Preview

Because I Could Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
689 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Because I Could Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Analysis
“Because I Could not Stop for Death” and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” Comparison

The poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas are two poems that discuss the dark topic of death. Death is something that is viewed differently by different people, some embrace it while others do not embrace it. Both the poems have different views upon death but also have much in common. While the poems do have many differences they also have many similarities. The first and most obvious of the similarities is that they both obviously deal with the topic of death. They discuss death as something that happens to all. Another thing that the poems
…show more content…
The biggest difference between the two is the way in which they discuss death. Emily Dickinson’s because I could not stop for death conveys death as something that happens to everyone and as something that should be embraced. It discusses how death is the beginning of “Immortality” and that it should be appreciated. The speaker in this poem is also deceased and is reflecting from their grave. You get a feeling of appreciation from the poem by the way it casually discusses death. You feel this sense of appreciation of death when it says things like “because I could not stop for death he kindly stopped for me” or “since then, tis centuries and yet feels shorter than the day I first surmised the horses heads were toward eternity.” These lines show the genuine appreciation for death and shows that it may not be such a bad thing after all. Dickinson’s poem is very optimistic towards death and does not shed a negative light upon it. The other poem is not reflective or appreciative of death. Instead it is saying that death should not be embraced and that we should fight it instead. The poet in this poem feels this way because his father is dying and he is overcome by emotions that come with losing a loved one. The poem does not believe in death as a positive aspect of life and instead wants people to fight it. It looks at death as something that takes good men as well as wild and grave men as the author states in the poem. The main reason he writes this is because he is not ready to lose his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson, was first published in 1862. Dickinson was known for writing poetry mainly about death. When we think about death, we imagine something terrifying, but in this poem it is seen in a different perspective. In the poem, the speaker comes upon death, but not in a scary or bad way. Yet, death has approached her in a gentleman-like way. In this poem it’s talked about as a kind human being, who is simply taking her along a journey around town and death is just a stop away. While reading the poem we believe that the speaker is going to her death bed but once we reach the last stanza of the poem, we are left in quite a surprise.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While both of these poems have the overall themes of Mortality, “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” is about Death itself, while “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” is about the act of Dying and the end of Life. While they are both lyric poems Dylan Thomas’ poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” has a clear morale or message. It states that one should “not go gentle into that good night.” and “rage, rage against the dying of the light.” In other words to die fighting, not lying down. “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” by Emily Dickinson has no such message readily apparent. Instead of presenting a clear morale “Because” tells a story, in past tense, of what one supposes a kind of afterlife, and the events that took place after the speaker died. The fact that the form of the poems are nothing alike also sets them apart.…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Death seems to be a popular subject for literature. Death’s many unknowns may cause this—not all are sure of what comes after, and scientists cannot study its effects. Therefore, writers take a stab at describing and explaining it. Emily Dickinson and John Donne both do this in their respective poems. While they have the same topics, these two poems have plenty of differences as well. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “Death, be not Proud” address the same topics but focus on different aspects of them, have drastically different styles, and flow very differently.…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson expresses the speaker's reflection on death. The poem focuses on the concept of life after death. This poem's setting mirrors the circumstances by which death approaches, and death appears kind and compassionate. It is through the promise of immortality that fear is removed, and death not only becomes acceptable, but welcomed as well. As human beings, we feel that death never comes at a convenient or opportune time. When Dickinson says, "Because I could not stop for Death," she causes the reader to ask why she could not stop. The obvious answer is that she was so wrapped up in her own life that she did not think about death. She makes it clear that it is inescapable, though, when she says, "He kindly stopped for me." The next lines, "The Carriage held but just Ourselves-/And Immortality," signify that the miracle of life is our most precious possession and promises the gift of unending life. Immortality's presence helps to remove fears as we exit the physical world and provides the recipient with the necessary assistance to assure that the transition from reality to spirituality is a pleasant experience. If the promise of immortality did not exist, one would never go along willingly, nor would one welcome death without fear. Death and the speaker ride along with absolutely no concept of the passage of time. They are not hurried, as they have forever to reach their destination. This is stated in the line "We slowly drove-/He knew no haste." Having completed all her earthly chores, the speaker states that they are no longer of any concern to her. Now there is no sewing, cooking, cleaning, farming, or caring for loved ones. The speaker has been allowed the luxury of rest and relaxation, as the next lines reveal: "And I had put away-/My labor had my leisure too." Therefore, the person and death share a reminiscent journey together as they stroll down…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cool

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In addition, Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" laments the necessity and inevitability of death, encouraging the aged to rebel against their fate. The poem suggests that (to use an old cliché) we should leave this world the way we came in – kicking and screaming, holding on to life for all we're worth.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death" the main theme seems to be the acceptance of Death. Emily gives reference to the theme by using "death" in the first line. The poem is unique and interesting because she presents Death in a different way by referring to it as an escort taking her on a journey towards eternity rather than making it seem like something frightening. Each stanza of the poem breaks down the journey through the stages of her life that leads to the end where the speaker reaches eternity and she finally realizes that she is no longer living. In the fifth stanza when she refers to the coffin as her "house" gives the impression that she's comfortable with death and not afraid. Death is seen as something that's a natural part of life that you don't have to be scared to face. Many critics may agree that Death is the important theme of the poem, but they each have their own view of how this theme is interpreted.…

