What are the key similes and metaphors in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

Death is compared, via an extended metaphor, to a potential suitor, or a lover of the speaker. A metaphor is a comparison of two unalike things, where one is said to be another (and is often described as performing the actions of something else). She says that Death “kindly stopped” for her, as though to pick her up in his “Carriage,” like they were going on some kind of date together. Death is not made out to be scary and strange but, rather, is presented as something familiar and even flattering, as though she means so much to him that he takes great care to come for her. She describes Death as driving “slowly” and without “haste,” presumably so they could enjoy their time together in the carriage. He treats her with “Civility,” and they seem to travel past many sights she would have seen and enjoyed in life: the school, with children playing at recess, the fields of crops growing, as well as the sunset (which is also symbolic of death, as the “death” of day).

As the speaker begins to grow cold, as she is wearing only soft and light fabrics, Death takes her to a “House” which she describes as “A Swelling of the Ground.” This, it seems, will be the speaker’s final resting place, her grave, and she compares it, via metaphor, to a kind of house. Indeed, it will house her body for eternity.

What are the key similes and metaphors in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

While Emily Dickinson most dominantly used personification, symbolism, and imagery in her poem "Because I could not stop for Death--," we certainly can see a couple of uses of metaphor and simile.

One example of a metaphor can be found in the first stanza with respect to the carriage. The carriage driven by Death is not literally a carriage but rather a metaphor for life's journey that ends in death and of passing from life into the new state of death. Similarly to ancient mythology, the carriage represents a way of being taken to the underworld, just as the Ancient Greek god Charon transported deceased souls to Hades in a ferry on the river Styx. We can tell the carriage is not an average carriage because it "held but just Ourselves--/ And Immortality." Death can be seen as an endless life and, therefore, as an immortal life. Hence, since the carriage is not an average carriage, we know it is representative of a larger idea. More specifically, it represents the ferry of Ancient Greek mythology, and both are metaphors for the passage of life into death, as if transitioning into death was like taking a ride in a carriage.

A simile can be found in the second-to-last stanza in which she describes the house they stopped at as "seemed / a Swelling of the Ground--," meaning a house that looked like swollen ground, kind of like a mound, more specifically, a burial mound. Hence by using the verb "seemed," she is comparing the house to a burial mound.

The "House" itself is also another metaphor. Its not a literal house they have stopped before. Instead, the term house refers to the afterlife idea of a house in the Kingdom of Heaven, an idea we get from the Gospel of John in which Jesus, during the Last Supper, tells his disciples he is preparing a place for them in his Father's house in the Kingdom of Heaven:

In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2, NASB)

Hence, by using the term "House," Dickinson is comparing the afterlife to a dwelling place, like a house and metaphorically representing the afterlife as a "House." Yet, the "House" is also submerged in the ground, just like a tombstone; therefore, we also know it is metaphorically representing a tombstone.

What are the key similes and metaphors in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

Dickinson's iconic poem about death as a suitor collecting her in a chariot is full of personification and alliteration, but it lacks any examples of simile. A simile is a comparison that uses the words "like" or "as." For instance, "that house is as large as a mansion," or "this food tastes like heaven."

As you will notice when reading "Because I could not stop for Death," there are no examples of comparisons using "like" or "as." The closest any lines comes to a simile is the following:

"We paused before a House that seemed/ A Swelling of the Ground -"

The word "seemed" comes very close to the meaning to the word "like," and the  imagery compares a grave to a home. If one were pressed to argue that the poem contains a simile, this would be the best example. Still, as you can see, it lacks the telltale "like" or "as" that most people associate with a simile.

Another example of what one might term a "half-simile" comes in the final stanza, with the line:

"Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet Feels shorter than the Day"

Again, neither the word "like" or "as" is present, but the world "feels" conveys a similar meaning, and the comparison stands: the centuries that the narrator has been dead feel shorter than a single day.

What is the tone of Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

At the beginning, the poem's tone is steady and nonchalant (or casual). Death is a person riding in a carriage and the poet, when Death stops, joins him for his carriage ride. Rather than the typical response of being frightened or overwrought by death, the poet sees him as "kindly" and full of "civility," as if he is a neighborhood gentleman. She seems perfectly content to join him and together they pass a schoolyard where children are playing during recess and then a field of grain. But as they pass the setting sun--or the sun passes them--the tone shifts to become darker (like the time of day) and chillier. The scene becomes subtly more uncanny or un-homelike--now, the poet begins to quiver from the chill, because she realizes she is only dressed in very light clothes--"gossamer" and "tulle." She and Death pass what looks like a house, but it is buried in the ground, because it is, in fact, a grave. It's then that she realizes, with more foreboding, what death or "Eternity" is: being buried with no sense of time. So, although the poem's tone starts out as steady and casual, by the end, it is more chilly. 

What is the tone of Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

The first stanza in Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death—” describes an encounter between the speaker and Death, with Death personified as a carriage driver who stops his carriage in order to pick up the speaker and take her on a ride to Eternity. This encounter is striking for its lighthearted tone; the speaker seems to be going on an everyday ride and the character of Death is described as a gentleman with “kindly” intentions, which is most at odds with the stereotype of Death as the much-feared Grim Reaper. The iambic meter is also at odds with the meaning of the poem. The iambic rhythm (da DUM da DUM da DUM) creates a lively momentum to the lines, and yet the meaning of the lines emphasizes the exact opposite: that the momentum of life has stopped because Death has stepped in to stop it. Dickinson’s use of dashes and capital letters also attempt to break up the inevitable rhythm.

