Because I

Could Not Stop

For Death
Emily Dickinson
 The Poem
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –

We slowly drove – He knew no haste Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
And I had put away Feels shorter than the Day
My labor and my leisure too, I first surmised the Horses' Heads
For His Civility – Were toward Eternity –

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
Context - 1
 Written by Emily Dickinson and published in 1863.
 Believed to be written between 1855 and 1863 (The
Dickinson Properties). These are the years in which
Emily Dickinson wrote most intensely.
 Emily Dickinson was a native to Amherst, MA, born
December 10, 1830. She was said to be reclusive,
seldom leaving the comfort of her home; however,
that did not stop her from making a large impact
through her writing.
 She came from a very political family; her father held
a position in the Senate and her brother was a
lawyer. Although Dickinson never married, her 1,800
poems were released after her death when the
family stumbled upon them.
Context - 2
 During Dickinson’s early years, she experienced the death
of many people close to her, including that of her cousin. It
is easy to see why she felt familiar with death. Dickinson
also lived near a cemetery, so she watched many people,
even loved ones riding in a hearse to their final resting
places.
 The poem was first published in 1890 in Poems, Series 1, a
collection of Miss Dickinson's poems that was edited by two
of her friends, Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth
Higginson. The editors titled the poem “Chariot.”
 Allen Tate (1899-1979)—a distinguished American poet,
teacher, and critic—observed that “Because I Could Not
Stop for Death” is an extraordinary poem. In fact, he said, it
deserves to be regarded as “one of the greatest in the
English language; it is flawless to the last detail.
Subject (Objective)
 To show the readers that death is not
something to be feared of. Instead it is
something that frees you from all the
burdens, all the troubles and problems
that you have while you’re living. It is like
a gentleman.
 The poem teaches the readers calm
acceptance of death.
Themes
 Death is eternity.
 Calm acceptance of death.
 Mortality vs. Immortality – Elements of
immortality portrayed in a mortal manner.
 Spirituality.
 Love – Theme of love underlying theme of
death. Death seen as a suitor, a lover.
Tone
 Comforting, peaceful, tranquil, soothing,
solemn and serene. Calm and complacent.
 Transitions: Relaxed/amiable/unperturbed
Tentative Sad and serious.
 Complete surrender.
 Persuasive as it manages to convince the
readers that death should not be feared.
 Atmosphere: Powerful, haunting and slightly
nostalgic.
Voice
 First person – presumably the poet herself.
Gives insights into her feelings.
 Speaker – A woman who speaks from the
grave. She says she calmly accepted death.
In fact, she seemed to welcome death as a
suitor whom she planned to "marry".
 Authorial voice.
 Perspective of someone who has been
through the events.
 Dickinson’s speaker is communicating from
beyond the grave.
Content - 1
 Title: ‘Because I could not stop for death’
 This is actually not the title of the poem.
 Dickinson didn’t title any of her poems.
 Might imply that the narrator cheated death in some way.
 Shows that the speaker had no control or choice over her
death.
 Begins with ‘Because’ as if answering a question or justifying
a situation. Yet the question seems to be missing from the
title.
 This makes the poem seem active and alive as it elongates
the discovery. Also gives a launch to the ride that is
described in the poem.
 Written in past tense, therefore death has already passed her
or rather she has passed death.
 Incompleteness of the titles gives a feeling of continuity, of
infinity, of immortality.
 ‘Because’ – Reinforcement of irony and unfairness of life.
Content - 2
 In the opening stanza, the speaker is too busy for
Death, so Death takes the time to do what she
cannot, and stops for her. In his carriage, she was
accompanied by Immortality as well. It is surprising
that she presents the experience as being no more
frightening that receiving a gentleman caller.
 This civility that Death exhibits in taking time out for
her leads her to give up on those things that had
made her so busy so they can just enjoy this carriage
ride.
 As the trip continues in Stanza 2, the carriage trundles
along at an easy, unhurried pace, perhaps
suggesting that death has arrived in the form of a
disease or debility that takes its time to kill.
Content - 3
 Then, in Stanza 3, the author appears to review the
stages of her life: childhood (the recess scene),
maturity (the ripe, hence, “gazing” grain), and the
descent into death (the setting sun)–as she passes to
the other side.
 There, she experiences a chill because she is not
warmly dressed. In fact, her garments are more
appropriate for a wedding, representing a new
beginning, than for a funeral, representing an end.
