Because I Could Not Stop For Death

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Because I Could Not Stop For Death
by Emily Dickinson
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Because I could not stop for Death He kindly
stopped for me The Carriage held but just
Ourselves And Immortality.

• Dickinson personifies Death and uses
  alliteration of the c
• She describes this as a pleasant event that takes
  place in a carriage
• She uses end rhyme in lines 2, 4 and internal
  rhyme in line 3
• Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of
  living in physical or spiritual form for an
  infinite length of time.

3
We slowly droveHe knew no haste And I had put
away My labor and my leisure too, For His
Civility

• She walks away from her busy schedule, such as
  work and even her leisure time for death
• Civility- politeness, courtesy
• Uses alliteration of the letters h and l

4
We passed the School, where Children strove At
Recess--in the Ring We passed the Fields of
Gazing Grain We passed the Setting Sun

• Dickinson is talking about the different stages
  of her life or seeing her own life flash before
  her eyes
• The repetition of we passed is called anaphora
• She also uses alliteration of the letters s,
  r, and g

5
Or rather--He passed us The Dews drew quivering
and chill For only Gossamer, my Gown My
Tippet--only Tulle -----------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
---------------

• Sun is personified as He
• Describing being inside the ground being cold
• Also talks about what she is wearing gossamer-
  material for a wedding dress, tippet (scarf)
  Tulle (netting)

6
We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling
of the Ground The Roof was scarcely visible
The Cornice--in the Ground

• The house/swelling of the ground symbolizes her
  gravesite
• Cornice a decorative framework to conceal
  curtain fixtures at the top of a window casing
• Alliteration of the letter s

7
Since then--'tis Centuriesbut each Feels
shorter than the Day I first surmised the
Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity--

• Time has passed since her carriage ride with
  death
• Paradox- century (10yrs) feels shorter than a day
• Ends with her realizing that towards the end of
  her ride with death she figured out that this
  wasnt temporary
• Horses Heads were toward eternity meaning the
  horses pulling the carriage were taking her
  somewhere she couldnt return from
• She realizes she is dead that this ride is for
  all eternity

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Analysis and Commentary

• Each stanza is a quatrain- four lines
• In each stanza the first line has 8 syllables,
  the second has 6 syllables, the third has 8
  syllables, and the fourth has six syllables
• The overall theme of the poem seems to be that
  death is not to be feared because it is part of
  the endless cycle of nature
• Her tone is optimistic because she sees death as
  a friend

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If you need help understanding Dickinsons Poems,
please check out these sites

• http//www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?45442B7C000C0
  7000F
• http//www.bartleby.com/113/