Form 5 English – Poems and Songs: Personification

Because I could not stop for Death

Emily Dickinson
Notes
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me; 1...gossamer my gown: Thin wedding
The carriage held but just ourselves dress for thespeaker's marriage to
And Immortality. Death.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste, 2...tippet: Scarf for neck or shoulders.

And I had put away
3...tulle: Netting.
My labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
4...house: Speaker's tomb.
We passed the school, where children strove 5...cornice: Horizontal molding along
At recess, in the ring; the top of awall.
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun. 6...Since . . . centuries: The length of
time she has been in the tomb.
Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,1
My tippet2 only tulle.3

We paused before a house4 that seemed

A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice5 but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries,6 and yet each

Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

1
Form 5 English – Poems and Songs: Personification
Part 1: Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks with words taken from the poem Because I Could Not Stop ForDeath:

Vocabulary Meaning
1. politeness
2. cold
3. it is
4. the timeless state into which the soul passes at a person's death
5. work, especially physical work
6. a thin, fine, machine-made net of nylon or silk
7. ripe grain
8. a pile of earth or stones that looks like a small hill
9. a vehicle with wheels that is pulled by a horse, used in the past
10. the small drops of water that form on outdoor surfaces during the night
11. tremble
12. hardly be seen
13. a long dress that a woman wears on formal occasions
14. a scarf, usually of fur or wool for covering the neck, or the neck and
shoulders, and usually having ends hanging down in front
15. curved shape of something
16. worked hard
17. a very light thin material
18. a horizontal molding that tops off a building or completes a wall
19. hurry
20. the state of living for ever
21. guessed or supposed

2
Part 2: Reading Comprehension

1. What is personified in Because I Could Not Stop for Death?

___________________________________________________________________________

2. Who is ‘He’ of the second line?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. What stages of life do lines 9-12of the poem represent?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. What is the ‘house’ referred to in the 5th stanza? Explain your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Was Emily Dickinson afraid of death? Explain your answer by quoting from the poem.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6. How did Dickinson view her time after death? Which part of the poem tells you so?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3
7. Name the characteristics of death as portrayed in the poem.
a. ___________________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________________
c. ___________________________________________________________________________
d. ___________________________________________________________________________
e. ___________________________________________________________________________
f. ___________________________________________________________________________
g. ___________________________________________________________________________
h. ___________________________________________________________________________

Part 3: Further Analysis

1. What is the structure of the poem?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Comment on the use of metaphor(s) in the poem.

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. Comment on the use of alliteration in the poem.

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. How would you explain the mood of the poem?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

5. Explain the theme of the poem.

_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4
Form 5 English – Poems and Songs: Personification
Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Type of Work
.......“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is a lyric poem on
the theme of death. The contains six stanzas, each with four
lines. A four-line stanza is called a quatrain. The poem was
first published in 1890 in Poems, Series 1, a collection of
Miss Dickinson's poems that was edited by two of her
friends, Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth
Higginson. The editors titled the poem "Chariot."

Commentary and Theme

.......“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” reveals Emily
Dickinson’s calm acceptance of death. It is surprising that she
presents the experience as being no more frightening than receiving a gentleman caller—in this case, her
fiancé (Death personified).
.......The journey to the grave begins in Stanza 1, when Death comes calling 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.

Characters
Speaker: A woman who speaks from the grave. She says she calmly accepted death. In fact, she seemed to
welcome death as a suitor whom she planned to "marry."
Death: Suitor who called for the narrator to escort her to eternity.
Immortality: A passenger in the carriage.
Children: Boys and girls at play in a schoolyard. They symbolize early life.

