Free Essays on Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Because I could not stop for death In this classic poem Emily Dickinson realizes that to escape death is impossible and she shows that it need not be painful, therefore the poem maintains a serene tone throughout. Although not necessarily depicted as a sadistic murderer of innocence, death is indeed personified by Dickinson to a certain extent, as an unavoidable conqueror- one hanging over us and around us, inescapable. The first line tells us exactly what we’re reading about and what we can expect. There is no gradual build up to the main point as is the case with the works of some other poets. Instead, there is merely a progression of explanation. Many years beyond the grave, the narrator portrays the placid process of her passing, in which death is personified as he escorts Emily to the carriage. During her slow ride she realizes that the ride will last for all eternity. â€Å"The carriage held but just Ourselves-And Immortality.† It is my opinion that the speaker in this poem exemplified the voice of all people- not wanting to. She ‘could not stop for death’ as none of us really believe we can or that we have the time. Most people die unexpectedly- and are not ready to stop everything they have and want to do just to cease living. It seems that the narrator in this case had too much for which to live and she had not finished her life. Hence, she tried to del ay death; to sidestep it. None of us want to die but none of us can prevent it. The narrator of the poem is especially human and chillingly realistic in that sense. And so the clichà © reminds us, death will find us when we hide from it. By riding with death, however, the narrator fools herself into thinking that she is not dead. She has found immortality by riding along â€Å"with† death. As we pass the school, the fields, and the sun, we pass through all the stages of life. Death does not come quickly. Rather, it arrives with a menacing slo... Free Essays on Because I Could Not Stop For Death Free Essays on Because I Could Not Stop For Death The Cycle of Life For as long as history has been recorded, man has always been at odds at with the thought of his own death. Even the few who have accepted death amiably have at some point feared, dreaded, or attempted to postpone its arrival. We have personified death as someone evil who appears unpredictably, only to take you unwillingly from this world to the next. But in reality, we know that death is not the uncontrollable grim reaper that we find in fairy tales and movies. Rather than being malicious and unjust, death is an inevitable part of the cycle of life. In recent centuries, poets have spent much of their time writing of death and its inescapability-both as something to be admired as well as feared. In her haunting poem entitled, â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop For Death,† Emily Dickinson realizes that to escape death is unachievable, and she shows that it need not be painful, therefore the poem sustains a serene tone throughout. Death is personified by Dickinson as being compassi onate, and kind- making it feel more acceptable. Through Dickinson's precise style of writing, effective use of literary elements, and vivid imagery, she creates a poem that can be interpreted in many different ways. As human beings, it is in our nature to feel that death does not come in a convenient or opportune time. When Dickinson says, â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death,† she causes the reader to begin wondering why she could not stop. The apparent response is that she was so wrapped up in the chaos of life, she was too busy to think Golriz 2 about death. She makes death’s inescapability clear in the next line though when she says, â€Å"He kindly stopped for me.† In this last line she has begun to personify Death as a gentleman, rather than the vindictive evildoer he is normally thought of as being. The next lines, â€Å"The Carriage held but just Ourselves-/ And Immortality,† suggest that life is our most precious tenure and prom... Free Essays on Because I Could Not Stop For Death Because I could not stop for death In this classic poem Emily Dickinson realizes that to escape death is impossible and she shows that it need not be painful, therefore the poem maintains a serene tone throughout. Although not necessarily depicted as a sadistic murderer of innocence, death is indeed personified by Dickinson to a certain extent, as an unavoidable conqueror- one hanging over us and around us, inescapable. The first line tells us exactly what we’re reading about and what we can expect. There is no gradual build up to the main point as is the case with the works of some other poets. Instead, there is merely a progression of explanation. Many years beyond the grave, the narrator portrays the placid process of her passing, in which death is personified as he escorts Emily to the carriage. During her slow ride she realizes that the ride will last for all eternity. â€Å"The carriage held but just Ourselves-And Immortality.† It is my opinion that the speaker in this poem exemplified the voice of all people- not wanting to. She ‘could not stop for death’ as none of us really believe we can or that we have the time. Most people die unexpectedly- and are not ready to stop everything they have and want to do just to cease living. It seems that the narrator in this case had too much for which to live and she had not finished her life. Hence, she tried to del ay death; to sidestep it. None of us want to die but none of us can prevent it. The narrator of the poem is especially human and chillingly realistic in that sense. And so the clichà © reminds us, death will find us when we hide from it. By riding with death, however, the narrator fools herself into thinking that she is not dead. She has found immortality by riding along â€Å"with† death. As we pass the school, the fields, and the sun, we pass through all the stages of life. Death does not come quickly. Rather, it arrives with a menacing slo... Free Essays on Because I Could Not Stop For Death Because I Could Not Stop For Death The poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† by Emily Dickinson, expresses the speaker’s reflection on death. The poem focuses on the concept of life after death. This poem’s setting mirrors the circumstances by which death approaches, and death’s tone appears kind and compassionate. It is through the promise of immortality that fear is removed, and death not only becomes acceptable but welcomed as well. As human beings, we feel that death never comes at a convenient or opportune time. However, when death makes an appearance, it approaches bearing gifts of kindness, â€Å"Civility,† â€Å"And Immortality.† One can almost envision civility as being tall, dark, and handsomely dressed in a black tuxedo, arriving promptly, as any gentlemen would, to pick up his date for an evening out. Immortality also serves as a passenger in death’s â€Å"Carriage.† This signifies the miracle of life is our most precious possession and promi ses the gift of unending life, as shown by â€Å"The Carriage held but just Ourselves- / And Immortality† (lines 3-4). Immortality’s presence helps to remove all fears as we exit the physical world and provides the recipient with the necessary assistance to assure that the transition from reality to spirituality is a pleasant experience. If the promise of immortality did not exist, one would never go along willingly, nor would one welcome death without fear. Death and the speaker ride along with absolutely no concept of the passage of time. They are not hurried, or rushed, as they have forever to reach their destination. This is stated in line 5: â€Å"We slowly drove- / He knew no haste.† Having completed all her earthly chores, the speaker states that they are no longer of any concern to her. For now there is no sewing, cooking, cleaning, farming, or caring for loved ones. The speaker has been allowed the luxury of rest and relaxation, as lines 6-7 reveals: â €Å"And I had ...