Analysis of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"

At the beginning of the poem she starts off by describing death, how it is vicious, swift, unbiased and unforgiving.

In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.

If this story had been told from a first person point of view, the reader my not have gotten this in depth of a description of the setting. Without the reader understanding that the house was boarded up and abandoned, to the point where it seems

The story opens with this sentence, “In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven o'clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o'clock! as if it were afraid that nobody would” (1). This first sentence personifies the house and demonstrates its inner motives. The house’s goal is to please its inhabitants. It wakes everyone up, cooks breakfast, provides information about the day, and tells everyone their schedule. These actions give a first glimpse into the house’s love for its family. Suggesting that the house’s family has died, the narrator states, “But no doors slammed, no carpets took the soft tread of rubber heels” (1). At 10:15, the suspicion is confirmed, “The entire west face of the house was black, save for five places…. The five spots of paint—the man, the woman, the children, the ball—remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer” (2). The house is alone and thus, has lost its purpose. Unable to accept this fact, the house continues to try to please its family.

is an unused as her house these descriptions emphasize the way beauty and grace can

Death is final, sudden and yet eternal it yawns before and behind us all. In “The Death of

A review of the house itself suggests that an architectural hierarchy of privacy increases level by level. At first, the house seems to foster romantic sensibilities; intrigued by its architectural connotations, the narrator embarks upon its description immediately--it is the house that she wants to "talk about" (Gilman 11). Together with its landscape, the house is a "most beautiful place" that stands "quite alone . . . well back from the road, quite three miles from the village" (Gilman 11). The estate's grounds, moreover, consist of "hedges and walls and gates that lock" (Gilman 11). As such, the house and its grounds are markedly depicted as mechanisms of confinement--ancestral places situated within a legacy of control and

The personification of death through the many

In literature Death is consider an iconic character, which has been involved in few books and movies. Authors can express their own values, attitudes and concerns about life through this character. We are dealing with death constantly, for example, the death of a love one, or even our own death. It’s important to understand how each author was capable to share their deeper feelings and opinions in each adaption of this mysterious character. I will be comparing and analyzing the different attitudes, values, and concerns the authors have captured on their books and also what they are trying to communicate with the character of Death.

In fact, mere sentences into the story, Death states “Here is a small fact — you are going to die.” (p.1) But, we are also reminded of the harsh reality of dying in other ways. Death constantly presents us with the faces and numbers of those dying, making sure we cannot forget who they are. We know we will die because everyone dies one day.

She continues to say “Something dead is happening, like the weeds that are left to bleach and wither in the sun” to continue describing the insurmountable pain being caused. Later on in the novel, she concludes the novel by saying goodbye to her dead family, as if it took her this long to admit to herself these people were dead— her father, her mother, relatives and ancestors. she says “My loved ones, rest in your world of stone. Around you flows the underground stream. How bright in the darkness the brooding light. How gentle the colors of the

Later on, the mood shifts yet again as the speaker weaves a web full of reluctant acceptance of fate, “I grow old… I grow old… / I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled” (Eliot 120-121). A statement full of weariness and reluctant acceptance, the speaker shows that enough time has passed to cause him to come to terms with his fate of aging. This reluctance portrays itself in the mood created by this statement, with the shift in mood from one of regret and reflection to one of reluctant acceptance. As literary critics James Persoon and Robert R. Watson say, “...Prufrock is painfully aware that he is growing old (line 120)...” (Persoon 3). This statement shows how the speaker has finally decided to acknowledge that time will continue to pass whether or not he wants it to. Yet, it is truly the last line of the entire poem that provides the best example of the correlation between the passing of time and the mood of the poem, with the speaker dramatically ending his tale with, “Till human voices wake us, and we drown” (Eliot 131). With this closing remark, the speaker manages to completely shift the original mood to a dark mood that reflects the futility of trying to escape the fate of death. As literary critic James C. Haba writes, “...drowning which is central to the poem’s conclusion as...death…” (Haba

The poems, “I heard a Fly buzz-when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death” both give details of what the women experienced with death. In “I heard a Fly buzz-when I died” it is safe to say the woman took death with a grim sight calling it a “…Fly…” (12). The fly in the poem can be viewed as death since flies often gather around dead things and death itself. In, “Because I could not stop for Death” the description of the woman’s grave as her “…House…” (17) gives insight as to how comfortable she is in her resting place. A home is usually visualized as a place of warmth and happiness. Although both poems are about death, both poems give different views of death.

It was “A Swelling of the Ground--” and “ The roof was barely visible—“. The turning point of the poem was a flashback, when she says, “ Since then—‘tis Centuries—and yet/Feels shorter than the Day/I first surmised the Horses’ Heads/Were toward Eternity—“(21-24). This flashback lets the reader know that she is looking back on that day almost as if she is sad. Centuries have passed, yet that day seems longer than any time that has passed.

There are times when sense fades away, consciousness flies, and the mind silences, these are the signs when death beckons upon someone. Death alone is one of the popular themes of poetry, including the final moment of one’s life before the grim reaper descends. Such topic is a truly elusive, yet plausible to be utilized. Apparently, there are two poets that do agree to this, Annë Bronte, and Dorothy Parker. It is worth questioning that an alcoholic and depressed American woman of the 20th century who was quite a prominent writer could agree about a topic with a Victorian English governess whose writings inspired by her first-hand experiences. Judging from nationality, with Annë being an English, and Dorothy being an American, it can be