Death is a reality that can be interpreted in many ways. Some people fear the possibility of never living again and others welcome the opportunity for a new life in the afterlife. Many poets have been inspired by death, be it the approaching death of loved ones or a battle for immortality. Just as each poet is inspired differently, each poem sheds a different shade of light on the theme of death offering readers a unique way of looking at death. In the poem "Why I Couldn't Stop for Death" Emily Dickinson portrays death as a polite gentlemanly gesture that ushers people into the afterlife. The opening lines of the poem reveal that Death is the driver of a carriage that has stopped for the narrator of the poem. The narrator and Death travel alone passing through various scenes of daily life, ending the journey when the carriage stops in front of a house. The images and symbols within this poem paint a picture of calm, ordinary, and expected activity, starting with the poem's deliberately slow pace and intimacy. Dickinson sets the slow pace and intimate atmosphere of her poem almost immediately by encouraging closeness between death, the narrator, and the reader. In the first stanza, Dickinson gave Death a human embodiment as a coachman and a gentle quality to his character. Together, the narrator and Death begin a journey alone inside the carriage. The second stanza is where Dickinson begins to cultivate the slow feel of this poem by stating, “We drove slowly – He knew no hurry” (Dickinson verse 5) and when coupled with the following lines “And I had put away / My work and the my free time” (Dickinson lines 6-7) the poem begins to take on its true meaning, this poem is the description of the narrator's funeral procession. As the poem continues, the narrator...... half of the paper.. ....because I couldn't stop in the face of death." Literature: reading, reacting, writing. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 1012-013. Print.Donne, John. "Death is not proud." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 1015-016 William M. Lamers. The History of American Funeral Directors Brookfield, WI: National Association of Funeral Directors, 2007. Print.Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: reading, reacting, writing. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.Thomas, Dylan Thomas. “Do not go easy on that good night.” Literature: reading, reacting, writing. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 930. Print.