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NOTES ON BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH, Q1. Briefly comment on the theme of the poem ‘Because I could not stop for death ‘?, Answer: - One of Emily Dickinson’s most famous work “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is, generally considered to be one of the great masterpieces of American poetry. Written around 1863,, the poem was published in Dickinson’s first posthumous collection, Poems by Emily Dickinson, in, 1890. It has also been printed under the title “The Chariot.”, ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death’ reveals Emily Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death., The journey to the grave begins in Stanza 1, when Death (kind gentleman) comes in a, carriage in which Immortality is also a passenger. 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. 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.”, The overall theme of the poem seems to be that death is not to be feared since it is a natural, part of the endless cycle of nature. 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., Q2. How did the poet personify death in the poem ‘Because I could not stop for death’?, Answer: - In the poem Death has been personified as a young, handsome and polite gentleman who, stops his carriage and takes the poet for a ride. He arrives in a carriage with Immortality to take the, author to her grave. The gentleman death was very polite and courteous that the poet left all her, work and leisure behind to go with him. The poet mentions how comfortable the ride was as the, driver was not in a hurry. They passed by schools, the gazing fields and even watched the setting, sun. At the end the gentleman death pauses the horse in front of her grave and takes her toward her, journey to eternity.
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Q3. Comment on the tone and mood of the poem ‘Because I could not stop for death’., Answer: - This poem has a very distinct tone and mood. The tone which is the voice of the poet or, speaker in the poem is calm and measured. She is aware of what is happening around her but is not, overly emotional about it. This is maintained throughout the first few stanzas until the speaker gets, closer to death. At this point, things start to shift a little and the tone becomes more sinister. This is, seen through words like “Chill” and “quivering”. The last lines bring back the peace of the first part, of the poem as the speaker matter-of-factly states that the horse’s heads are pointed towards, eternity., Q4. What does the poem ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ mean?, Answer: - ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ is a simple lyric that talks about Emily Dickinson’s, fearlessness in the face of death. The title of the poem means that the poetic persona has no time to, wait for death. Her mind is fearless and rational. She takes death as a natural phenomenon like the, withering of plants. There is no fear in accepting what must occur. Hence, the poet can’t burden her, mind with the thoughts of something natural not only to herself but also to the whole of, humankind., SUMMARY OF THE POEM, Because I could not stop for death” is an exploration of both the inevitability of death and the, uncertainties that surround what happens when people actually die. In the poem, a woman takes a, ride with a personified “Death” in his carriage, by all likelihood heading towards her place in the, afterlife. The poem’s matter-of-fact tone, which underplays the fantastical nature of what is, happening, quickly establishes this journey as something beyond the speaker’s control. It's not clear, if the speaker is already dead, or she is traveling towards death. Either way, her death is presented, as something natural, strange, and inescapable., Indeed, the poem’s opening lines make this clear. The speaker herself couldn’t “stop for Death”—, and not many people would—but “Death” has every intention of stopping for her. Notably, “Death”, here is presented as something of a gentleman, “kindly” stopping his carriage so that the speaker, can climb in. This suggests a certain comfort with, or at least acceptance of, dying on the part of the, speaker, even as what this process actually entails remains mysterious., Also in the carriage is “Immortality.” It’s not clear if this is another personified figure—a kind of, chaperone—or something more abstract. But the presence of “Immortality” does speak to one of, humanity’s deepest questions: what happens when to people when they die?, “Immortality” is ambiguous here. Its presence could support the Christian idea of the afterlife—, which some critics feel runs throughout Dickinson’s poems. Or, by contrast, “Immortality” could be, somewhat ironic, hinting at the permanent nothingness that awaits in death. Either way, such is the, eternal inevitability of “Death” that he himself is in “no haste.” That is, he doesn’t need to hurry to
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make death happen, because it is an automatic fact of life. In fact, the whole journey has the air of, unhurried purpose, as though reaching the destination is a given and that therefore rushing is, unnecessary. The carriage stops by a school, fields, and perhaps even the speaker’s own grave, (stanza five). These seem to represent different stages of life, starting from childhood and, preceding—like the journey itself—to the inevitable final destination., To underscore the poem’s sense of awe surrounding the mysteries of death, the final stanza is filled, with ambiguity and contradiction. 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.” In the, grand scheme of eternity, hundreds of years might indeed feel like a blip on the radar. This, contradiction thus highlights the difficulty of imagining eternity. Life is measured by time, moving, through different stages as people age; people sense the story of their lives unfolding as time goes, on. But in death, the perception of time—indeed, all perception—ceases to exist. Unless, of course,, there is an afterlife, an idea which the poem seems open to but inconclusive about., Indeed, it’s in large part this inconclusiveness that makes the poem so powerful. On the one hand,, “Death’s” kind and calm treatment of the woman could signal the comfort of a Christian afterlife—, entrance to heaven and an eternity in God’s presence. But more darkly, the way that the poem plays, with ideas of immortality and eternity can also be read as nothing more than the dark nothingness, of death itself—that life, when it’s gone, is gone for good.
