I+could+not+stop+for+death

= = Joshua Baek Brandon Kim Brianna Itzep = **//Because I Could Not Stop for Death//** by Emily Dickinson   =

 Because I could not stop for Death-  He kindly stopped for me-   The Carriage held but just Ourselves-   And Immortality.  We slowly drove-He knew no haste,  And I had put away   My labor, and my leisure too,   For His Civility-  We passed the School, where Children strove  At Recess-in the Ring-   We passed the fields of Gazing Grain-   We passed the Setting Sun-  Or rather-He Passed Us-  The Dews grew quivering and chill-   For only Gossamer, my Gown-  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> My tippet-only Tulle- <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> We paused before a House that seemed <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> A Swelling of the Ground-  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> The Roof was scarcely visible-  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> The Cornice-in the Ground- <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> Since then-'tis Centuries-and yet each <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> Feels shorter than the Day  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> I first surmised the Horses' Heads  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: center;"> Were toward Eternity-

** hyperbole **: "I first surmised the horses' heads were toward eternity." (23-24)
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**__Explication__**
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson, is about the sadness and even rewards of death. Dickinson treats and personifies Death as an animated character with a contradictory persona; Death is usually seen as a demon from the underworld or as the menacing grim reaper, but in this poem Death is instead depicted as a polite guide that leads the speaker to eternity. The speaker sees death's polite manner as an act of kindness, for it seems she cannot make her way to the afterlife without his guidance.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The story begins when the narrator is being picked up by death, who is seen as a gentleman. In the first stanza, it is implied that the carriage they enter contains "but just us and immortality." (3-4) showing that the carriage is their transport to the afterlife. As they departed, Death is allowing the narrator to take her time with putting away her life and accepting where she must go. During their journey, the speaker sees the normal of life and is reminded on how often she sees these things in this lifetime. As the poem progresses, it is evident that the mood transitions from an accepting tone to a more melancholy perspective; the dew on the grass becomes cold and she realizes that her clothing is slowly losing its protective warmth, which signifies her life ending (14-16). The spot they stop at is depicted as an underground house, which hints that they have arrived to her grave. The final stanza shows a time lapse of hundreds of years, yet to the speaker it feels like only mere moments have passed (21-22). This shows that time has no meaning in her current status (which is most likely decreased). Dickinson closes this poem by saying she has obtained immortality through her death.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This poem written by Emily Dickinson is arranged as a 24 lined free verse poem. She maintains a constant attitude throughout the entire poem and chooses to keep the story in chronological order. Dickinson uses simple sentences that are arranged normally with the nouns following the verbs. There is much punctuation throughout the poem, especially at the end of each line which contributes to making the poem more dramatic. The title of this poem, "Because I could not stop for Death" is also the first line of the poem, which is generally Dickinson's style of poetry. The diction of this poem is colloquial and unusual. Much of the vocabulary used is not heard in daily life. The poet makes references to everyday activities that can be done such as "passing the school, where children strove" (9) and strongly personifies death in multiple lines talking about how "He kindly stopped for me" (2) and comments on his "civility" (8), acting as if death is a gentleman. The great amount of imagery used helps the reader connect to the story depicted in the poem. There is no rhyme scheme, but alliteration is used within the first few stanzas, making her the lines stick out more to the reader.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overall, this poem does an outstanding job of describing the true face of death. Most people see death as a scary monster, but Dickinson shows death as being a kind and well-mannered deity. What was really striking about this poem, however, was Dickinson's strategy of changing the mood of the poem in a matter of lines. The constant use of alliteration is used to emphasize the things we see and do in life, which will become irrelevant when we die. In the end, the speaker is able to pass on and gain immortality through her metamorphic transition from live to death, giving the poem the conclusion it deserves.



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