5
 Form 5 English – Poems and Songs: Personification
Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Vocabulary
Vocabulary Meaning
1. civility politeness
2. chill cold
3. ‘tis it is
4. eternity the timeless state into which the soul passes at a person's death
5. labour work, especially physical work

6. tulle/tjuːl/ a thin, fine, machine-made net of nylon or silk

7. gazing grain ripe grain

8. mound a pile of earth or stones that looks like a small hill
9. carriage a vehicle with wheels that is pulled by a horse, used in the past
10. dews the small drops of water that form on outdoor surfaces during the night
11. quivering tremble
12. scarcely visible hardly be seen
13. gown a long dress that a woman wears on formal occasions
14. tippet a scarf, usually of fur or woolfor covering the neck, or the neck and
shoulders, and usually having ends hanging down in front
15. swelling curved shape of something
16. strove worked hard
17. a very light thin material

gossamer/ˈɡɒs.ə.mər

/
18. cornice/ˈkɔː.nɪs/ a horizontal molding that tops off a building or completes a wall

19. haste hurry

20. immortality the state of living for ever
21. surmised guessed or supposed

6
7
Answers:
1. What is personified in Because I Could Not Stop for Death?
Death is personified in the poem as a suitor /gentleman caller making death and
dying milder and not something to fear.
Immortality is as a person renders the notion of the soul not dying.

2. Who is “He” of the second line?

“He” is “death”.

3. What stages of life do the lines in stanza 3 represent?

The author appears to review the following stages of her life:
a. childhood (the recess scene),
b. maturity (the ripe, hence, “gazing” grain), and
c. the descent into death (the setting sun) – as she passes to the other side

4. What is the “house” in stanza 5 represent? Explain your answer.

It represents a grave. It is described as a swelling of the ground and a mound
with not much of a roof and only a part of the cornice barely visible.

5. Was Emily Dickinson afraid of death? Explain your answer by quoting from the
poem.
Death kindly stopped for her.
No, she describes death as someone calling on her kindly. She perceives dying
as getting married with death donning wedding costumes like a gown and a
tippet made of light thin material like tulle. As death was personified as her
fiancé, she presents the experience as being no more frightening than receiving
a gentleman caller. Also, she describes her own grave as a house, which
commonly refers to a comfortable place to live in.

6. How did Dickinson view time after death? Which part of the poem tells you so?
She seems to enjoy her time after death as time passes quickly as evidenced in
the last stanza that since her death, each century feels shorter than the day,
which implies that time stands still and that she is enjoying life in eternity.

7. Name the characteristics of death as portrayed in the poem.

o It will call on us anytime.
o We have no choice as to when it will happen to us.
o It will happen slowly.
o It is the time when we have to give up everything in life.
o Upon death, we review our whole life.
o It is not scary but comfortable.
o It is like getting married, a time for celebration.
o It will lead us to eternal life.

8
Further Analysis
1. What is the structure of the poem?
6 quatrains

2. Comment on the use of metaphor(s) in the poem.

Death is used as an extended metaphor in the poem. Dickinson has personified death,
giving him a name, a conveyance, and a companion. The presence of Immortality in
the carriage softens the idea of the arrival of Death. And the fact that “He” kindly
stopped is both a reassurance that his arrival was not unpleasant. It is ironic and a
humorous way to imagine Death being kind. The speaker in the poem is speaking of
an event that happened in the past, another reassurance that there is survival after
death.

3. Comment on the use of alliteration in the poem.

Alliteration:
In line 7 – ‘my labor and my leisure too’, in line 9 – ‘we passed the school where
children strove’, in line 10- ‘At recess in the ring’, in line 11- ‘gazing grain’, in line 12
– ‘setting sun’, in line 15 – ‘gossamer and gown’,in line 16 – ‘tippet and tulle’

Alliteration depicts a continuity of scenes, thereby emphasizing the notion of

neverendingness.

4. How would you explain the mood of the poem?

By portraying death in a positive light, Dickinson makes the tone/mood of the poem
optimistic; she tells her readers that death is not something to fear but instead to be
befriended.

5. Explain the theme of the poem.

Mortality (because it is about dying) / immortality or spirituality (because the poem
focuses on immortality and life after dying)

9
Answers:
1. What is personified in Because I Could Not Stop for Death?
Death is personified in the poem as a suitor /gentleman caller making death and dying milder
and not something to fear.
Immortality is as a person renders the notion of the soul not dying.
The sun is personified as ‘He’ in ‘Or rather, he passed us’.

2. When death visits us, what do we have to give up?

We have to give up our work and our leisure.

