Blaire Lewis
Gary Boyer
ENG 112
14 June 2017
Death as a Figure Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson is an emotional poem that utilizes personification, foreshadowing, and metaphors to enhance the meaning. This piece of literature stood out to me due to its syntax, form and interesting theme of mortality, along with the opposing force of immortality. It’s not until the end of the poem that you find out the story is told within the speaker’s memories of afterlife, for the speaker has been dead for centuries. To analyze the poem even farther, it is important to learn more about the author and what might have influenced her to write this piece of work. Within this poem, death is personified to take the speaker on a journey from life to afterlife. Death is portrayed as a nice gentleman that transports the speaker to settings that she could not visit. I found it interesting that Dickinson utilizes death as a figure that is helpful and serene rather than someone that is frightening or intimidating, like one might often view death as. Within the journey, the two pass multiple places on their passage, …show more content…
The poem does not have a certain rhyme scheme, but it does have iambic meter, in which a metrical foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (The Free Dictionary). This is revealed in the first line, “because I could not stop for death” (Dickinson 1), for every other word is exaggerated. In addition, I relate to this poem on a personal level, for my grandfather just passed away and I still feel as if he is right there beside me through my journey of life. I can feel his presence mainly when I am stressed, worried, or upset. This allows me to relax knowing he is there with me. Being able to relate to the poem benefited my understanding of the poem and helped me convey the meaning behind
Gary Boyer
ENG 112
14 June 2017
Death as a Figure Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson is an emotional poem that utilizes personification, foreshadowing, and metaphors to enhance the meaning. This piece of literature stood out to me due to its syntax, form and interesting theme of mortality, along with the opposing force of immortality. It’s not until the end of the poem that you find out the story is told within the speaker’s memories of afterlife, for the speaker has been dead for centuries. To analyze the poem even farther, it is important to learn more about the author and what might have influenced her to write this piece of work. Within this poem, death is personified to take the speaker on a journey from life to afterlife. Death is portrayed as a nice gentleman that transports the speaker to settings that she could not visit. I found it interesting that Dickinson utilizes death as a figure that is helpful and serene rather than someone that is frightening or intimidating, like one might often view death as. Within the journey, the two pass multiple places on their passage, …show more content…
The poem does not have a certain rhyme scheme, but it does have iambic meter, in which a metrical foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (The Free Dictionary). This is revealed in the first line, “because I could not stop for death” (Dickinson 1), for every other word is exaggerated. In addition, I relate to this poem on a personal level, for my grandfather just passed away and I still feel as if he is right there beside me through my journey of life. I can feel his presence mainly when I am stressed, worried, or upset. This allows me to relax knowing he is there with me. Being able to relate to the poem benefited my understanding of the poem and helped me convey the meaning behind