    • 1454 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Because I could Not Stop for Death" is one of Emily Dickinson's most discussed and famous poems due to its unique view on the popular subject of death. Death in this poem is told as a woman's last trip, a trip where she is going into toward eternity. The way that the poem is written it makes the reader feel the woman‘s tragedy on a much more personal level. Different from the more popular views of death being brutal and cruel, Dickinson makes death seem passive and easy. The theme of the poem is that death is a natural stage in our life cycles, but at the same time she gives comfort to the reader that death is not the end of our journeys, but more like another beginning. The form and tone that Dickinson uses throughout the poem helps her reader to understand the message that she is trying to get across in the poem. The way that the poem is written is that each set of verses tells the reader one little story and as you read the poem all the stories come together and feed off of one another to make the poem come alive as a much broader…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Death is a constant presence in life that can not be escaped and is experienced by everyone. Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night” and Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” and both deal with different perspectives of death. Thomas’s poem looks at death from an external perspective of watching a person die where Dickinson’s poem looks at death through the perspective of a person experiencing death. These perspectives on death show the acceptance of death and eternity and death and disparity of life ending.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this poem Dicksons ‘speaker’ is communicating from beyond the grave describing her journey with Death, personified, from life to afterlife. In the opening lines of the first stanza the ‘speaker’ is too busy for death and he “kindly” stops for her. “Death” stops for her as she does not have the time suggesting that no one is truly ready for death . Throughout the poem death is personified as a gentlemen or suitor who is there to escort her into the afterlife, it is clear who has the power in the relationship He decides when the carriage stops and the speed of the carriage. She "could not stop for Death", which signifies her powerlessness and lack of choice.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Because I could Not Stop for Death" is one of Emily Dickinson's most discussed and famous poems due to its ambiguous, and unique view on the popular subject of death. Death in this poem is told as a woman's last trip, which is headed toward eternity. This poem helps to characterize and bring death down to a more personal level. Different from the more popular views of death being brutal and cruel, Dickinson makes death seem passive and easy. The theme of the poem being that death is natural and unstoppable for everybody, but at the same time giving comfort that it is not the end of a soul's journey. The reader can recognize the poem's theme by analysing its voice, imagery, figures of speech, form, diction and especially symbolism; all of which help the reader to understand the poem's meaning. The precise form that Dickinson uses throughout the poem helps convey her message to the reader. The poem is written in five quatrains. The way in which each stanza is written in a quatrain gives the poem unity and makes it easy to read. "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" starts to gives the reader a feeling of forward movement throughout the second and third quatrain. For example, in line 5, Dickinson begins death's journey with a slow, forward movement, which can be seen as she writes, "We slowly drove-He knew no haste." The third quatrain seems to speed up as the trinity of death, immortality, and the speaker pass the children playing, the fields of grain, and the setting sun one after another. The poem seems to get faster as life goes through its course. In lines 17 and 18, however, the poem seems to slow down as Dickinson writes, "We paused before a House that seemed / A…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Because I could not stop for Death was a poem written by a famous poet well known to some named Emily Dickson. This poem withheld a thought provoking and profound meaning of how the poet Emily, has calmly given an acceptance to her death. This piece is appropriately considered poetry, for the simple and obvious way that Emily utilized some key poetic devices within her poem. In the poem, Because I could not stop for Death, Emily uses the poetic devices: personification, alliteration, and metaphor in order to introduce the theme to the reader and to signify the overall importance behind it. The focal theme of the poem was merely about how death should not be feared and that it should be accepted since it is a part of the cycle of life. Emily believes that death is not at all painful as it is portrayed in this poem, instead she believes that death is a peaceful and more satisfying occurrence for her.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson gives insight on mortality from the perspective of the immortal. Death is personified as a gentle man who eases the speaker into the afterlife. The poem is full of intricate and subtle symbolism revolving around mortality and the world in which the speaker is leaving. Death is introduced early in the poem, in lines 1-2. It is used as an extended metaphor throughout the poem.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One recurring theme in Emily Dickinson’s poems is death. Dickinson did not only view death in one way, however. Two of her poems “I heard a fly buzz when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death” share the same theme. Both stories depict some type of journey towards death. The main difference between the two poems is one has an optimistic tone while the other has a pessimistic tone.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The journey of life may be a confusing, happy, and trying time that ultimately ends in death. To describe death may be esoteric and frightening to anyone. However, the poem “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” by Emily Dickinson describes death as a calming journey. Emily Dickinson was an American poet who spent a majority of her life in isolation. Her poetry reflects her days of loneliness. The poem, “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” illustrates a theme of death and acceptance.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The biggest fear of a human being is death. Almost everybody is afraid of death; however, people have different views on their perceptions of death or the idea of dying. The poems “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, and “Because I Couldn’t Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson have a main theme in common which is death. However Dickinson presents the idea of the acceptance of death, and Thomas presents the idea of fighting against death. Even though the perception of death is different for each writer, both use similar figurative language techniques, including metaphors, personification, alliteration, assonance, and others to form their views death.…

    • 1501 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays