Literary Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s ‘Because I could not stop for Death’
Emily Dickinson’s ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ is considered one of the famous poems of the author. The piece is composed of six four-line stanzas (quatrains) which follows a specific metrical pattern. Though the rhyme scheme remains to be imperfect, where some words do not necessarily rhyme (the use of half or slant rhymes), these words continue to sound similarly. Also evident in the poem is Dickinson’s use of anaphora. This specific literary technique corresponds to the use of repeated phrases with the overall objective to connect different lines altogether. Likewise, the use dashes as well as capitalization further improve the impact of the message to readers.
One of the themes depicted by Dickinson in this poem corresponds to the notion of mortality. Arguably, it presents readers with the idea that the speaker recognized the imminent death and gladly accepts. In particular, the attitude of the speaker during the time of death shows acceptance of the fate. This particular example can be seen in the first two lines where Dickinson says, “Because I could not stop for Death – | He kindly stopped for me” (1). Based on this quote, it emphasizes on how the speaker recalls the time of his death and the manner of readiness to accept this. Also, the word ‘kindly’ is a term that shows the willingness of the speaker to recognize that death is coming and is aptly prepared for it.
As the speaker recalls about her experiences prior to death, readers are also able to consider the theme of immortality. Specifically, it highlights how the persona in the poem recalls the time of his mortal life from the lens of someone who is living a perpetual life. Likewise, it develops a sense of recall that is not influenced by time but rather by the journey of the speaker towards eternity. By offering these transitions, Dickinson is able to create continuity in her poem. Allen Tate contends that “Miss Dickinson is probably the only Anglo-American poet of her century whose work exhibits the perfect literary situation— in which is possible the fusion of sensibility and thought” (15). Evidently, readers are able to connect the idea of immortality as it is validated in the last two lines of the poem.
Lastly, Dickinson also implicitly advances the notion of spirituality in this poem. Arguably, the belief in the afterlife shows how the author recognizes that people do live in the spirit after death and has the consciousness to re-examine the things that happened in the past. Though there are no specific religious references in the poem, Dickinson enables readers to correlate their own spiritual meaning in this piece and also emphasize on the journey that took place from the mortal world towards immortality (CUNY.edu 1). It is by depicting the interaction between life in the mortal world and the one in the afterlife that the poem is able to provide a sensible recognition of man’s interaction with the divine.
Overall, with Dickinson’s ability to tackle themes related to spirituality, mortality and immortality, the poem ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ is able to give depth and meaning to the beliefs and experiences of the speaker. Likewise, Dickinson’s mastery of literary devices such as anaphora allow readers to connect and relate different stanzas altogether to provide a central message without sounding unnatural or forced. The same can be seen with the rhyming pattern as the author carefully uses words in order to show rhyme despite its inability to follow a specific pattern. Piecing all these together, Dickinson is able to masterfully craft a poem that effectively uses different tools in order to convey its message to readers.
Works Cited
CUNY.edu.Emily Dickinson – Death. 26 Feb. 2009. Web. Accessed 28 August 2014.
Dickinson, Emily. ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ PoetryFoundation.org.Web. Accessed 28 August 2014.
Tate, Allen. ‘On 712 (“Because I could not stop for Death”)’ Modern American Poetry. 1959. Web. Accessed 28 August 2014.