Unlike the driver, Death, who is in control, the speaker has no control. However, she does not resent this. She is not resistant to her fate at all; there is no anxiety or fear. The striving of life is over, and the speaker accepts that immediately; she is content to simply settle in for the ride, especially since the character of Death seems to be so very courteous. The release from life is not fraught with any tortured last moments. The passivity of the speaker suggests a life that may have been spent following its own rhythms (da DUM da DUM da DUM) without thinking too much about where this rhythm of life was taking her. Did the speaker ever take the time to consider life’s meaning, or was she always too busy to deal with such questions? No matter, because Death steps in and takes control.

The fourth line in the first stanza indicates another character as well, “Immortality,” suggesting the hope that the speaker’s last stop will not be the grave but will be an afterlife, “Eternity.” Only at the end of the poem do we learn that the action in the first stanza, the speaker being taken by Death, actually occurred many centuries ago. The gentle cessation of the striving rhythms of life have left a powerful mark on the speaker, who remembers the vivid details of this day, despite the fact that she has been dead for centuries.

What is the tone of Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

Throughout the poem, the speaker personifies death, meaning she treats the abstract concept of death as if it were a human, with a body, a gender, a voice, and a personality.

The speaker of the poem accomplishes this personification by

• referring to death with a capital letter, "Death," as if that were its first name;
• ascribing the male gender to death, referring to it with male pronouns: "him" and "he";
• describing specific actions that Death takes, such as riding in the carriage, stopping to pick up the speaker in this carriage, and viewing the sights of the town with the speaker;
• and assigning Death specific emotions and attributes, like "kindly," "civility," and lacking any "haste."

By personifying death so extensively, the speaker invites us to consider the dual nature of death: on one hand, it may appear civil, courteous, and patient, but on the other, death may be sinister and manipulative, removing us from our work and play ("labor" and "leisure") and warping our sense of how quickly time passes.

What is the tone of Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

In the poem "Because I could not stop for Death," Dickinson treats death as a person.  Giving human traits and qualities to nonhuman things and ideas is a common literary technique.  It is called personification, and it is a main literary technique used in this poem. 

In reality, death marks the end of a biological life.  It is a moment.  It does not have a personality, but Dickinson changes that in this poem.  She turns death into a person.  Treating death as a person is not a new idea. However, Dickinson definitely bucks the traditional personification of death.  Most readers might think of Death as an old guy dressed in all black who carries a scythe, but Dickinson portrays Death as a kindly gentleman.  He pulls his carriage up to her and kindly picks her up.  The two of them then casually and calmly ride through the town's streets.  The poem creates a beautiful image of Death and makes the carriage ride seem similar to a date between two lovers.  

We slowly drove—He knew no haste 

And I had put away 

My labor and my leisure too, 

For His Civility— 

What is the tone of Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

Emily Dickinson had a clear fascination with death throughout the body of her work. She tended to write about human mortality with moods that were not at all typical of what one might expect from such a subject. "Because I could not stop for Death" is no exception.

The speaker of the poem personifies death as kind and gentle,] and recites the events of her passing in a whimsical, almost childlike way. This seems disconcerting at first, considering the dark nature of the poem's subject matter. However, Dickinson sets a mood that feels comfortable and safe. She uses a meter that reminds the reader of a nursery rhyme. The speaker does not fight death. She simply and comfortably watches the scenes go by as she makes her way to her new "house."

What extended metaphor describes the process of dying in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death"?

In Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," the extended metaphor used to express the process of dying is the unexpected ride in a horse-drawn carriage that leads to the grave.

Death itself is personified as a carriage driver, who "kindly" stops for the speaker. But, the speaker's ride is a solitary one as there are no other passengers in this carriage. Nor is there any haste in this ride as the speaker has finished her worldly tasks of "labor" and "leisure."

As the ride continues, the carriage passes a school, fields of grain, and the sunset. Each of these symbolize a stage of life: Childhood, Maturity, and Old Age. Finally, they pause before a House that "seemed / A Swelling of the Ground--" whose "Roof was scarcely visible." This, of course, is the grave. But, it is only at this point that the speaker realizes--"surmises"-- that her carriage ride has been headed "toward Eternity."

What type of poem is "Because I could not stop for Death--" by Emily Dickinson?

"Because I could not stop for Death--" is an example of lyric poetry.   Lyric poetry most commonly portrays the deep feelings or emotions of the poet, rather than focus on telling a story with characters.  Lyric poetry goes back all the way to the Greeks, who would sing the verses of their songs as they played their lyres (stringed instrument), which is where we get the word 'lyric;' with this being said, lyric poetry has a musical quality rhythm to it.

Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death--" certainly has an established rhythm.  The poem itself is twenty-four lines and is divided into quatrains which are stanzas of four lines each.  Each stanza has an established pattern; Dickinson alternates between lines of 8 syllables on the first and third lines of the quatrain, and the second and fourth stanzas are six syllables long.  By keeping the 8-6-8-6 syllable pattern on each line of the quatrain throughout the poem, Dickinson establishes her rhythm. 

For example, let's focus on the first stanza.  The poem begins with:

"Because I could not stop for death--" (1).

This line is eight syllables long, which breaks down into four metrical feet.  A foot equals one unstressed syllable and one stressed syllable, and is a way of measuring stresses and unstressed syllables in a poem.  Here is what the first line looks like broken down into metrical feet:

"Be-cause | I could | not stop | for death--" (1)

Because of its pattern of iambs (a non-stressed syllable and a stressed syllable), this line would be considered iambic tetrameter.  Then, Dickinson's following line of six syllables, which makes into three iambs, would be considered iambic trimeter.

