“Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson is a straightforward, yet neatly articulated poem that outlines the narrator’s journey from mortality to immortality. Surprisingly, throughout the passage, the narrator reveals her feelings about death and the infinite through the use of a variety of literary devices. Her diction while using strong symbolic, figurative language like personification, vivid imagery, and metaphors portray a rather calm and different outlook on death far from ordinary.
One of the most evident figures of speech that Dickinson employes in her poem is in the first stanza. In lines 1 and 2, Dickinson used personification to characterize Death itself as a male suitor. The manipulation of words also reveals the narrator's overall feelings towards the idea of dying. By conveying Death as polite and courteous, the narrator casts an air of tranquility, rather than fear, as he escorts her to the carriage. The notion of Death being kind gives off a sense that further …show more content…
When the narrator says, “Since then- ‘tis Centuries and yet/ Feels shorter than the Day” (21) we can see a shift from concrete imagery to abstract as she reveals that the entire journey described in the previous stanzas was nothing, but a memory. It was not until the final stanza that the narrator hinted that she was, in fact, dead. The vivid descriptions of her journey to death demonstrate how memorable her death was to her.
In “Because I could not stop for Death,” Emily Dickinson found a unique mold to conjure focus on a selection of figurative language to display an uncommon perspective on death. Dickinson’s manner of articulating words to create a powerful image offered an opportunity to captivate readers to convey a deeper understanding of the usually incomprehensible. The considerable uniqueness of this poem expresses that death is not the end of life, but a step closer to
One of the most evident figures of speech that Dickinson employes in her poem is in the first stanza. In lines 1 and 2, Dickinson used personification to characterize Death itself as a male suitor. The manipulation of words also reveals the narrator's overall feelings towards the idea of dying. By conveying Death as polite and courteous, the narrator casts an air of tranquility, rather than fear, as he escorts her to the carriage. The notion of Death being kind gives off a sense that further …show more content…
When the narrator says, “Since then- ‘tis Centuries and yet/ Feels shorter than the Day” (21) we can see a shift from concrete imagery to abstract as she reveals that the entire journey described in the previous stanzas was nothing, but a memory. It was not until the final stanza that the narrator hinted that she was, in fact, dead. The vivid descriptions of her journey to death demonstrate how memorable her death was to her.
In “Because I could not stop for Death,” Emily Dickinson found a unique mold to conjure focus on a selection of figurative language to display an uncommon perspective on death. Dickinson’s manner of articulating words to create a powerful image offered an opportunity to captivate readers to convey a deeper understanding of the usually incomprehensible. The considerable uniqueness of this poem expresses that death is not the end of life, but a step closer to