This poem illustrates a woman, escorted by “Death” and accompanied by “Immortality”, headed towards her final destination, which is eternity. The speaker clearly implies that ‘Death’ is not something to be afraid of. Instead of offending, Death is described with such a kindness. The woman has no other options but to leave her mortal life behind to join this journey. As we can see throughout the poem, “Death” is constantly personified as a ‘gentleman’.

As the journey continued, memories were slowly flooding back into her mind. The childhood: “We passed the School, where Children strove” (line 1, stanza 3), the adulthood: “We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain” (line 2, stanza 3), and the “setting sun” which is the time when she is in the edge of her death.

“He passed Us” (line 1, stanza 4) – that the Death could have stopped anytime He wanted to, yet He decided not to. But finally there she is, sitting in a carriage heading to nowhere, surrounded by coldness.

Then they passed on her grave – “a house” – that seems to be “a swelling of the ground” (line 2, stanza 5) with cornice in the ground. It clearly shows that funeral is definitely not their final destination. The grave is pictured as something provisional, as the journey still going on and on after they passed it.

While some might think that she is headed toward heaven, or purgatory but the woman is headed to eternity (infinity)


http://readmycanvas.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/poetry-analysis-emily-dickinsons-because-i-could-not-stop-for-death/

Analysis

This poem illustrates a woman, escorted by “Death” and accompanied by “Immortality”, headed towards her final destination, which is eternity. The speaker clearly implies that ‘Death’ is not something to be afraid of. Instead of offending, Death is described with such a kindness. The woman has no other options but to leave her mortal life behind to join this journey. As we can see throughout the poem, “Death” is constantly personified as a ‘gentleman’.

As the journey continued, memories were slowly flooding back into her mind. The childhood: “We passed the School, where Children strove” (line 1, stanza 3), the adulthood: “We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain” (line 2, stanza 3), and the “setting sun” which is the time when she is in the edge of her death.

“He passed Us” (line 1, stanza 4) – that the Death could have stopped anytime He wanted to, yet He decided not to. But finally there she is, sitting in a carriage heading to nowhere, surrounded by coldness.

Then they passed on her grave – “a house” – that seems to be “a swelling of the ground” (line 2, stanza 5) with cornice in the ground. It clearly shows that funeral is definitely not their final destination. The grave is pictured as something provisional, as the journey still going on and on after they passed it.

While some might think that she is headed toward heaven, or purgatory but the woman is headed to eternity (infinity)


http://readmycanvas.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/poetry-analysis-emily-dickinsons-because-i-could-not-stop-for-death/

This poem illustrates a woman, escorted by “Death” and accompanied by “Immortality”, headed towards her final destination, which is eternity. The speaker clearly implies that ‘Death’ is not something to be afraid of. Instead of offending, Death is described with such a kindness. The woman has no other options but to leave her mortal life behind to join this journey. As we can see throughout the poem, “Death” is constantly personified as a ‘gentleman’.

As the journey continued, memories were slowly flooding back into her mind. The childhood: “We passed the School, where Children strove” (line 1, stanza 3), the adulthood: “We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain” (line 2, stanza 3), and the “setting sun” which is the time when she is in the edge of her death.

“He passed Us” (line 1, stanza 4) – that the Death could have stopped anytime He wanted to, yet He decided not to. But finally there she is, sitting in a carriage heading to nowhere, surrounded by coldness.

Then they passed on her grave – “a house” – that seems to be “a swelling of the ground” (line 2, stanza 5) with cornice in the ground. It clearly shows that funeral is definitely not their final destination. The grave is pictured as something provisional, as the journey still going on and on after they passed it.

While some might think that she is headed toward heaven, or purgatory but the woman is headed to eternity (infinity)


http://readmycanvas.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/poetry-analysis-emily-dickinsons-because-i-could-not-stop-for-death/