Dickinson's alternating use of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter give "Because I could not stop for Death--" a lovely, rhythmic quality, perhaps reflective of the rocking motion of the carriage in the poem; without a doubt, this poem is a lyric poem, because of the poet's purposeful use of rhythm and rhyme.

What does Emily Dickinson mean in her description "We paused before a House" in "Because I could not stop for Death"?

Dickenson is alluding to the narrator's grave -- a "house" that seemed a swelling of the ground.  Since it is a slight swelling, the "roof" is scarcely visible.  A cornice is a molding at the top of a wall; since it would be no higher than the roof it would be in the ground.  Some say the roof is a reference to the top of the coffin, and the cornice the molding around the coffin.

There are different interpretations of this great poem. Some say it suggests a peaceful attitude about death, which is described as kindly and civil. Others say it draws a parallel between being tricked by death and being seduced by a gentleman only to find that marriage is an empty “house”.

What does Emily Dickinson mean in her description "We paused before a House" in "Because I could not stop for Death"?

Remember that this whole poem is an extended metaphor.  Dickinson uses a ride in a carriage (or a journey) to symbolize death.  However, she does not maintain the dark, gruesome tone associated with most death poems.  Her whimsical attitude toward death enables her to portray her ride past everyday, cheerful aspects of human life.  When she writes,

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground--
The Roof was scarcely visible--
The Cornice--in the Ground--

her whimsical tone continues.  The "House" that swells in the ground is the mound from a grave; the roof is the headstone, and the description of the cornice being in the ground means that the grave is the actual house of the entombed; so only the roof (tombstone) is visible above the earth.

What type of diction does Emily Dickinson use in "Because I could not stop for Death--"?

In the opening stanza of "Because I could not stop for Death," the most important word is arguably "Death." Throughout the poem, death is personified as a gentlemanly caller who takes a ride in a carriage with the speaker, toward her own death. The fact that death is personified in this poem perhaps makes it less mysterious, and more real, than it might otherwise be. This is appropriate because death is, to the speaker, at this time of her life (as she is about to die), a very real presence.

Throughout the poem, Dickinson also uses collective pronouns like "We" and "Us" to indicate how close the speaker is with death. This, in combination with the personification of death, suggests that death has a personal relationship with the speaker and perhaps also renders death less threatening and more normal. One possible meaning of the poem is that death is not something to be feared.

At the end of the second stanza, the word "Civility" is important. The speaker puts away her "labor and (her) leisure" (in other words, her life) and gives into the charm, or civility of "Death." The fact that "Death" has charmed her into giving up her life suggests that perhaps she was ready to do so, and that death maybe isn't as unwelcome a prospect as it might ordinarily be.

In the third stanza, we have a sense that the speaker's life is drawing to a close; this is implied by the "Setting Sun." The setting sun signals the end of a day, darkness replacing the light. Dickinson thus uses the setting sun as a symbol to indicate that the speaker's life is ending, as she journeys, metaphorically, out of the light and into the dark.

At the beginning of the fourth stanza the line "Or rather — He passed us" represents a significant change in the poem. The speaker is no longer active but becomes passive. She is not passing the sun, but it is passing her. This is when the speaker realizes that time has caught up with and overtaken her, and she is no longer in control.

Also in the fourth stanza we have the word "Gossamer," which often connotes a spider's web. And a spider's web often suggests entrapment, because a spider uses its web to trap flies. This would be a fitting allusion at this point in the poem because the speaker feels trapped and, as noted above, no longer in control.

The final word of the poem is "Eternity." It's important that Dickinson ends with this word, because it leaves the poem resonating with a hopefulness. The idea conveyed here is that death is not the end, but simply another beginning, as implied also by the phrase which begins the stanza, "Since then." The speaker looks back on her carriage trip with "Death" from the afterlife, or from "Eternity," but is very much still alive in some sense.

What type of diction does Emily Dickinson use in "Because I could not stop for Death--"?

Diction specifically refers to a writer's word choices, and diction is used to develop the writer's themes, tone, mood, and overall style. Within the English language, many word choices exist to describe the same object or paint the same picture, but one word choice over another creates a specific and desired effect and represents an author's diction (Dr. Wheeler, Literary Terms and Definitions: D, "Diction"). Her diction is formal, strongly poetic, yet conversational.

In her poem titled "Because I could not stop for Death--," Emily Dickinson strives to describe death as inescapable and to paint the tone of passive acceptance while maintaining a contrast between life and death that could be depressing but is not due simply to Dickinson's word choices, her diction. Her use of diction serves to accomplish all these things.

One example of very noticeable diction concerns the use of the very simple yet powerful verb "stop." In the very first stanza, she captures death as a stopping, as a cessation of all things by using the verb "stop." She also paints the contrast between life and death by stating, "Because I could not stop for Death-- / He kindly stopped for me--" In other words, the speaker's life was so busy that she had not time to think of death, which shows a contrast between living life and inevitable death. In addition, her statement that Death stopped for her helps portray death as inescapable.

In the third and fourth stanzas, her choice to use the verb "passed" helps paint life as something that inevitably passes us by due to death being inescapable, which helps establish the theme of death being inescapable. In addition, as the speaker describes passing a school where children play, passing grain fields, and passing the setting sun, the reader is drawn to the images of life, which helps the reader see the contrast Dickinson is creating between death and life. However, despite the contrast she constructs between life and death, she maintains an accepting tone throughout, which is created by intentionally refraining from using diction that will capture feelings of sorrow or lamentation.

In Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death," what is the speaker's attitude?

In Emily Dickinson's poem titled "Because I could not stop for Death," we can see a general attitude of acceptance of the inevitability of death, yet the speaker also shows a natural dislike of death due to its coldness and its permanence.