3. Which part of the poem expresses the idea that death comes slowly? What makes it happen
slowly?
The expression ‘he knew no haste’. Diseases and the process of ageing make it happen
slowly.

4. Was Emily Dickinson afraid of death? Explain your answer by quoting from the poem.
Death kindly stopped for her.
No, she describes death as someone calling on her kindly. She perceives dying as getting
married with death donning wedding costumes like a gown and a tippet made of light thin
material like tulle. As death was personified as her fiancé, she presents the experience as
being no more frightening than receiving a gentleman caller. Also, she describes her own
grave as a house, which commonly refers to a comfortable place to live in.

5. What stages of life do the lines in stanza 3 represent?

The author appears to review the following stages of her life:
a. childhood (the recess scene),
b. maturity (the ripe, hence, “gazing” grain), and
c. the descent into death (the setting sun) – as she passes to the other side

6. How did Dickinson view time after death? Which part of the poem tells you so?
Yes, she seems to enjoy her time after death as time passes quickly as evidenced in the last
stanza that since her death, each century feels shorter than the day, which implies that time
stands still and that she is enjoying life in eternity.

7. What does the house in stanza 5 represent? Explain your answer.

It represents a grave. It is described as a swelling of the ground and a mound with not much
of a roof and only a part of the cornice barely visible.

8. Do you think Emily Dickinson believed in life after death? Where in the poem reveals her
belief?
She believed in life after death. In stanza 1, Immortality is a passenger on the carriage. In the
last stanza, the horse is heading to eternity.
9. What do you think made Emily Dickinson not afraid of death?
 Perhaps it is through the promise of immortality that fear is removed.
 Immortality is victorious over death. Death is the beginning of a new life, not an end so
there is nothing to fear.
 Death is just a path to eternity. It is the beginning of a new life, not an end so there is
nothing to fear.

10. Name the characteristics of death as portrayed in the poem.

o It will call on us anytime.

10
o We have no choice as to when it will happen to us.
o It will happen slowly.
o It is the time when we have to give up everything in life.
o Upon death, we review our whole life.
o It is not scary but comfortable.
o It is like getting married, a time for celebration.
o It will lead us to eternal life.

11
Vocabulary Box
1. de‧bil‧i‧ty noun[uncountable and countable] formal
weakness, especially as the result of illness
2. labour British English; labor American English noun[uncountable]
work, especially physical work
3. ci‧vil‧i‧ty noun [uncountable]formal
politeness
4. sur‧mise verb [transitive]
formal to guess that something is true, using the information you know already
5. in‧tro‧spec‧tion noun [uncountable]
the process of thinking deeply about your own thoughts, feelings, or behaviour
6. re‧clusive adjective
used to describe someone who chooses to live alone, and does not like seeing or talking to other
people
7. spin‧ster noun[countable]old-fashioned
an unmarried woman, usually one who is no longer young and seems unlikely to marry
8. trun‧dle [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]
to move slowly along on wheels
9. de‧scent
passing into

gossamer/ˈgɒsəmər/
tulle/tul;Fr.tül/
noun
a thin, fine, machine-made net of acetate, nylon, rayon, or silk.
cornice/ˈkɔrnɪs/
sui‧tor [countable]
old use a man who wants to marry a particular woman

12
Poem Explication Essay: Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Emily Dickinson wrote many poems about death. She seemed very comfortable with the thought of
dying. One can see why she was so comfortable with death after reading "Because I Could Not Stop
for Death". This poem treats the grave as inconsequential, death as not having mastery and
immortality and eternity as the victors. Life and the grave are but paths to eternity and therefore are
less important when viewed in the context of eternity.

Dickinson's poem consists of five stanzas of four lines. Each stanza displays a different view or
group of perceptions. The first stanza is when Death stops for her; the second, she is observing Death
as a person; the third, she sees the passages of life; the fourth, the grave; and the last stanza is a
glimpse of an existence without time.
Scanning the poem we find alternating iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. This gives a tone of
calm and doesn't detract from the subject but makes it all seem much more palatable than the subject
of death normally is (Greenberg 218). The one break with the syllabic pattern is the last line, which
has one extra syllable. The effect of this is to suggest eternity that does go on. Each line ends with a
stressed syllable, which functions to stop the reader to consider each line.

