Because I Could not Stop for DeathBy: Emily Dickinson

Brian S., Caitlyn M., Stephanie L.

Define Words Gossamer: a thin, light cloth

Line 15 Tippet: A woman's scarf, typically of fur

Line 16 Tulle: A soft, fine silk, cotton, or nylon material

like net, used for making veils and dresses. Line 16

Cornice: the molding around the top of a building Line 20

Pictures Tippet GossamerTulle

Poetic Devices The entire poem contains imagery to create the

scene of the speaker traveling with death to the grave

Repetition “We passed…” appears 3 times in the 3 stanza

Alliteration “Recess…Ring-” “Grazing Grain” “Setting Sun” “Gossamer…Gown-” “Tippet…Tulle-” “Horses’ Heads”

Poetic Devices Metaphor

The character of death is used as an extended metaphor to examine what real death may be like

The house is a metaphor fir a grave. This shows the speaker accepts and is comfortable with dying.

Personification Death is personified and is a guide leading the

speaker to eternity “He kindly stopped for me-” “He knew no haste-” “His Civility” “We paused before a House…”

“The Dews grew quivering and chill-”

Punctuation and Capitalization Capitalized words bring the reader’s attention to

the word and show its importance. Also causes readers to pause and consider their importance

Uses a lot of dashes to emphasize a longer pause References to religion reflect her very religious

values “He” God “Immortality” belief that life after death is eternal

in heaven

Diction Dickinson uses a simple writing style that

emphasizes the speaker’s acceptance with death

“kindly” and “civility”: convey to readers that Death is the speaker’s friend and the speakers accepts dying

Death “slowly drove – he knew no haste”, so readers can infer that death is slow and takes its time.

The grave is not something to be feared. This is shown by her describing the grave simply as a “House”

Summary of Stanza #1

Because I could not stop for Death,He kindly stopped for me;The carriage held but just ourselvesAnd Immortality.

The speaker is too busy for death, so death “kindly” takes the time to do what the speaker can’t and stops for the speaker

Summary of Stanza #2We slowly drove- He knew no haste, And I had put awayMy Labor, and my leisure too,For His Civility.

The “civility” that Death exhibits in taking the time out for the speaker leads the speaker to give up those things that made the speaker so busy so he can enjoy the ride.

Summary of Stanza #3We passed the School, where Children stroveAt Recess, in the Ring-We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain-We passed the Setting Sun.

These are reminders of the world the speaker is leaving behind.

Summary of Stanzas

Her place in the world shifts between stanza 3 and stanza 4. The speaker is no longer active but now only part of the landscape.

Summary of Stanzas

We paused before a House that seemedA Swelling of the Ground-The Roof was scarcely visible,The Cornice-in a mound-

The carriage pauses at her new “House”, which is not an actual house, but instead a grave. They only pause here because it is only a resting place as the speaker travels to eternity.

Summary of Stanza #4

Or rather- He passed Us-The Dews grew quivering and chill-For only Gossamer my Gown-My Tippet only Tulle.

The speaker is not properly dressed for a funeral. In fact, the gossamer gown is more like a wedding dress, which represents a new beginning rather than an end

Summary of Stanzas

Since then-'tis centuries- and yet eachFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised the Horses' HeadsWere toward eternity.

There is a glimpse given at eternity, made clear in the 1st 2 lines, as the speaker says although it has been many years since death, it feels no longer than a day- the day of the speaker’s death

Tone Lighthearted and Accepting

Although death is usual a sad event, Dickinson makes it seem like a good thing because the speaker does not fear it. Uses words like “kindly”, “civility”

Solemn Death is a serious subject, but the speaker

understands now that it is just a part of life. Uses phrases such as “He knew no haste”

Shock Death came for the speaker in the middle of her

busy life, when she was not prepared “Because I could not stop for Death-”

Theme While we are never prepared for death,

it is not to be feared, but should be embraced because it is part of the endless circle of life.

Transcendentalist or Anti-Transcendentalist? Transcendentalists believed nature was symbolic.

Dickinson used many images from nature in this poem “Fields of Grazing Grain” “Setting Sun” “Dews” “…a House that seemed a swelling of the Ground”

(her grave)