Because I Could Not
Stop For Death
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
Because I Could Not Stop for Death
• Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, in 1830, Emily Dickinson
was a prolific poet, though few poems were published during her
lifetime. Her family was very prominent – her grandfather
founded Amherst College, where her father, also a US
Congressman, was Treasurer. However, Emily challenged many of
the conventions of the society around her, particularly religion.
While she read the works of other 19th century poets in England
and America, she developed her own idiosyncratic style, using
dashes and capitalisation. In later life she became very reclusive
and died in 1886.
Because I Could Not Stop For Death
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 labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
Emily Dickinson
Because I Could Not Stop for Death
• This poem is a good example of her style, with punctuation dominated
by dashes and words intermittently given initial capital letters. The
poem is slightly disconcerting, presenting the arrival of death as a
friend, or even a bridegroom, to escort the narrator in a leisurely
manner towards her tomb.
• The personified Death’s actions are ‘kindly’, he shows ‘Civility’ and the
journey has ‘no haste’. The central stanza poignantly contrasts children
at play with death and the children are the first of three references to
the passing of time towards the end of life. They are followed by the
ripening grain, ready for harvest, and the setting sun, a frequent
metaphor for the end of life.
• Describing the tomb as a ‘House’ suggests comfort and the final stanza
confirms this, compressing the ‘Centuries’ since the journey into less
‘than the Day’.
• Consider whether the capitalisations are random, or serve to highlight
key words. There are a number of repetitions, internal rhymes and
examples of alliteration in the poem. Consider what these sound
features add to a reading and understanding of the poem.
Homework
• Write an essay explaining Emily Dickinson's views on the afterlife.
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Due Monday
Sources www.cummingsstudynotes.com
www.enotes.com / www.sparknotes.com / www.cliffnotes.com
Or just Google it…
GET FLIRTY!!!
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6.
Focus on the form of the poem , looking at the structure, punctuation,
line lengths and the arrangement of the poem’s stanzas. How do these
features add interest and meaning to the poem? Also examine the
arrangements of the words, phrases and sentences in the poem.
Examine the language used in the poem, looking at the meaning of
words and whether they have negative or positive connotations.
Look at the techniques, imagery and sound devices, alliteration, that has
been used? How do these techniques bring out the main themes and
ideas in the poem?
How does the poet make use of rhyme (end and internal), repetition
and rhythm? Why does she do this?
What are the poet’s main ideas that she brings out in the poem and
how does he do this? Explain the feelings that the poet conveys
throughout the poem. Describe the poet’s attitude to his subject. Does
this change as the poem progresses? Carefully examine the tone
throughout the poem and find vocabulary to back up your discussion.
How do you react to this poem? Does it bring any particular thoughts to
mind? Which poems would you compare this one with?
Compare with
• One Art Elizabeth Bishop
• Elegy for My Father’s Father James K. Baxter
• A Dream William Allingham
• Cold in the Earth Emily Brontë
• A Quoi Bon Dire Charlotte Mew
• The Ballad of Reading Gaol Oscar Wilde
Further reading
http://www.online-literature.com/dickinson/