Representation Of Death In Emily Dickinson's Poetry

Human mortality. One would know that it is the primary term that usually categorizes death. But can we categorize the aspects of death into one group? When one thinks of human death, it is easy to perceive it in a negative light. But with the help of the three poems "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, "Holy Sonnet X: Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne, and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson, these selections highlight how death can have different perspectives, as well as various attitudes. Death can be seen as a type of freedom, but is often looked upon something to be feared. Death can also be seen as someone’s release of long-term pain and suffering, as well as the loss of someone beforehand. Within these poems, the occult aspect of death is portrayed as the primary theme, and the manner in which the reader is able to view death occurs in three different …show more content…
For some people, death can be looked upon as a symbol of freedom from the trials and tribulations of earth, meanwhile it can also be looked at as an unfortunate event that has taken away someone too early. In Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, she manages to highlight how death could be looked at with personification as well as how it possesses good-natured aspects. In this poem, Dickinson refers to death primarily as “he”, accentuating that death is a person. Death can be courteous when we think about it as a freeing trait. If someone were to see their last days as just letting go from long suffering due to an illness or if they are ready for it; then one could see how respectful death could really be. In Thomas’s "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night", human mortality is definitely not seen with a courteous attitude. Since the speaker is the son of a dying father, the reader can infer that the son is hurting and knows that death is taking away a loved one from him too