Death’s Mendacity in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, also commonly referred to as the Belle of Amherst, was an American poet who wrote a plethora of poems dealing with the concept of death. One of Dickinson’s most acknowledged and prominent poems is “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” In “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” a woman is visited by Death and Immortality, both whom take the woman on a noxious scenic ride to the spirit world. Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses influential and vivid imagery to give the reader a sense of crossing from the physical world into the spiritual world. Overall, the naive woman is deluded into giving up her life for a date with the “gentleman” who takes her on a symbolic …show more content…
Both of these environments are brought together when the pair stops at the house, which “can be seen as both [a] bridal house and the speaker's own grave” (Semansky 34). The bridal house is where she’s going to commit to Death for eternity. The wedding is a concealment for Death's actual intentions. Moreover, little does the reader know that the woman is already wearing her wedding dress attire. The “gown,” “tippet,” and “tulle” all symbolize a gown in which she's marrying Death. Susan Howe states that “…her garments are more appropriate for a wedding, representing a new beginning…” (Howe). The way Dickinson describes the woman’s clothing also signifies the transition to the other world. Ferlazzo argues that “… her tippet, made of lace, is something one might expect to see around the shoulders of a deceased woman lying in repose” (56). The woman has reached a point where her wedding dress has simultaneously and ironically become her funeral attire. More importantly, in Dickinson's time, gowns, tippets, and tulles were all mostly long white dresses, which women would sometimes wear to special occasions. The speaker’s clothing is most likely white because white symbolizes a new beginning. In this case the new beginning is the start of new “life” in the spirit world. As for the carriage ride, Death doesn't want to rush the ride because it’s meant to be a casual and romantic scenic ride. What’s more, Janet Gray argues that the slow carriage ride signifies “… marriage …,[which] signif[ies] spiritual death” (41). Death is treating her with class and would rather take things slowly without haste. Death wants to “emphasizes the serious and solemn nature of the speaker's ‘engagement date”’ (Semansky 34). He wants the woman to see that he’s “sincere" about their
There is probably no one, among people, who has not considered death as a subject to think about or the events, people, and spirits that they would face after death. Also, since we were little kids we were asking our parents what death is and what is going to happen after we die. People have always linked death with fear, darkness, depression, and other negative feelings but not with Emily Dickinson, who was a reclusive poet from Massachusetts who was obsessed with death and dying in her tons of writings. She writes “Because I could not stop for Death” and in this particular poem she delivers a really different idea of death and the life after death. In the purpose of doing that, the speaker encounters death which was personalized to be in a form of gentleman suitor who comes to pick her up with his horse-drawn carriage for a unique death date that will last forever. In fact, she seems completely at ease with the gentleman. Additionally, their journey at the beginning seems pretty peaceful; as they pass through the town, she sees normal events such as children who are playing, fields of grain, and a sunset. After this, dusk takes place and the speakers gets chilly because she was not ready for this journey and she did not wear clothes that would make her feel warm. Consequently, readers get the idea that death is not a choice, so when it comes, that is it. Emily Dickinson, in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” uses personification, imagery, and style to deliver her positive and peaceful idea of death and life after death.
Another obvious example of the symbolism of clothing is seen at the end of the novel when Edna removes all of her clothing before committing suicide. Chopin writes that when Edna was "there beside the sea, absolutely alone, she cast the unpleasant, prickling garments from her, and for the first time in her life stood naked in the open air" (558). Edna seems to be removing her final restrictions before finding her freedom in death. This last rebellion against society seems to give Edna her final "awakening". This awakening can be seen when Chopin writes, "She felt like some new born creature opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known" (558).
Emily Dickinson expresses her expectations of what happens after death by describing a death scene that is familiar to the living. In the third stanza Dickinson uses familiar imagery to describe the three stages of life. The sequence of scenes the carriage passes on its journey is an allegory for the normal progression of life from beginning to end. From this the read...
In Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” she uses the structure of her poem and rhetoric as concrete representation of her abstract beliefs about death to comfort and encourage readers into accepting Death when He comes. The underlying theme that can be extracted from this poem is that death is just a new beginning. Dickinson deftly reassures her readers of this with innovative organization and management, life-like rhyme and rhythm, subtle but meaningful use of symbolism, and ironic metaphors.