One element in the poem that best expresses the speaker's attitude of acceptance is imagery. Some of the imagery is very peaceful and even pretty, painting a peaceful, accepting tone. Some examples of peaceful, pretty imagery include "where Children strove / At Recess" and "Fields of Gazing Grain." Both of those images sooth the reader by conjuring up happy, peaceful images, helping to portray a peaceful accepting attitude.

Imagery also serves to paint the speaker's more glum, reserved attitude towards death, such as "The Dews drew quivering and chill." Since this image paints the speaker as being cold and shivering, we can clearly see the speaker thinking of death as a cold and dislikable element. Also, the final diction choice of the word "Eternity" helps us see the speaker's forlorn attitude towards death because the speaker realizes death is an infinite element.

All in all, the speaker accepts that death is inevitable but also sees it as being a very depressing element.

Why doesn't the speaker fear death in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

Emily Dickinson uses personification and, in giving Death human qualities, she makes death seem pleasant and courteous. Death is so kind that he takes time to stop for her, since she was too involved to take time indulging the idea of dying. Death "kindly stopped for me" and took her on an extended journey in his carriage.

Furthermore, Death was in no rush, "He knew no haste," and so they took a slow journey. The speaker put aside her labor and her leisure - she did this in appreciation of Death's "civility."

On this journey, Death allows the speaker to witness that which she deems most pleasant, such as a school where children are playing during recess. They pass fields filled with growing grain and witness the sunset. With the sun gone, the speaker feels the chill of dying - also because she is wearing light clothes, since, one can infer, she was not entirely ready for this journey.

Death then takes her to her grave, "a House" that would become a permanent resting place for her body. Her soul, however, would live for eternity for she remembers that, as they were traveling, the horses were heading towards Eternity, implying that she has already passed on and is reflecting on what happened to her centuries before, even though it felt "shorter than a day."

Why doesn't the speaker fear death in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

The speaker in Emily Dickinson's poem, Because I Could Not Stop for Death, does not fear death for a couple reasons.

First, the fact that "He (Death) kindly stopped for me" sets up the fact that Death seems to be accommodating. Given that there are times where life simply happens too fast to be concerned with certain things, like death, the fact that Death stopped for the speaker could speak to the fact that the speaker feels accommodated by Death.

Second, in the second stanza, the speaker states her (assumptive based upon Dickinson's gender) ease with death.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We, as humans, feel relaxed by those who put us at ease. Death most certainly puts the speaker at ease based upon the fact that she "put away" her labor and leisure in order to match "his" civility.

Lastly, the fact that the carriage passes the children at the school could have put the speaker at ease as well. If the carriage would have stopped at the school, the speaker's anxiety level most certainly would have risen. The fact that the carriage simply left the innocent alone, again, puts the speaker at ease.

Based upon these reasons, it seems that the speaker does not need to fear Death. Death seems to be in no hurry and illustrates that fact by the pace of the poem and the carriage.

Why did Emily Dickinson write the poem "Because I could not stop for Death"? Did this happen in any part of her life?

For many people, death is considered to be absolutely frightening: an unpredictable, often painful, heart-rending experience that we cannot know and can only prepare for in minimal ways. However, Dickinson often saw the world in ways that would surprise and even shock her contemporaries; she seemed to detect occult ways in which humanity and nature were connected, and some of her poems even discuss the presence of magic in the world around us. Therefore, for Dickinson to describe death as one might describe a lover, as someone who shows her courtesy and is desirous that she should have a nice time, is a far cry from other descriptions of death. It is made a lot less frightening and, rather, like the person who is dying is being wooed or courted by someone who takes a special interest in them. She has a number of other poems that seem to present death in new and novel ways; you may want to read "I heard a fly buzz when I died" for comparison. Dickinson was, evidently, interested in providing alternate interpretations of death.

Why did Emily Dickinson write the poem "Because I could not stop for Death"? Did this happen in any part of her life?

One of the frequent charges made against Emily Dickinson is that she was obsessed with death, mortality and dying. This poem is of course one of her poems that fits into these categories, as it personifies Death as a gentleman caller, who takes the speaker on a ride in his carriage. This is a highly imaginative presentation of Death as a non-threatening individual - a proper gentleman caller, who, of course, has a chaperone in the person of Immortality. the speaker in the poem describes what she sees out of the window, and then describes how she begins to feel cold. The house to which death brings her, like a bridegroom conducing his bride to a new home, is a fresh grave. Here, however, they only pause; their ultimate destination lies further on. Moving to the present tense the speaker then reflects back on the moment she first realised she was moving toward "Eternity".

Although such poems initially appear morbid to the present day reader, we need to understand them within the context of the time. There was the constant threat of tuberculosis; what we might consider common unimportant illnesses today, such as pneumonia, then often led to death; even pregnancy and childbirth were far more dangerous than they are now. For Dickinson, as for us all, Death is the one completely unknowable experience, and thus she devoted much of her poetry and time to imagining his many faces. Thus the key thing for you to think about is how Death is presented in this poem and in others.

How does Emily Dickinson use symbolism and figures of speech in her poem "Because I could not stop for Death--"?

Dickinson frames "Because I could not stop for Death--" in an extended metaphor: she is being gently conveyed to her grave in a carriage in which Death is the driver:

We slowly drove--He knew no haste/And I had put away/My labor and my leisure too,/For his Civility--

These lines both establish the overall metaphor for the journey to the grave and employ two different figures of speech--death becomes personified as a carriage driver, and Dickinson employs the rhetorical device of litotes--understatement--when she describes herself not as having died but having "put away" the pursuits of a living person.

