Theme Of Death In Poetry

Death is a very controversial and versatile topic in both our real world and in literature. Writers and poets are able to express their opinions on the idea of death and consequently sway the reader’s outlooks as well. The poems “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, written by Robert Frost, and “Because I Could not Stop for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, are both great examples of two distinct attitudes towards death and how that attitude is carried out throughout each of these pieces of literature. The first poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, centers around the idea that life’s responsibilities keep us away from the comfort and serenity of death. Whereas Dickinson's poem, “Because I Could not Stop for Death”, expresses the notion …show more content…
These symbols could be used to unveil the hidden meaning present in each of the poems. For example, the prominent symbol in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is the woods - representing death. The poet chose to express the woods as something “lovely, dark, and deep”, thus directly reflecting on the idea of the serenity, beauty, and mysteriousness of death. Additionally, the narrator’s horse is seen to give “his harness bells a shake - To ask if there's some mistake” as the narrator unexpectedly stopped in his tracks. Through these two lines we can deduce that the horse symbolizes wisdom; it senses that something is “queer” and reminds the narrator of life and its responsibilities, causing him to discard his initial decision of killing himself. Nevertheless, as opposed to the the dark and luring woods, death is represented as a kind and chivalrous man in Dickinson’s poem. In the speaker’s words, this man “kindly stopped for” her and gave her a ride in his carriage towards the afterlife. What’s more, the speaker readily set her labor and leisure aside for this man and “His Civility”. Throughout this ride, the speaker passes a school, “Fields of Gazing Grain”, and the “Setting Sun”. These sites represent the memories of the speaker’s life, each standing for her childhood, adulthood, and old age/death, respectively. The passing of these …show more content…
One considerable example is the use of imagery in both poems. In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, the poet portrays the image of eerie, dark woods that are slowly filling up with snow. He also states that “the woods are lovely, dark, and deep”, which allows readers to actually envision the attractiveness and deepness of the woods with the narrator. On the other hand, “Because I Could not Stop for Death” provokes the image of a serene setting where the speaker and death “slowly drove” with “no haste”, passing by schools, fields, and the setting sun. This implies the peacefulness of death to the reader; everything is undisturbed, calm, and practically normal. In addition to imagery, the personification used in these two poems also aid in expressing the meaning of the poem. In Frost’s poem, the narrator says in the first stanza, “He will not see me stopping here”. Here, the speaker personifies his own life as someone watching over and seemingly depending on him, indicating the importance of his life. However, in Dickinson’s poem, the narrator personifies life as a courteous gentleman that “kindly” takes her on a carriage ride. This points to the speaker’s acceptance of death and gives the idea that death isn’t that scary, after all. Finally, the repetition of certain phrases are used by the poets to create a desired effect in each