Life and Death in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the choice of content, use of form and of poetic devices in Emily Dickinson's, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." The paper shows how these techniques reflect her central thesis that death is something the virtuous should welcome as merely one more step on the way to eternal life.

From the Paper:

"To begin with, the content of the poem is significant. Chiefly, Dickinson chooses to emphasize the notion of time through references and metaphors that stress the inevitability of death, the cyclical and/or complementary relationship between life and death, and her own deep-seated Christian beliefs. For instance, the opening quatrain of the poem portrays death as a considerate companion, almost a beau, who tenderly pauses on his busy way for the narrator: "Because I could not stop for death,/He kindly stopped for me;/the carriage held but just ourselves and immortality/" (Dickinson, lines1-4)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dickinson, Emily. "Because I could not stop for death (1863)." Emily Dickinson: Death. 25. Jan. 2003. 26 May 2007 <http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/stop.html>
• Doriani, Mary Maclay. Emily Dickinson: Daughter of Prophecy. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1996. Questia.com. 26 May 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9670639>
• Engle, Patricia. "Dickinson's 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death.'" Explicator, 60.2 (2002): 72-75.
• Monteiro, George. "Dickinson's 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death.'" Explicator, 46(3): 20-21.
• Spencer, Mark. "Dickinson's 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death.'" Explicator, 65.2 (2007): 95-96.

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