Because I Could Not Stop For Death

“Because I Could not Stop for Death” and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” Comparison

The poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas are two poems that discuss the dark topic of death. Death is something that is viewed differently by different people, some embrace it while others do not embrace it. Both the poems have different views upon death but also have much in common.

While the poems do have many differences they also have many similarities. The first and most obvious of the similarities is that they both obviously deal with the topic of death. They discuss death as something that happens to all. Another thing that the poems have in common is their structure. Both of these poems have six stanzas in them. Both of the poems also use repetition in their structure. Both poems are also relatively short and to the point. This is done because often with longer poems the reader may begin to lose interest in what the poet has to say. By making the poem shorter the poet keeps the interest of the reader and by making itt less wordy his point is easier to see and makes it easy for the reader to see where the poet is coming from.

There are also many differences between the two poems. The biggest difference between the two is the way in which they discuss death. Emily Dickinson’s because I could not stop for death conveys death as something that happens to everyone and as something that should be embraced. It discusses how death is the beginning of “Immortality” and that it should be appreciated. The speaker in this poem is also deceased and is reflecting from their grave. You get a feeling of appreciation from the poem by the way it casually discusses death. You feel this sense of appreciation of death when it says things like “because I could not stop for death he kindly stopped for me” or “since then, tis centuries and yet feels shorter than the day I first surmised the horses heads were toward eternity.” These lines show the genuine appreciation for death and shows that it may not be such a bad thing after all. Dickinson’s poem is very optimistic towards