In the third stanza, which continues the metaphor of death as a journey, Dickinson observes a school in which children are playing, fields full of crops, and, last, "the Setting Sun," another metaphor for the end of one's life.  With her penchant for startling images, however, Dickinson manages to turn this very conventional metaphor into something fresh: she and Death are not passing the setting sun but rather the sun is passing them, a reminder that, while life has stopped for Death and his companion, life goes on without them.

When they reach "a House that seemed/A Swelling of the Ground--," it is clear that the "House," with its "scarcely visible" roof, is actually the grave to which the two have been driving, a great example of periphrasis--circumlocution--to soften the harsh reality of the grave.

On the whole, Dickinson's use of metaphor and figures of speech in this poem contributes to the sense of revery and calm acceptance of death one feels while reading this poem.  The harsh reality of death is entirely absent from this version of one's death, which is caste in terms of acceptance, peace, emotional objectivity, and the intellectual honesty that allows one to understand that life goes on.

In the poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"by Emily Dickinson, what words have a connotative meaning?

In the second line, the word, "kindly", has a positive connotation giving the impression that the poem is not going to look at death in a negative manner.  In the next four-line stanza, the words, "slowly", "no haste", "labor", "leisure", and "civility" all carry meaning.  The implication is that the narrator is in a peaceful existence where time is not measured.  The third stanza displays images more than single connotative words.  The image of children playing innocently, free of worry comprises the first two lines and the image of ripening fields being seen in the setting sun are the last two lines.  These are a contrast - the children playing gives the impression of happy, carefree life while the the other image gives the impression of a life that has been lived and is now at the end (setting sun).  The fourth stanza is a metaphor for a new grave.  The reader can infer that the grave is the narrator's and that the previous stanzas were the narrator's progression to that grave.  The last stanza indicates that much time has passed since the narrator died, but that time has little meaning now.  Throughout the poem, the impression is one of peacefulness and timelessness.  The title makes the implication that the narrator was busy in life and that death came unexpectedly, but the rest of the poem says that once dead, the narrator realizes that there was a great deal of life going on that she had not noticed while alive and now, she has eternity to realize that.

Explain the poem and especially the carriage in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson.

Emily Dickinson's poem 479 or "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," approaches an much discussed subject  in an interesting way.  The narrator of the poem is dead and is travelling to her final resting place.

Death appears personified in this poem as a courtly beau who gently insists that the speaker put aside both “labor” and “leisure.”

Death stops and picks up the person because no one wants to meet death. 

The trip has a ready made vehicle: a carriage, or for death, a hearse. Only the dead person and a chaperone, eternity,  ride in the hearse. 

The funeral procession always moves at a snail's pace.  The scenic route to the graveyard moves by the school yard with the children playing games at recess and then a beautiful, sunny field of grain. 

As the journey continues, the sun begins to set.  Figuratively, the setting sun represents the passing of the woman's life over to the other side. Dressed in a funeral shroud and scarf made of delicate lightweight cloth, the corpse feels a chill.

Finally, the hearse pauses before a a swelling of the ground or a grave.  The top of the grave is not visible because it is part of the earth.  Centuries have passed since this person was buried; however, it only seems a few hours since the dead one saw the heads of the horses carrying her body to its tomb.

One of the unusual aspects of the poem comes from the attitude of the narrator.  Death brings no fear to the poet.  It is a part of life, and everyone has to face it.

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.

A person does not stop for death; death has to find the person. Only Emily Dickinson in her brilliance would imagine her demise as though she were going on a date with a handsome boyfriend [Oh, by the way, he is death.] and traveling in his horse and buggy. What is the final stopping point? Destination: the grave!

How does Dickinson powerfully convey ideas about death in her poem "Because I could not stop for Death"?

Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for Death" uses a series of poetic devices that emphasize the themes and content of the piece. For each, I'll display an example, define the device, and analyze its presence: 

1. Personification: "Because I could not stop for Death- / He kindly stopped for me-"
   the practice of giving human qualities and characteristics to non-human beings or objects
   In Dickinson's poem, death is not a fearsome, alien idea, but a polite gentleman who has "civility" and knows "no haste". As a result, Dickinson transforms a concept that many people fear and actively avoid into a familiar and personable figure who is not to be feared but to be interacted with. 
   
   
2. Metaphor: "We paused before a House that seemed / A Swelling of the Ground- / The Roof was scarcely visible- / the Cornice- in the Ground-"
   a comparison between two unlike things
   Rather than refer to the place where death stops and stays as a tomb or a grave, Dickinson calls it a house, passingly describing it in a manner that implies it is non-descript rather than haunting. By doing so, she normalizes death, comparing the final resting place of a corpse to the commonplace resting place of a living person. Again, she works to normalize death and remove the fear with which it is normally associated. 

Analyze the themes, shifts, attitude, connotations, and paraphrases in "Because I could not stop for Death."

Emily Dickinson's poem is structured with 6 stanzas of 4 lines each, mostly with an a-b-c-b rhyme.  Stanza 1 suggests the author living life, until death kindly stops his carriage to pick her up--the connotation being that carriage is a hearse, containing the author, death, and immortality.   Stanza 2 suggests a shift in the slow journey from living to dying by driving towards the graveyard (..put away my labor and my leisure..) and an exchange from living company to the dead (..for his (meaning death's) civility.)  Stanza 3 suggests a movement beyond life experiences (children at school, farming) as the journey moves into twilight (setting sun.)  A big shift occurs in the 4th stanza, where death overtakes these living experiences ( he passed us, presumably the author and immortality ) as night descends, with dew forming and cooling, as it would upon a field at sunset.  Another connotation is the dew, or condensation that forms occasionally on the dying as they cool right before the moment of death--this is further implied by the author's description of the garments she wears, gossamer and tulle being something that would not keep a body warm.  The garments also suggest burial attire for a corpse. Stanza 5 brings the journey to an end at a grave, and Stanza 6 concludes with the observation of the timeless state one presumably experiences after death and burial. The horses' heads, pointing downwards towards the grave, lead the author to eternity.

In Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop For Death—," what rhymes occur?

In Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop For Death—," the rhyme is irregular. Also note that the author uses "near rhyme," which means that words used as rhymes do not clearly sound like one another. In other words, they are "close but not exact" in sound.

The poem is written in alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines, with near rhyme occasionally employed in the second and fourth lines. Regular rhyme occurs sporadically and unexpectedly in its spatial distancing.

Lines two and four rhyme, as Dickinson uses "me" and "immortality," both found at the end of he sentence.

We might consider the use of near rhyme in lines six and eight, with the words "away" and "civility." The fourth stanza also provides an example of near rhyme with the words "Chill" and "Tulle."

The poem told by a dead speaker speaks of how personified death came to take her. It is interesting to note that the pattern of rhyme also supports one of the poem's major themes:

...the seemingly disheveled rhyme scheme in actuality intimates one of the poem’s central themes: unpreparedness.

Describe "Death" in Emily Dickinson's "Because I could Not Stop for Death".

Death is presented as an actual character in this poem.

The opening two lines immediately establish what kind of person Death is: he appears as a courteous, dignified, and indeed ‘kindly’ gentleman (2) who comes to call on the speaker, in the manner of a suitor. She goes away with him in his carriage, with Immortality as their chaperon.

Death appears so gentle and inviting that it seems the speaker scarcely hesitates to accompany him:

 And I had put away

My labor, and my leisure too,

For his Civility -  (6-8)

The speaker, then, drops everything – both her work and her pleasures – in order to be with Death.

Unlike so many portrayals of death, there is absolutely no suggestion of fear in this poem. Quite the contrary: the speaker actually seems to be lulled into a sense of peace, passing by old familiar sights and sounds before reaching her new home - the cemetery. The slow, even pace of the poem mimics her peaceful journey.

It should be noted, though, that although Death appears so 'kindly', he is not to be resisted. The speaker, although she is busy with life affairs when he comes, gives up everything else to be with him. It is interesting that the coming of death in this poem is figured as a kind of seduction. There is no sense of force or terror, but the speaker is completely in Death’s power, all the same.

How does Emily Dickinson describe death as a past experience in "Because I could not stop for death?"

It seems that you are asking about how Dickinson characterizes death. In that regard, she creates him as her carriage driver, conveying her to her next state of being or non-being. Some readings have characterized death as a suitor. In either case, he is gentlemanly and patient -- a depiction that is emphasized by the perceptions that he "kindly stopped," "slowly drove," and "knew no haste." The narrator reciprocates his politeness by "[putting] away / [Her] labor and [her] leisure too..."

The carriage is the vehicle in which the narrator is able to revisit the life that she has lived:

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess - in the Ring -

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain -

We passed the Setting Sun -

"The School" and the "Children" symbolize childhood. "The Ring" could indicate the circle of life, which nears its end with "the Setting Sun," or the onset of old age.

There is an indication that the narrator is being wedded to Death:

The Dews drew quivering and Chill -

For only Gossamer, my Gown -

My Tippet - only Tulle -

She wears a "gown" made of "tulle," not unlike the material of a wedding dress. They then "[pause] before a House that seemed / A Swelling of the Ground -". This indicates a grave, as a mound of recently dug dirt would create a mound. "The Cornice - in the Ground" parallels a tombstone. 

It is significant that they merely pause at this place. This action indicates that both will continue on. After all, the carriage also holds "Immortality." Thus, Dickinson regards the event of death as one stop on the long, eternal path:

Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity - 

It has been centuries since the narrator has died, but it does not feel like very long ago. The "Horses' Heads" are those which powered the carriage toward "Eternity." "Eternity" could be death as a state of permanence or, given Dickinson's spiritual and religious inclinations, it could be the "pause" or "stop" on the way to spiritual "Immortality."

Summarize the poem "Because I could not stop for Death—" by Emily Dickinson.

In the poem 'Because I Could Not Stop For Death' by Emily Dickinson, there is a line'he kindly stopped for me.' The word 'kindly' is tongue-in-cheek here, for most of us do not view death as being very benificent. The word 'kindly' could not be correct anyway - as the poem very neatly puts the point - in that we have no choice about whether to die or not. Every living thing dies at some point, it is the one thing we can still do nothing about despite our super-modern technology. Rather, the word 'kindly' has a role in illustrating for us how Emily Dickinson is viewing him in this particular poem - as a courteous escort who has come to accompany her somewhere (afterlife) and politely presses home his nonetheless unpleasant point by actually coming after her. His point is that it is not possible to be too busy or too important for him and his errand!

What does Emily Dickinson convey in the poem "Because I could not Stop For Death"?

Through this excellent personifiation of Death as a kindly old man driving a carriage, Dickinson seems to present a rather ironic and different impression of death than we usually associate with this figure. Through this personification, Dickinson seems to challenge our own views about death and make us think very carefully about our own lives and expectations of death. Ironically, the speaker of this poem is so busy that they haven't thought about death or prepared themselves for it in any way:

Because I could not stop for Death--

He kindly stopped for me--

Note the irony in the word "kindly." The speaker is so busy that Death has had to stop life for her. This is an impression that is continued throughout the poem, especially in the final stanza:

Since then--'tis Centuries--and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' heads

Were towards Eternity--

The speaker shows that she is surprised to learn that life is actually a journey towards death and that she seems unprepared for it. The way that our lives are described as being a long ride "towards Eternity" to my mind communicates the challenge of this poem. Dickinson cuts through the business of our lives and the way that we often try to ignore our final fate by telling us that no matter how busy we are, we can't outlive death. We need to accept that our lives are one long journey towards "Eternity," and live our lives accordingly in response.

