Emily Dickinson-a great American female poet represented the farthest
point in the 19th century American Poetry. American poetry in regard
to the adventures of the spirit is beautifully reflected in her poetry. She had
the distinction of being a pioneer of 19th century American Poetry.
She was an anticipator of metaphysical poetry, a smeller of modernity and a
defender of romanticism. Conard Alken described her as,
“The most perfect flower of
New England-Transcendentalism.”
The
poem “Because I Could not stop for
Death” is one of the representative poems of Dickinson showing her
attitude to death. She has presented death as a civil, gentle and suitor. The
poem presents the last phase of her mysticism in which death is regarded as
herald to immortality.
Theme of the poem
There
are three basic themes in her poems like death, love and nature. Above
Emily’s poem on ‘Death’, G. F. Whicher
says,
It often rises to a level where
abstract ideas are personified
and dramatized, filled with
vital breath, and placed in
exciting relation with each other.”
In
the present poem, Dickinson shows her profound view of death and immortality
rendered with an artistic perfection. She presents death as a guide and friend
taking the human soul to Eternity making it immoral. In a bold and striking
fashion, Emily personifies ‘Death’
as a lover, kind and civil, who stops at the house of his beloved to give her a
courteous ride.
Critical Appreciation of the poem
The
poem is a superlative achievement in which death becomes one of the great
characters of poetry. The poetess visualizes Death as a person whom she knew
and trusted. He might be any gentleman belonging to her own town. The first
stanza describes the narrator as so engrossed in household activities
that she can not share time for death’s call. The poet with her love of life
has not sought death. On the contrary death has kindly and courteously sought
her and stopped at her house. As she says, “Because I Could not stop for
Death-
He kindly
stopped for me
Here
death is presented as lover of the poetess in the poem. The word ‘stop’ and ‘stopped’ suggests that the poet has not sought death but death
has sought her. The world ‘kindly’ suggests that death come as a courteous
gentleman. Death as not come alone, but with immortality as his companion.
In
the Second Stanza, the carriage has moved slowly. Death knows no haste
and does not snatch life abruptly. Death as a lover shows extreme consideration
of human feelings. In return to his kindness and civility, the beloved puts
aside both her ‘labour’ (world activity) and her ‘leisure’ (span of life). As
she says,
“My
labour and my leisure too
For his
civility.”
In the third stanza there is a superb description of life that
recedes back as the carriage moves forward. As the journey proceeds, they pass the school
where ‘children strove at recess, in the ring.’ She knows that they have
scarcely done their lesson. From village they now come to fields where they
gaze grain. Finally they also leave behind the sun. Here anyone can think of
childhood. (in school), maturity (in grain) and end death (in setting
sun.. The she describes,
We passed the school where children
played
Their lessons scarcely done.
We passed the fields of gazing grain
We passed the setting sun”
The fourth stanza has a horrifying
combination of an actual mansion and the swelling of a graveyard. They
finally come to a place where Death is to leave her. What she saws was a
neglected place. It was seemed a swelling on the ground. The roof was scarcely
visible. The cornice was nothing but a mound.
In
the Last stanza, the poet talks about immortality. The death is a root
of immortality. Here she describes that though our life is too long, we feel
shorter and we longing more and more. But she first realized that the horse
heads were painting towards eternity. The terror of death is objectified
through the figure of the genteel driver who is made ironically to serve the
end of Immortality.
Poetic Quality
As far as poetic quality is concerned, poem
passes through very nicely. In the poem death is personified as person ‘he’
means a person especially who as a lover of her. This is the use of the figure
of speech-personification. We also find superficial and inner meaning in the
poem. The Simplicity is achieved by
clear, cut, short simple sentences.
1. He kindly stop for me… 2. He carriage held. 3. we passed …
The
poem has 20 lines and each stanza consists 4 lines. The poem follows free
‘rhythm’ which gives rising and falling tone and brings joy in recitation. We
also find tremendous musical and quality through use of alliteration.
- My Labour and my leisure
too - I first surmised the horse’s heard
Conclusion
To summing up, this is one of the most
fascinating of Emily’s poems on Death in which death is personified and is
introduced as a character. Death is portrayed as a lover gently conveying one
to hidden pleasure and finally as solemn guide leading her to the threshold of
immortality. The poem is a remarkably superb on the subject of daily
realization of the imminence convicting that calm acceptable of death is a way
of conquering death. As James Rees says
“This is one of the best of
those poems in which Emily
triumphs over death by
accepting it calmly civil as
befits a gentle woman receiving
the attention of the gentleman.
In
a short, the poem is well-admired poem. The critic Allen Tate says, “One of the
greatest in English language it is flawless to the last detail.
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