The rhyming pattern is noted in the attachment to this paper and reflects a desire for unity and
exclusion. The rhyme for line two in the first stanza ("He kindly stopped for me") connects to line
four of the second stanza ("For his civility") and the fourth line of the last stanza ("Were toward
eternity") thereby uniting them. These stanzas belong together because they are all a view of the
spiritual world, while stanzas three and four are views of the material world. However, stanza three
is linked to stanzas two and five by the first line in stanza three ("We passed the school where
children played"), the second line of stanza two ("And I had put away") and the second line of stanza
five ("Feels shorter than the day"). This suggests a secondary importance: namely, that stanza three is
not a spiritual view but a view of life stages from a spiritual view. The one stanza that stands alone
without connective rhyme is the fourth stanza. Burial is not part of eternity and not important
because the speaker has realized immortality.

The capitalization of Death and Immortality serves to anthropomorphize them (Shaw 20). They are
not abstractions but characters. Abbot agrees with Clark Griffith who sees death as a "courtly lover"

http://www.helium.com/items/857747-poetry-explication-because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-by-
emily-dickinson

Some say that the world will end in fire. Women live their lives dying a slow, smoldering sort of
death. With her characteristic idiosyncrasies and theme of death, Emily Dickinson sharply
comments on the relationship between a woman's typical role in society and her downfall. A
major feature of the poem relies on the personification of Death as a courteous suitor who
innocently offers the narrator a ride. At the end of the story, the narrator, presumably a woman,
realizes with horror that her ride and therefore her relationship with Death will never end.

Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses free verse, with no recognizable pattern of rhyme or
meter. She does, however, use a few distinguishing poetic techniques. Most of the lines begin
with an unstressed syllable and are separated in iambs. Noticeably, the last line of each stanza is
13
always short and to the point. This gives the poem a sense of finality and resignation. An
interesting combination of alliteration appears in stanza 2 and 3. "School" and "strove", "recess"
and ring", "gossamer" and "gown"- these patterns of two alliterations per line gives the poem a
ringing chant-like feel.

The different stages of the carriage ride represent the different stages of a woman's life. In the
beginning, the woman passively consents to the ride with death. The narrator notices that they
"passed" different things. The school and children represent the woman's childhood innocence.
They also pass the "fields of gazing grain", perhaps representing the fruits of life. The speaker
mentions the setting sun, although it is uncertain whether or not the carriage passes it. The
setting sun might mean the passing into the unknown or chasing after a faraway goal. Lastly,
the speaker "paused" at what seems to be her tomb. However, the way she describes it is very
peculiar- she attributes very domestic qualities to it. It's a "house", with decoration like a coffin
and looks like it's pregnant from the way it rises out of the ground. The correlation between
death and domesticity suggests that for the speaker, the latter represents a living death.

The speaker describes Death as a suitor who drives her around every walk of life. Perplexingly,
the narrator uses words like "kindly" and "civility" for the unlikely comparison. The initial
actions and generosity mask Death's true nature. In their relationship, it is obviously Death who
holds power over the speaker. He decides when the carriage stops and the speed of the carriage.
She "could not stop for Death", which signifies her powerlessness and lack of choice. The
speaker mentions putting away her "labor" and her "leisure" for him. Therefore she neither has
pain or pleasure in life. Her suitor effectively renders her into a living doll. Although the
qualities of support and protection come from the relationship, the speaker misses out on the
important aspects of life.

A series of vivid imagery gives further sheds light in the speaker's attitude toward the life of
women. First the speaker is separated from the joy and fruits of life because she is kept inside
the carriage. Although she doesn't have to walk and dirty her feet, she is completely isolated
from the world around her. She can only watch as outside, children play and others reap the
crops they sow. In stanza 3, the narrator attributes qualities to the type of clothing that women
wear. Her "gown" and "tippet" are probably typical of woman's dress in Emily Dickinson's time
period. Her garments, although delicate and beautiful, do not protect her from the "quivering
and chill" dew.