What does Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," suggest about how we should regard death?

To suggest the Emily Dickinson thought a lot about death would be an understatement of considerable proportions.  Her poems, almost all of which were only discovered after her death in 1886, are all that we have to fill in the substantial gaps in her biography.  Not much is known about Dickinson's life, except that it was spent in Amherst, Massachusetts, and that she was regarded as reclusive. That the body of literature discovered posthumously by her sister is so replete with references to death, then, is to present a portrait of a very depressed individual, although how accurate an assessment that is may never be determined.

When reading Dickinson's poems, it becomes apparent that death in and of itself may not have been the preoccupation so much as what comes after death.  In her poem "I Died for Beauty" (title provided posthumously from the opening line), Dickinson wrote:

"I died for beauty but was scarce/ Adjusted in the tomb,/ When one who died for truth was lain/ In an adjoining room...And so, as kinsmen met a night,/ We talked between the rooms,/ Until themoss had reached our lips,/ An covered up our names."

Compare that with the following from "Because I could not stop for Death":

"Because I could not stop for Death -/ He kindly stopped for me -/ The Carriage held but just Ourselves -/ And Immortality...Since then - 'tis Centuries -- and yet/ Feels shorter than the Day/ I first surmised the Horses' Heads/ Were toward Eternity."

Dickinson's preoccupation with death and the possibility of an afterlife seemed to haunt her.  In a website the link to which follows, a letter Dickinson wrote to Abiah Root would seem to clarify to what she was referring in her poem:

"Does not Eternity appear dreadful to you...I often get thinking of it and it seems so dark to me that I almost wish there was no Eternity.  To think that we must forever live and never cease to be.  It seems Death which all so dread because it launches us upon an unknown world would be a relief to so endless a state of existence."

Dickinson would appear to have rested more comfortably had she been convinced of the finality of death.  It was fear of the unknown to which she was obsessed, and about which the poem "Because I did not stop for Death" was written.

Interpret and analyze "Because I could not stop for Death—".

The poem deals with an encounter between the speaker and the personified figure of Death. Instead of being presented as a scary hooded figure like the Grim Reaper, Death is given to us as a charming gentleman riding a horse-drawn carriage. Death shows us his impeccably good manners by stopping and inviting the speaker to hop aboard his carriage: "Because I could not stop for Death/He Kindly stopped for me."

Death then proceeds to take the speaker on a journey towards eternity. In other words, it's likely that this is the speaker's last day on earth. On the way there, they pass a school where the children are gathered in a circle. It looks like they're playing a schoolyard game, but it's most probably the case that they're trying to work out their futures; the circle in this case could be seen to represent the journey of life and death.

That this journey is no ordinary one can be seen by the fact that the sun passes the carriage instead of the other way round. All of a sudden, the speaker feels cold as the light and the warmth of the sun start to fade. In case we didn't know it already the speaker is in the process of leaving this world for the next.

In the penultimate stanza, we're presented with a large mound of earth beneath which appears to be buried a house. We don't know whose house it was, but it's more than likely that it once belonged to the speaker herself. In any case, it now resembles a grave more than a dwelling-place, which is perfectly in keeping with the overall theme of the poem.

Although the speaker tells us that this all happened hundreds of years ago, we can't be entirely sure because, as someone who's dead, she's lost all track of time. Her supernatural existence makes it seem to her that these events happened in less than a single day.

How is death perceived by Dickinson in "Because I could not stop for Death—?"

Emily Dickinson offers significant subtlety in her short poems, and capturing the precise tone can be challenging, especially when she writes about death or mental illness. In this poem, the figure of Death begins as a personification of a gentleman who comes to call on the speaker. The first two stanzas seem almost flirtatious, as she "puts away / [Her] labor and her leisure" to go on what seems to be a Sunday drive, as would befit a couple courting.

The ride takes the couple past scenes of civic and natural life, befitting a casual drive that a courting couple might take on a Sunday afternoon.

In many Emily Dickinson poems, the final stanza offers a deepening of meaning and a complexity that adds nuance to the simple ballads her lyric poems seem to be. In this poem, we discover that the ride described happened long ago, and the speaker speaks from the grave. The horses heads are capitalized, and while typography can be elusive in a Dickinson poem, it seems to have intentionality. Here, the simple horses we might have envisioned while reading the poem take on a metaphysical quality, as transporters to an afterlife.

The urbane quality that Death seems to possess early on remains but takes on a chilling (yet not entirely unpleasant) quality. The surprise with which we find ourselves at the grave may be most disturbing of all, for the poem clearly introduced Death immediately. In that in-betweenness—between the naming of Death and the unfolding of the implications of the poem—lies the poem's power to provoke a response.

What is Emily Dickinson discussing in her poem "Because I could not stop for Death--"?

Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death--" (ca. 1863) is often considered her finest poem.  In fact, Allen Tate, himself one of the finest American poets of the 20thC., thought that "Because" is "one of the perfect poems in English. . . . this poem is one of the greatest in the English language." (see Tate, Reactionary Essays on Poetry and Ideas, p. 13).  Most readers and other literary critics have agreed that "Because" exhibits Dickinson's poetic skill and reflects her thinking about death better than any other poem among her nearly 2,000 poems.

