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LITERARY ANALYSIS OF
EMILY DICKINSON’S
BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR
DEATH

by: Kisha Allyson M
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5-9
Expressive Analysis ……………………………………………………………………… 10-12
Objective Analysis ………………………………………………………………………
...
17-19
References …………………………………………………………………………………… 20

2

Introduction

Emily Dickinson’s Because I Could not Stop for Death is a lyrical poem first publish
posthumously in Poems: Series 1 in 1980
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Moreover, this series of analysis aims to understand and present different
meaning in context about the poem
...
Some of factors and processes used in this analysis are (1) Choosing
the text carefully, where you take consideration of the audience and purpose of the
analysis
...

(2) Deciding what to focus on, this may vary from the theories you are using since in every
theory gives various importance to different aspects
...
(4) Organize ideas, this helps in
making an understandable analysis where you avoid confusions to your readers
...

The theories used during the analysis are the following; (1) Mimetic theory in which
considers text as imitations, representations, copies - definable terms of whatever they
copy: nature, the world, realities, some other texts
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(2) Theory of Expressivism which considers
3

text in terms of what its author expressed, stressing the presence of the writer in the text
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This theory sees a literary
text as a reflection of the writer’s life and times on the character’s life and times in the
work
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It
holds that literary text generates its own unique form so that no external formal laws can
be applied to it
...
This analysis is vital to help
review or evaluate certain aspects such as the text deeper meaning
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4

A MIMETIC READING OF EMILY DICKINSON’S “BECAUSE I COULD NOT
STOP FOR DEATH” BY KISHA ALLYSON M
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Because I could not stop for Death – 1
He kindly stopped for me – 2

The Carriage held but just Ourselves 3

And Immortality
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The poem talks about a woman abducted by death but seem to be not threatened, instead
a willing victim lover of Death
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The poem's guiding
metaphor "death" implies that death is not a displeasing visitor but a gentleman caller as
expressed in lines 1 and 2
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This means that not everyone is ready to conquer for death, for it is mostly
considered as grim and terrible
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To boost this, note that there
is a third passenger " Immortality" a gift of the present as she wanders to eternity
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We slowly drove – He knew no haste
7

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility – "

The poem also reflects or portrayed stages of life in the third stanza
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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 poem also depicts a great description of the grave in stanza 5 , line 17 and 18

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

The " swelling of the ground" describes the newly dug grave of the woman
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In the final stanza of the poem, the woman is in a different time, indicated in the first part
of the stanza, line 21 and 22
" Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day "

which indicates a heavier and immeasurable life, the Eternity
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Thus, Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop Death" depict a different perspective of
death that many people has fail to consider
...
This poem reflects that death
comes in the nature of life and it should not be seen as a punishment but a bridge to
eternity
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BACU

THIS CRITICAL READING theorizes that Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop
for Death” is a poem expressing her reconciliation with her belief in Christianity after
emotional struggle and reclusiveness vis-a-vis her writing prowess
...
4
We slowly drove – He knew no haste 5

And I had put away 6

My labor and my leisure too, 7
For His Civility – 8

We passed the school, where Children strove - 9
At Recess – in the Ring – 10

10

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – 11
We passed the Setting Sun – 12
Or rather – He passed Us – 13
The Dews drew quivering and Chill – 14
For only Gossamer, my Gown – 15
My Tippet – only Tulle – 16

We paused before a House that seemed 17
A Swelling of the Ground – 18
The Roof was scarcely visible – 19
The Cornice – in the Ground – 20
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet 21

Feels shorter than the Day 22

I first surmised the Horses' Heads 23
Were toward Eternity – 24

11

This critical proposition is supported by the theory of Expressivism, which classical
theorist Plato (qtd
...


Because I Could Not Stop for Death was written during Dickinson's most creative period,
in the year 1861-1865
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After leaving
seminary, Dickinson never joined a particular church or denomination, which reflects a
serious rejection of the cultural and religious tradition in her small, Puritan hometown
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In 1850,
Dickinson went through emotional struggle and reclusiveness after a failing relationship
with a married minister that resulted into severe mental illness that she had even inside
the seminary
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This poem takes a closer look at the process of coming to terms with death
...


Thus, Emily Dickinson's " Because I Could Not Stop for Death" is a poem expressing
Dickinson's reconciliation with her faith after emotional struggle and reclusiveness
...


Because I could not stop for Death – 1
He kindly stopped for me – 2

The Carriage held but just Ourselves 3

And Immortality
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This poem expresses that death is inevitable which is figuratively stated in stated in lines
1 and 2 “Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me
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In the following stanzas the poems matter-of-fact tone employs a
technique that underplays an imagery of fantastical nature of what is happening
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To add to the technique Dickinson uses “a swelling ground with a
roof that is scarcely visible” to express what it looked like to be in a grave
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The speaker explains that the
carriage passed these sights “Centuries” ago, but that the entire time that has
elapsed also feels “shorter than a Day
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These is shown
in the line “Since then – tis centuries and yet feels shorter than a day
...


15

Thus, Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” employs the exploration of both
inevitability and uncertainties of death in the figurative use of language in its own verbal
structure
...
BACU

THIS CRITICAL READING assumes that Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not
Stop for Death” strongly induces the reader the natural essence of death as part of life
and way to eternity
...
4
We slowly drove – He knew no haste 5

And I had put away 6

My labor and my leisure too, 7
For His Civility – 8

We passed the school, where Children strove - 9
At Recess – in the Ring – 10
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – 11

17

We passed the Setting Sun – 12
Or rather – He passed Us – 13
The Dews drew quivering and Chill – 14
For only Gossamer, my Gown – 15
My Tippet – only Tulle – 16

We paused before a House that seemed 17
A Swelling of the Ground – 18
The Roof was scarcely visible – 19
The Cornice – in the Ground – 20
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet 21

Feels shorter than the Day 22

I first surmised the Horses' Heads 23
Were toward Eternity – 24

This critical assumption is supported by the literary theory of reader-response
which Adams (3) asserts as the critical theory where the poem or literary text is seen in
its relation to the reader
...

Sublime transport, creation of aesthetic emotion of detached contemplation as Rozakis
(180), Standford (92) and Lee (128) stress in agreement
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The use of different literary devices
such as metaphor and imagery add up to the aesthetic ambiance of the poem without
diminishing the essence and theme presented
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The reader’s attention is focused on the vulnerability of mortality and death as a
gift of immortality, thus drawing the reader’s idea to a brighter perspective and in depth
understanding of death
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The following lines in the first stanza “The carriage held just by
ourselves, and immortality” and in the second stanza lines 3 and 4 “And I had put away,
my labor and my leisure too” gives the reader an idea that with death, mortality is left
behind (figuratively represented by the labor and leisure} but with the gift of immortality
brought on the same carriage, a gift given by death
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“I first surmised the Horse’s heads, were toward eternity” reflects that
in the journey with death and immortality, they are in an odyssey towards eternity, a neverending gift, immortality
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REFERENCES
LitCharts
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Because I could not stop for Death — Poem Summary and Analysis | LitCharts
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litcharts
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Poetry Foundation
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Because I could not stop for Death – (479) by… | Poetry Foundation
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poetryfoundation
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Encyclopedia
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2021
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com
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encyclopedia
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