Emily Dickinson’s “Death is a supple Suitor,” speaks of Death, as if it is an innocent, gentle caller who seeks to win the attention of his fair lady. Dickinson metaphorically tells a story of Death’s win over the one he is pursuing by contrasting the processes of courting, as a gentleman would do, and dying, as Death would occur. Dickinson incorporates many details, which will be discussed, and presents us with two sides of the running metaphor, which speaks of Death as a suitor, and also as the one who takes away life.
But the frown isn't personal: it's the red dress she disapproves of, and what it stands There are other women with baskets, some in red , some in the dull green of the Marthas, hall. Shut the door behind you. I lifted my red bag inside, as she'd no doubt intended, corner, pretending I am a tree. A shape, red with white wings around the face, a shape Fig.7
One primary element of death is the experience of dying. Many of of us are scared of the thought of death. When we stop and think about what death will be like, we wonder what it will feel like, will it be painful, will it be scary? In Emily Dickinson's poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death, she focuses on what the journey into her afterlife will be like. Dickinson uses the first person narrative to tell her encounter with death. The form that she uses throughout the poem helps to convey her message. The poem is written in five quatrains. Each stanza written in a quatrain is written so that the poem is easy to read. The first two lines of the poem, “Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me;” (Clugston 2010), gives you a clear view of what the poems central theme is. Unlike most poems that are about death, Dickinson's attitu...
Emily Dickinson is one of the numerous poets who uses death as the subject of several of her poems. In her poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," Death is portrayed as a gentleman who comes to give the speaker. a ride to eternity. Throughout the poem, Dickinson develops her unusual. interpretation of death and, by doing so, composes a poem full of imagery that is both unique and thought provoking.
In the poem "Because I could not stop for death", Emily Dickinson talks about her acceptance of death as something inevitable that comes to her and she has no control over it; although she seems confused about being alive or dead as she keeps narrating.
With her use of imagery, Emily Dickinson is able to govern how the reader feels and reflects about death. In her poem, "Because I could not stop for Death," the word "could" signifies that death has occurred as a past experience. Due to this poem being based on a past event, Dickinson is able to use imagery to relate death to a fresh memory of hers. In the beginning of the poem, Dickinson writes, "Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me." Not only does Dickinson portray death as a man, but she does so in a way that the man is not perceived in a negative way. She writes as if the man is her lover, kindly stopping in a way as if he was to suit her. Death is not to be our enemy, but instead is our companion. In the next two lines, in lines three ...
Her wedding day things and the torn and dirty ones from their hurried trek over Cumberland Mountain. In the silent night, it was hard to believe forty to fifty other people were sleeping by dying campfires. There were nearly as many horses as people in this village and now they were grazing on the lush meadow with a herd of deer. For a minute, she thought
My hands flip through the old worn out pages of my parents wedding album while my mom talks about the day as if it were yesterday. My mom’s gown made of white satin with subtle beading throughout the dress gracefully dropped to the floor and continued with an extended train. Its puffy sleeves, that have now become out dated, would be the only changes I would make. Red roses intertwined with baby’s breath and white carnations had become the centerpieces that stand on the tables black clothes. The flowers probably went unnoticed because everyone was too busy gettin’ down on the dance floor.
Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” is a remarkable masterpiece that exercises thought between the known and the unknown. In Dickinson’s poem, “Because I could not stop Death,” there is much impression in the tone, in symbols and in the use of imagery that over flow with creativity. One might undoubtedly agree to an eerie, haunting, if not frightening, tone and use of symbolism in Dickinson’s poem.
In?Because I could not stop for Death,? Emily Dickinson uses many poetic devices to make her poem stand out among other poems centered around death. Dickinson's use of irony, imagery, symbolism, and word choice adds to the overall effect of her view of?death? itself. It is a sham. The way she structured this poem helps her stand out as one of the greatest poets of all time.
Throughout Emily Dickinson’s poetry there is a reoccurring theme of death and immortality. The theme of death is further separated into two major categories including the curiosity Dickinson held of the process of dying and the feelings accompanied with it and the reaction to the death of a loved one. Two of Dickinson’s many poems that contain a theme of death include: “Because I Could Not Stop For Death,” and “After great pain, a formal feeling comes.”