One of the consistent themes in Dickinson's poetry is death and dying.  Dickinson seems to have been intensely interested in death throughout her life--but only up to the point of death and rarely beyond it.  In "Because," we are presented with a speaker who seems to be completely at peace with death:

Because I could not stop for Death--/He kindly stopped for me--/ . . . We passed the School, where Children strove/At recess . . ./ We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain--/We passed the Setting Sun--

Dickinson personifies the abstraction of death as the "kindly" driver of her carriage, and there is no sense that Dickinson feels threatened by, or regrets, her situation.  The mood she creates in the opening three stanzas is one of calmness and peaceful acceptance.  She includes images of life--children playing, grain growing, the sun passing--to emphasize that she is no longer part of the living world, and she views these images not as a person who regrets not being alive but with calm detachment.

Even when she describes her grave--"a House that seemed/A Swelling of the Ground"--the tone is matter-of-fact, the mood peaceful, and we sense that although she is an interested observer she has no negative responses to her own grave.  Using the metaphor of a home for her grave is particularly appropriate because it indicates her belief that  death may be a continuation of her consciousness--in other words, even her grave has positive connotations. 

In the final stanza we learn that she has been dead for centuries--"Since then--'tis Centuries"--but to Dickinson those years have been compressed to nothing.  It is as if she dies, rides with Death in the carriage, views her grave, and hundreds of years pass, but Dickinson is somehow outside time, a measure of existence that no longer has any meaning.

Among other things, the ending of the poem illustrates another theme important in Dickinson' poems about death.  She often focuses on death but does not speculate or describe what happens after death, which speaks to her ambivalence toward conventional religious beliefs and her own ambiguous relationship with a conventional God and afterlife.

How does Emily Dickinson's life connect to her poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"?

It is easy for us in our day and age to dismiss Dickinson's apparent obsession with death as being some kind of display of Emmeline Grangerford's mawkishness, however, reading Dickinson and exploring this central theme of her work involves an understanding of her context and in particular the way in which death was a much more intrusive presence during the life and times of Dickinson that it is for us now thanks to medical advances. Let us just remember that thanks to illnesses such as TB or consumption, people died a lot younger and children in particular had a low mortality rate compared to today. Death was an important reality and it was normal for every family to have experienced the death of at least one child, as you were lucky to make it past the age of five. Life was much more uncertain then than it is for us today, and anybody could die very rapidly from a sudden disease.

What Dickinson does in this poem and in others which focus on the topic of death is that she tries to define and explore this ultimate experience, domesticating death and, by so doing, making it an understandable phenomenon.

How does Emily Dickinson's life connect to her poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"?

It is well known that Emily Dickinson lived the reclusive life of a spinster.  Aside from the fact that she never married, she was said to have been socially quiet, shy, close to her family, and religious (though not devoutly Calvanist, despite pressure to be so).  She was not unfamiliar with death, as she experienced the death of 33 of her friends and acquaintences within a three year time frame.  She herself suffered from poor health and died at the age of 55.

The overriding theme of this poem is the gracious acceptance of death.  Death is personified as a lover or gentleman caller, coming to pick up the narrator in a carriage.  Immortality is also inside.  Perhaps this is ironic given that the author likely never entertained any gentleman callers or perhaps it shows a deeper longing inside Dickinson's heart.  It cannot be ignored however, that the poem displays a certain air of acceptance and respect for fate.  It points to her experience with death, her lack of fear of it, and her faith in an afterlife.

It is possible too that this poem shows the author's sense of ambition.  "Because I could not stop for death," suggests that the narrator's life was busy.  Too busy to date.  Too busy to die.  Perhaps Emily Dickinson did not wish to be classified as a social misfit or a sickly woman who was simply waiting to die.  Perhaps she wanted to portray both of these attitudes as a way to highlight her literary work over anything else about her.

I need help developing a statement for the poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" by Emily Dickinson.

I assume you are referring to a thesis statement. One of the aspects that critics praise this poem for is the way that Dickinson in this excellent poem manages to tame or domesticate one of the most powerful and unavoidable of human experiences through the use of a metaphor. In this poem, Death is compared to an unexpected ride in a horse-drawn carriage that takes the speaker ever-onward into "Eternity." This should provide ample scope for a thesis statement discussing the presentation of death and how he is transformed from a scary figure into a kind, polite and unhurried gentleman, "kindly" stopping, not knowing any "haste."

Therefore a good thesis statement you might want to use could be:

Through the use of metaphor Dickinson domesticates death.

Consider how death is presented and how the speaker responds to Death in this poem. Good luck!

For "Because I could not stop for Death—" by Emily Dickinson, what are the theme and points that help reveal the actual meaning of the poem?

"Because I could not stop for Death—" by Emily Dickinson is a complex poem about human mortality and our journey from birth through life to death. It is highly symbolic and metaphorical, gaining many of its effects by subtle use of imagery and diction. 

The first theme is that Death is not something to be feared. Instead, Death is portrayed as "kindly". Even today, but even more so if one considers the state of medicine in the nineteenth century, Death can be considered kind if it provides an escape from a life with terminal cancer or dementia. Next, Dickinson is writing within a Christian context, in which Death is personified as accompanied by Immortality, suggesting that she views death as not just the end of mortal life but beginning of eternal life.

The journey moves past the ordinary elements of daily life, progressing from a school, symbolizing childhood, and fields, symbolizing adulthood and perhaps fertility, to a small house that is actually a grave. The clothing of the woman is that of a bride, suggesting the role of virgins as brides of Christ in Christian theology.