Analysis Of Because I Could Not Stop For Death

The poem’s title. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, suggested that it may be tragic and dreadful, but the depiction this poem creates a peaceful, and nearly serene scene of death. During the beginning of the poem, the first stanza has a period, while the rest of the poem is not punctuated, which suggests that this is the only true statement; in which the speaker was still alive. The next stanza describes the speaker's experience during her “drive” toward death (on a carriage), while she puts away all aspects of her life. In the third stanza, the speaker reflects upon her life, and the cycle from a child, to adulthood, and eventually death. During the fourth stanza, I found it to be the most vital transition; in which the speaker realized
the reality of death; and the poem becomes bitter. The poem continues to take a dark turn as the ” house” symbolizes where the speaker would spend the rest of its life- a casket. In the last stanza, despite the fact that the speaker has been dead for several centuries, yet the speaker feels like it has been less than a day, rather than an eternity.