 Her description of the grave as her “house” indicates
how comfortable she feels about death. There, after
centuries pass, so pleasant is her new life that time
seems to stand still, feeling “shorter than a Day.”
Content - 4
 The final stanza shows a glimpse of this immortality,
made most clear in the first two lines, where she says
that although it has been centuries since she has
died, it feels no longer than a day. It is not just any
day that she compares it to, however—it is the very
day of her death, when she saw “the Horses’ Heads”
that were pulling her towards this eternity.
 Her view of death may also reflect her personality
and religious beliefs. On the one hand, as a spinster,
she was somewhat reclusive and introspective,
tending to dwell on loneliness and death. On the
other hand, as a Christian and a Bible reader, she
was optimistic about her ultimate fate and appeared
to see death as a friend.
Structure - 1
 Hymn-Like Iambic Meter in Quatrains
 In each stanza: 1. The first line has eight syllables (four feet)
2. The second, six syllables (three feet)
3. The third, eight syllables (four feet) and
4. The fourth, six syllables (three feet)
 The meter alternates between iambic tetrameter (lines with
eight syllables, or four feet) and iambic trimeter (lines with
six syllables, or three feet).
 This pattern is complimented well with the constant
switching of the idea of death from life, mortality to
immortality, throughout the poem.
 In iambic meter, the feet (pairs of syllables) contain an
unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
Structure - 2
 End Rhyme:
 The second and fourth lines of stanzas 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
rhyme.
 However, some of the lines contain only close rhymes or
eye rhymes.
 In the third stanza, there is no end rhyme, but ‘ring’ (line 2)
rhymes with the penultimate words in lines 3 and 4 (‘Gazing’
& ‘Setting’).
 Closely rhyming words help to show calmness, a pattern,
uniformity throughout the poem, which helps to ease the
atmosphere created by the setting and the events.
 Regular structure and rhyme scheme again help the
easy flow of the poem and its turn of events by
providing smooth transitions.
 Allegory: A story, poem or picture that can be
interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.
Language & Techniques - 1
 Diction (first stanza): First uses light, informal
language and then dramatically capitalizes the
significant words. Makes more of an impact as such
mundane things are given the weight of eternity.
 Personification: Death is personified as a gentleman
suitor.
 Internal rhyme (‘Held’ & ‘Ourselves’): Leads the
speaker to so easily give up on her life, place
complete trust on Death. Emphasizes the individual
attention given by Death to the speaker.
 “He kindly stopped for me”: Establishes the tone of
most of the poem – one of calm acceptance of
death.
Language & Techniques - 2
 Hyphens / Enjambment: Characteristic of
Dickinson’s style. Meant to provide breaks and
pauses, to show slow motion, the calmness of
environment. Also provoking the readers to think
and interpret. Compliments her technique of
compression.
 Capitalization (General): Effect: Used in
personification. Also used with metaphors to
emphasize the related significance of an object or
aspect. The poem is allegorical and so it could be
that the nouns are capitalized because they're
each important in conveying the overall meaning.
Language & Techniques - 3
 Capitalization (First stanza):
 1. “Ourselves”: Her and Death. Emphasis on
togetherness. Strengthens relationship between
speaker and Death.
 2. “Carriage”: The Chariot has mythical associations
as the vehicle that takes a person down the road of
life. Life is seen as something tedious as speaker
shows a longing for the endless ride.
 3. “Immortality”: Two possibilities: Another passenger
in the carriage. Or, just a synonym for death. The
latter gives the hint that speaker does not think of
death as “The End”, but instead a step on the way to
eternal life.
Language & Techniques - 4
 Metonymy: Used to represent “labor” and
“leisure” by another alliterative word, “life”.
Effect: Makes it easy to remember for readers,
and causes a greater impact.
 Symbolism / Metaphors: Review stages of life
 School symbolizes - morning of life, Childhood.
 Fields of Grain – midday of life,
Adulthood/Working Years.
 Setting Sun – evening of life, Old age/Death
Language & Techniques - 5
 Alliteration: Effect: Easier for readers to remember, to draw connections.
Aids the flow/ease of the poem. Here, it depicts a continuity of scenes,
thereby emphasizing the notion of never-endingness.
