Because I Could Not Stop For Death Literary Devices

Ilyes Benmaamar

Mr.Defazio

Honours English 10

February 3 2017 “Because I could not Stop for Death” (Dickinson) does a greater job at eliciting the reader’s emotions through the main use of extended metaphors as well as other literary devices than, “After Apple Picking” (Frost) and “O Captain My Captain” (Whitman) Whitman Dickinson and Frost are all three an example of exceptional poets, whose poems carry a deeper meaning and elicit emotion upon their readers. To accomplish this, all of these poets include a multitude of literary devices within their poems, whether it be theme or an array of sound devices. However, a consistent literary devices that is used within all three of these poets poems, is extended metaphors. The use of these extended

It suggests that death is a civil being “For His Civility –” and that it comes unwarranted and unexpected “Or rather – He passed us – The Dews drew quivering and chill –”. It is evident that the speaker was unprepared for the impromptu meeting with death, the 4th stanza illustrates the fact that the speaker was not prepared for the cold that accompanies death on its journey. She was wearing thin clothes that were open to the cold instead of protecting herself from the chill of night or the chill that comes with death. The tone and the examples used to describe the meaning behind the poem can be interpreted in many ways, whatever your experiences are with the ideals that come up in the poem may affect the interpretation that you receive when reading this poem. The openness interpretation that this poem holds shows the intellect behind this poem as well as how the perfect use of imagery and tone throughout the poem enables the reader to really emotionally connect with it. It is this kind of emotional connection one makes with the poem that really makes this poem to stand out from other poems. It makes the reader realise how much of an art poetry is. The tone of the poem was conveyed perfectly, accurately and thoroughly (6ParallelStruture). In comparison to Dickinson’s tone throughout her poem, the tone used in After Apple Picking is unique; just as the theme of the poem changes, the tone throughout the poem is not stagnant and changes throughout as well.(7RestrictiveClause) The beginning of the poem could be seen as displaying a theme of death and how the old man accepts that it is his time. One could assume he is happy and has welcomed his fate of death, “I am dosing off,” (Line 8) indicates that maybe he has finally accepted his fate and his judgment. Over the course of the poem however, the tone of the poem turns into one that is more somber; as the speaker sets up a theme of desires and