Emily Dickinson-a great American female poet represented the farthest point in the 19th century American Poetry. I choose the “Because I Could not stop for Death” for my assignment because it is one of the representative poems of Dickinson showing her attitude to death. She has presented death as a civil, gentle and suitor. The poem presents the last phase of her mysticism in which death is regarded as herald to immortality.
The theme of the poem
There are three basic themes in her poems like death, love and nature. Above Emily’s poem on ‘Death’, G. F. Whicher says,
“It often rises to a level where abstract ideas are personified and dramatized, filled with vital breath, and placed in exciting relation with each other.”
In the present poem, Dickinson shows her profound view of death and immortality rendered with artistic perfection. She presents death as a guide and friend taking the human soul to Eternity making it immoral. In a bold and striking fashion, Emily personifies ‘Death’ as a lover, kind and civil, who stops at the house of his beloved to give her a courteous ride.
Critical Appreciation of the poem
The poem is a superlative achievement in which death becomes one of the great characters of poetry. The poetess visualizes Death as a person whom she knew and trusted. He might be any gentleman belonging to her own town. The first stanza describes the narrator as so engrossed in household activities that she cannot share time for death’s call. The poet with her love of life has not sought death. On the contrary, death has kindly and courteously sought her and stopped at her house. As she says, “Because I Could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me
Here death is presented as lover of the poetess in the poem. The word ‘stop’ and ‘stopped’ suggests that the poet has not sought death but death has sought her. The word ‘kindly’ suggests that death comes as a courteous gentleman. Death as not come alone, but with immortality as his companion.
In the Second Stanza, the carriage has moved slowly. Death knows no haste and does not snatch life abruptly. Death as a lover shows extreme consideration of human feelings. In return to his kindness and civility, the beloved puts aside both her ‘labour’ (world activity) and her ‘leisure’ (span of life). As she says,
“My labour and my leisure too
For his civility.”
In the third stanza, there is a superb description of the life that recedes back as the carriage moves forward. As the journey proceeds, they pass the school where ‘children strove at recess, in the ring.’ She knows that they have scarcely done their lesson. From the village, they now come to fields where they gaze grain. Finally, they also leave behind the sun.
The fourth stanza has a horrifying combination of an actual mansion and the swelling of a graveyard. They finally come to a place where Death is to leave her. What she saws were a neglected place. It seemed a swelling on the ground. The roof was scarcely visible. The cornice was nothing but a mound.
In the last stanza, the poet talks about immortality. Death is a root of immortality. Here she describes that though our life is too long, we feel shorter and we longing more and more. But she first realized that the horse heads were pointing towards eternity. The terror of death is objectified through the figure of the genteel driver who is made ironically to serve the end of Immortality.
Poetic Quality
As far as poetic quality is concerned, the poem passes through very nicely. In the poem death is personified as a person ‘he’ means a person especially who as a lover of her. This is the use of the figure of speech-personification. We also find superficial and inner meaning in the poem. The Simplicity is achieved by clear, cut, short simple sentences.
1. He kindly stop for me… 2. He carriage held. 3. we passed …
The poem has 20 lines and each stanza consists of 4 lines. The poem follows free ‘rhythm’ which gives rising and falling tone and brings joy in recitation. We also find tremendous musical and quality through the use of alliteration.
- My Labour and my leisure too - I first surmised the horse’s heard
Conclusion
To sum up, this is one of the most fascinating of Emily’s poems on Death in which death is personified and is introduced as a character. Death is portrayed as a lover gently conveying one to hidden pleasure and finally as a solemn guide leading her to the threshold of immortality. The poem is remarkably superb on the subject of daily realization of the imminence convicting that calm acceptance of death is a way of conquering death.
In a short, the poem is a well-admired poem. The critic Allen Tate says, “One of the greatest in the English language it is flawless to the last detail.