 1. Line 01: (“Because” & “could”)
 2. Line 05: (“Knew” & “no”)
 3. Line 07: (“My labor” & “My leisure”)
 4. Line 09: (“School” & “strove”)
 5. Line 10: (“Recess” & “Ring”)
 6. Line 11: (“Gazing” & “Grain”)
 7. Line 12: (“Setting” & “Sun”)
 8. Line 14: (“Dews” & “drew”)
 9. Line 15: (“Gossamer” & “gown”)
 10. Line 16: (“Tippet” & “Tulle”)
 11. Line 22: (“Horses’” & “Heads”)
 Alliteration of words in pairs. Effect: Emphasizes on the relationship of
Death with the speaker as it is depicted or seen through the pairs of
alliterative words throughout the poem.
 Also creates a sound that is pleasant and almost comforting to the ears.
It makes a poem sound more cheerful and lyrical.
Language & Techniques - 6
 Specific and Concrete Diction (Stanza 3): Aids visualization,
imagery. Helps create a symbol, a notion of abstract matters such
as childhood and drawing connections. Helps compression.
 Anaphora (“We passed”): Emphasized the idea of movement and
helps the poem to sound like an actual journey. Paints the image of
continuous motion. Also emphasizing on the fact that one period of
life, once passed cannot be revisited or relived.
 Fourth stanza: Transition. Her World shifts between this stanza and
the previous one.
 “Or rather – He passed us”: Because she has stopped being an
active agent and is now part of the landscape. Mobilizes the sun
whereas describes herself as immobile. Shift in tone.
 “Dews drew quivering and chill”: Author realizes that she is quite
cold, and she shivers. Symbolic of death as it is described as very
cold, sinister and lifeless, thus lacking warmth. Presents a more
conventional vision of death .
Language & Techniques - 7
 The speaker’s dress is not thick enough to protect her thus
showing her unpreparedness. Her garments are, in fact, more
suitable for a wedding, which represents a new beginning,
than for a funeral representing an end. Shows how death is
just a beginning for the speaker. Ready for a marriage, a
heavenly marriage that takes place in the heaven where
Death is just an escort that takes her to her wedding.
 “A swelling of the Ground”: A metaphor for a grave, which
she describes as her home. This reference to grave being her
home shows how comfortable and at peace the speaker
feels after leaving life. Although her home, really only a
resting place as she travels to eternity. Shows: Funeral is not
her/their final destination.
 Comparison helps lighten the tone of the graveyard scene.
 “Cornice”: Actually a decorative ceiling ornament but here
can mean the molding around her coffin.
Language & Techniques - 8
 Stanza 6: Shift in tone as there is shift in the tense. From past
to present.
 Shift in tone: Peaceful  Startling enlightenment
 Paradox and hyperbole: “Since then- 'tis Centuries- and yet
Feels shorter than the Day”. Effect: the paradox adds depth
and complexity to the poem. Helps dramatize the situation.
 Immortality: Goal hinted in the first stanza, yet only
achieved in the final stanza by the speaker.
 Time suddenly loses meaning. Because time is gone,
speaker can still feel with relish the moment of realization,
that death was not just death, but immortality.
 Time contraction shows how peaceful she is as time runs
short when conditions are favorable.
Language & Techniques - 9
 In the end of the poem, the writer unsure of
the destination makes an assumption that the
carriage is headed towards eternity, as hinted
by “Horses’ heads”.
 “Eternity –”: By ending like this, the poem itself
enacts this eternity, trailing out into the infinite.
 Such an open end like this allows the listener
to ponder over the consequent events and
possible conclusions.
Activities - Opposites
 Ask all the students to pair-up. Each pair has to
chose two words which are opposite: for
example:- LIFE and DEATH.
 The students will then prepare and learn a short
speech on their topic.
 The student with a positive word explains its
negatives. For example: Student talks about how
LIFE is bad or not worth it.
 The student with a negative word will present its
positive/brighter side.
 Make the presentation fun by setting up a debate
or an argumentative battle of the opposites.
Activities – Perspective!
 Ask students to rewrite this poem from the
perspective of death, a gentleman suitor
who comes to pick up the poet.
 Students can explore their creativity by
changing the sequence of events,
adding characters, change the tone,
increase/decrease the size of the original
poem. The possibilities are endless!
 They can then recite it in class.
Activities - Alliteration
 Ask students to write 26 pairs of alliterative words.
They could be funny, wise or even illogical. Let
them get creative with their diction and use of
vocabulary.
 These 26 pairs are from each letter of the
alphabet.
 They can then share their ideas out loud in class
and have an active class discussion.
 You can choose the best alliterative pair for each
letter, have a competition, and discuss the effect
of using alliteration as figurative language.