Theme Of Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Decent Essays
Emily Dickinson is known for a series of poems revolving around the theme of death. In the poem, “Because I could not stop for death”, the speaker reminisces on when death took her from life to the afterlife. The speaker is communicating from her grave the day death proceeded her. Throughout the poem we see death personified and immortality acting as a character. Dickinson personifies death as a close friend, or a gentleman suitor who is doing her a favor. The speaker’s attitude towards death is not frightening nor intimidating but instead it is of comfort and happiness leading her to eternity. The first stanza opens up with the line, “Because I could not stop for death - he kindly stopped for me” (Dickinson 1-2). Death arrives in his carriage …show more content…
The carriage ride is slow and quiet and they start to pass reminders of the world she is leaving. They pass a school with children playing on the playground which seems nice but Dickinson makes it an example of the difficulties in life. “We passed the school where children strove at recess”. The use of the word “strove” which means to struggle or fight vigorously highlights the labor of existence. They also drove past grazing grain and the setting sun. However, at the opening of the fourth stanza she states “Or rather he passed us”. In reference to the sun she is implying that the sun passes her because she is now a part of the …show more content…
Her new home is described as “A swelling of the ground” with a roof that is “scarcely visible”, this implies that her new home is not an actual house but instead a grave. Looking at her new “home” her attitude towards death starts to shift and she is disappointed. She has been lured into thinking of promises of eternity is where she was going however the only thing she sees is a small, damp place to call home. They only pause at her new home because although it is apparently her new home, it serves only as her resting place. Death is not the end of her existence she will now move onto

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