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.…
In Emily Dickinson's poem "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain", Dickinson describes what seems to be a funeral in her mind. When one thinks of a funeral, they usually think of a ceremony for a person who has died. This funeral that Dickinson is experiencing in her brain, is actually a funeral for the death of her mind. Emily Dickinson describes events that usually take place at a funeral but the ideas she pitches to the reader doesn't exactly exemplify your ideal funeral. She tells the reader how there are mourners, a service, lifting of a box implying it is a coffin and nobody is being burried. In Emily Dickenson's poem, the reader can elaborate upon elements of poetry such as imagery, symbolism, diction, and metaphor that create a better sense of understanding.…
In the poems of Dickinson “Because I could not stop for Death”, Housman “To an Athlete Dying Young, and Thomas “Do not go gentle into that good night” were written in different time period or era, it also seemed to refer to perceptions death; however, these poems could be referring as life experiences. Dickinson in her poem it seemed to have a connection with death the afterlife, Housman expressed acceptance towards, and in Thomas’s poem the author seemed to express desired to be alive and to fight death.…
Edgar Allan Poe wrote many poems about death, and showed different ways that death could be viewed. The Puritans didn’t talk about death. They believed that you lived out your life on Earth to the best of your ability and then you died. During the Romantics, poets started thinking about death, how to cope with it, and different ways death affects people. Emily Dickinson also wrote multiple poems about death, but her poems were very different from Poe’s. She wrote about death like Poe, but Poe wrote about it with a very dark tone and made death seem scarier and more eery. Dickinson wrote about death in many different tones. She did not always talk about death as something to fear, but as something that will happen eventually, and something to accept and…
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…
Death is an odd thing, humans do not know what waits for them the moment their hearts stop beating, they do not know where they’ll end up going- but death is a common topic. Whether it be in movies or writing, death has made its impression on the world; especially on poet Emily Dickinson. Dickinson’s poems, “I heard a Fly buzz- when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death” focus on a consistent theme of death and her own curiosity on what it might be like to die herself. Dickinson’s life and use of the archetypal device have a connection to helping fuel her dreary, death revolving, poetry.…
Emily Dickinson is unquestionably one of the most significant, innovative, and renowned American poets. She did not always receive such high praise, however, as most of her fame and honor was obtained long after she died. While she was alive, she lived most of her life isolated from society as a recluse. During this reclusion, however, she wrote almost eighteen hundred poems, and one of these included “Because I could not stop for Death” (Mays 1187). This is one of her most popular poems and that is in part because it allows the audience to analyze the topic of death and the struggle to come to grip with one’s own demise. The concept of Death is humanized within this poem. “He” is portrayed as a groom and a conductor, as much as he is a robber…
The poems, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “Is My Team Plowing” by AE Housman have their own perception of the idea of death which they further emphasize with the use of figurative language and style. To begin with, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is a poem about a person, most likely based on the views of Dickinson, who is too into her own world that she does not acknowledge her own death. This poem uses style to emphasize the idea of love. For example, on the second stanza, “We slowly drove…” the structure evokes a feeling of excessive speed. This could infer that the narrator is rushing through her life without realizing death is around the corner.…
There is a multitude of poems written with the theme of death, be it in a positive light or negative. Some poets write poems that depict Death as a spine-chilling inevitable end, others hold respect for this natural occurrence. In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death”, diction and personification is utilized to demonstrate the speaker’s cordial friendship with Death.…
Death is an ongoing mystery that has not been solved by humankind. It continuously is a thought of how or why leaving people like artists to try to make reason of it. The poems “Thanatopsis” by Bryant, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, and “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas are three poems which speak of death; however they all have different purposes. They each explain and describe death with different points of views.…
Accepting death is a life-long learning experience but have many obstacles along the way. A…
The only certainty in life is death. It’s the only absolute we have within existence, yet the thought of dying strikes fear in the hearts of many. The thought of leaving family and friends behind, never making a mark on the world, or the disappearance of an individual’s unique qualities petrifies many people. For others, the uncertainty of the afterlife or the thought that there is nothing after our temporal existence is incredibly frightening. Walt Whitman is an example of the former, terrified of being forgotten, while Emily Dickinson is an example of the latter, unsure of existence after death. In Song of Myself, Whitman reveals his attitude towards the process of death and proves his fear of dying, which is uniquely American. Emily Dickinson’s fixation with death stems from her uncertainty of the afterlife. Close examination of concise language, diction, and tone, lead to a clear view of the…
“strove at Recess-- in the Ring.” The “Ring” refers to the nursery rhyme called “Ring…
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.…
Dickinson uses the metaphor of a funeral to represent the speaker’s sense that a part of her is dying. A funeral usually portrays death as a obvious connotation. Funerals are also a formal event, with rules and procedures that maintain order during the event. These creates irony since funerals are organized and formal while there is lack of control and insanity…