the poetic form you take the reader by the hand and guide them through the poem. Kudos Kira.
Overall, I thought your anaylsis of the poem was in depth and it shined new light on my previous interpetation of stanza three and the significance of the children playing.
Woohoo! I also picked Dickinson for my analysis! :)
ReplyDeleteThe introduction identifies the speaker, Death personified and the event that takes place. However, your thesis argues the message or meaning of the poem. It doesn't specify, in the introduction, how you will be proving that. Not that it's necessary, as your body paragraphs still maintain effect.
Emily Dickinson was conscious of the advantage of mechanics of language and even used them as metaphors. You thorougly identify the places where the specific tool is used and the reason for it. The only thing you might have done to give yourself more credibility is to use the proper term for the tool/ability that is used. It isn't necessary for your essay because you're simply arguing the plot/meaning of the poem and not the manner through which it is expressed.
Moreover, you bring forth the emotions/actions which the symbols/images allude to, making the poem's message more evident. Also, you unfold the speaker's own development in accepting the inevitable or rather the inevitable despite acceptance through the chronological break down of the poem.