Emily Dickinson questions the weak and powerless role of women which like a flimsy garment,
do not protect her. Women are protected by men, but this is only a sham that prevents them
from experiencing life at its fullest. Like the speaker's courtship with Death, the relationship
14
between a man and a women results in the woman's slow and smothering death. Emily
Dickinson leaves us with a vivid image: the path the carriage takes goes to "eternity". The life of
a woman is controlled, domestic, and doomed.

Source: "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson

http://voices.yahoo.com/poem-explication-essay-because-could-not-stop-for-1990760.html

The poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson expresses the speaker’s
reflection on death. The poem focuses on the concept of life after death. This poem’s setting mirrors
the circumstances by which death approaches, and death’s ton appears kind and compassionate. It is
through the promise of immortality that fear is removed, and death not only becomes acceptable, but
welcomed as well. As human beings, we feel that death never comes at a convenient or opportune
time. When Dickinson says, “Because I could not stop for Death,” she causes the reader to ask why
she could not stop. The obvious answer is that she was so wrapped up in her own life that she did not
think about death. She makes it clear that it is inescapable, though, when she says, “He kindly
stopped for me.” The next lines, “The Carriage held but just Ourselves-/And Immortality,” signify
that the miracle of life is our most precious possession and promises the gift of unending life.
Immortality’s presence helps to remove fears as we exit the physical world and provides the recipient
with the necessary assistance to assure that the transition from reality to spirituality is a pleasant
experience. If the promise of immortality did not exist, one would never go along willingly, nor
would one welcome death without fear. Death and the speaker ride along with absolutely no concept
of the passage of time. They are not hurried, as they have forever to reach their destination. This is
stated in the line “We slowly drove-/He knew no haste.” Having completed all her earthly chores, the
speaker states that they are no longer of any concern to her. Now there is no sewing, cooking,
cleaning, farming, or caring for loved ones. The speaker has been allowed the luxury of rest and
relaxation, as the next lines reveal: “And I had put away-/My labor had my leisure too.” Therefore,
the persona and death share a reminiscent journey together as they stroll down memory lane,
concerning themselves not with time, but compassion as death allows the speaker to mirror the
passage of life with things familiar to her. The journey enables her to see the stages of her life
beginning with her childhood, then maturity, and, finally, old age. This is verified in the third
quatrain by the third stanza, “We passed the School, where Children strove/At Recess-in the Ring-
/We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain-/We passed the Setting Sun.” When the sun sets and darkness
surrounds the Earth, a cold eerie chill almost always accompanies it. This makes the speaker wonder
if, in fact, the sun had actually passed her. She begins to notice how inappropriately she is dressed
for such an occasion. The speaker now begins to realize that the coldness and chill are not external,
but internal. It becomes clear to the speaker that the coldness and the chill are associated with death
in the fourth stanza, “Or rather-He passed Us-/The Dews drew quivering and chill-/For only
Gossamer, my Gown-/My Tippet-only Tulle.” The speaker’s metaphysical journey comes to an end
at the cemetery, but somehow, the cold, dark, and eerie chill of the night seems unimportant. In total
contentment, she views her resting-place. Although her gravestone is barely visible, she somehow
recognizes it as her underground home. This is acknowledged in the fifth stanza, “We passed before
a House that seemed/A Swelling of the Ground-/The Roof was scarcely visible/The Cornice-in the
Ground.” Upon death the concept of time becomes non-existent. Therefore, the speaker’s ability to
relate how much time has passed since death and immortality carried her off becomes irrelevant. The
speaker realizes there is no price to pay for death, and death is not to be feared, but rather embraced.
This can be viewed in the sixth stanza, “Since then-’tis Centuries-and yet/Feels shorter than the
Day/I first surmised the Horses Heads/were toward Eternity.” In conclusion, the speaker’s faith and
belief in immortality allow her to peacefully exit one phase of existence, while embracing the next
phase. Death’s kindness and compassion pave t Word Count: 677

15
http://www.free-essays.us/dbase/c7/tmw94.shtml

Metaphor

16
17