“Why I Couldn't Stop in the Face of Death” by Emily Dickinson. In this poem, the speaker encounters the personification of Death. The poem begins with the speaker too busy to face Death, stating, "I could not stop for Death." Death, however, stops for her in an act described as courtesy. The speaker then enters Death's carriage and begins to slowly drive with him past a bustling school full of children, as well as a cornfield past the sunset. Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine after realizing that she was no longer able to actively participate in the world around her. The carriage then stops at a house mostly submerged underground. The speaker then discovers that the house is a tomb. He then describes what the passage of time feels like from beyond the grave, saying that although centuries had passed since his death, it felt like not a day had passed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The poem personifies death as a calm and gentle guide, as opposed to an intimidating reaper who strikes fear into others. He is depicted as a kind person in the first stanza: "For I could not stop before Death; He kindly stopped for me." Death gives individual attention to the speaker and no one else, encouraging her to leave her old life behind: 'And I had to put aside; My work and my free time too.'. He also sees immortality as one of the passengers inside the carriage. The quiet carriage is contrasted with the chaotic scene of a school .In the third stanza, this environment changes to a cold, dark, and threatening place, where the speaker feels vulnerable to the elements. This symbolizes the way most people think about the idea of death, but this image does quickly fades in favor of immortality, as time begins to lose its meaning. Although the poem uses complicated vocabulary, the sentence structure is quite simple. It consists of six stanzas in total, all quatrains, meaning they contain four rows each. Additionally, the poem uses irregular capitalization to emphasize certain words, for example: 'We passed the school, where the children strove; During recess, in the ring.'.Remember: This is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay It goes without saying that Emily Dickenson's style is unique, as are her unconventional observations and opinions on death.
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