Because I could not stop for DeathReview for More Dickinson Poems
She talked about death… A LOT!
• Because I could not stop for Death,He kindly stopped for me;The carriage held but just ourselvesAnd Immortality.
Personification… Death as her courtier
• We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put awayMy labor, and my leisure too,For his civility.
She often uses/discusses nature
• We passed the school, where children stroveAt recess, in the ring;We passed the fields of gazing grain,We passed the setting sun.
Another mention of nature… & death
• Or rather, be passed us;The dews grew quivering and chill,For only gossamer my gown,My tippet only tulle.
And some more about death…
• We paused before house that seemedA swelling of the ground;The roof was scarcely visible,The cornice but a mound.
Paradox
• Since then 'tis centuries, and yet eachFeels shorter than the dayI first surmised the horses' headsWere toward eternity.
Things to keep in mind when reading Emily Dickinson poems
• She loves to write about death, nature, and love• She often uses paradox, personification, metaphor
(and simile)• Most of her poetry is written in quatrains
(4-line stanzas)• Uses slant rhyme, inverted syntax,
and omission of different parts of speech
• Uses dashes and unconventional capitalization to indicate significant words/ideas
