What do people understand about death? Numerous people in the world live with the fright of dying. The particular beliefs that people have about death affect the way they perceive life. Many of these people are pessimistic about death, and it is difficult for them to experience a sense of purpose or meaning to it. There are others who are positive and cheerful about death because they believe in life after it. In the poem by Emily Dickinson called Because I could not stop for Death, the narrator is in a carriage with the personification of death and immortality as they are on their way to her tomb. It is described how the relator is on her way to die and instead of being frightened about it, she is enjoying the process. People who understand
…show more content…
In the first verse, Dickinson uses personification to expose Death as a gentleman when she says, “Because I could not stop for Death / He kindly stopped for me” (1-2). He is no frightening, or an intimidating reaper, but rather a courteous and gentle guide, leading her to eternity. This is the beginning of their journey to the narrator’s grave. When people die, they start their road to a new life maybe not in the living world, but a world without worries. This might be the reason why the narrator is feeling calm when she is dying. In the third stanza, it is reflected how the narrator was recalling her past as Dickinson writes “We passed the School, where Children strove / At Recess” (9-10). She is recollecting her memories from the times she was young and recalling her past as she was growing older. It also reflects the narrator’s maturity when she discusses growing “Fields of Gazing Grain” and her descent into death as she sees the “Setting Sun” (11-12). It appears like the narrator is reviewing the stages of her life from beginning to the end. This stanza characterizes life as procession toward conclusion. This is why it is important to live life to its full potential. In that way, people have the opportunity to recall joyful memories from past events that made their life pleased. These reminiscences are the ones that stay …show more content…
Even if people believe that death is terrifying and intimidating or positive and cheery, it is a phase in each person’s life. People grow and eventually need to die because life is impermanent. The word “passed,” used several times in the Dickinson poem, is a clear example of this impermanency. The carriage occupants are passing out of life. They are reaching life. However, she expresses some kind of hope after death when she says, “I first surmised the Horses’ Heads / Were toward Eternity” (23-24). This final stanza shows a glimpse of immortality, made most clear in the first two lines, where she says that although it has been centuries since she has died, it feels no longer than a day (21 -22). Dickinson’s narrator might feel a little nervous about this new pathway she is on, but she enjoys the process. People should think of death as a welcoming to eternity and a new life even though this means to leave the loved ones behind. Death is nothing to be afraid of. As long as people have prepared well during their lives, they should not be terrified when death
In the first verse, Dickinson uses personification to expose Death as a gentleman when she says, “Because I could not stop for Death / He kindly stopped for me” (1-2). He is no frightening, or an intimidating reaper, but rather a courteous and gentle guide, leading her to eternity. This is the beginning of their journey to the narrator’s grave. When people die, they start their road to a new life maybe not in the living world, but a world without worries. This might be the reason why the narrator is feeling calm when she is dying. In the third stanza, it is reflected how the narrator was recalling her past as Dickinson writes “We passed the School, where Children strove / At Recess” (9-10). She is recollecting her memories from the times she was young and recalling her past as she was growing older. It also reflects the narrator’s maturity when she discusses growing “Fields of Gazing Grain” and her descent into death as she sees the “Setting Sun” (11-12). It appears like the narrator is reviewing the stages of her life from beginning to the end. This stanza characterizes life as procession toward conclusion. This is why it is important to live life to its full potential. In that way, people have the opportunity to recall joyful memories from past events that made their life pleased. These reminiscences are the ones that stay …show more content…
Even if people believe that death is terrifying and intimidating or positive and cheery, it is a phase in each person’s life. People grow and eventually need to die because life is impermanent. The word “passed,” used several times in the Dickinson poem, is a clear example of this impermanency. The carriage occupants are passing out of life. They are reaching life. However, she expresses some kind of hope after death when she says, “I first surmised the Horses’ Heads / Were toward Eternity” (23-24). This final stanza shows a glimpse of immortality, made most clear in the first two lines, where she says that although it has been centuries since she has died, it feels no longer than a day (21 -22). Dickinson’s narrator might feel a little nervous about this new pathway she is on, but she enjoys the process. People should think of death as a welcoming to eternity and a new life even though this means to leave the loved ones behind. Death is nothing to be afraid of. As long as people have prepared well during their lives, they should not be terrified when death