Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson's Obsession with Death

Death is a major theme in the works of Emily Dickinson. The poems of Emily Dickinson show an obsession with death. The poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death,"This is oneof the best of those poems in which Emily triumphs over death by acceptiong it,calmly,civilly, as befits a gentlewomen receiving the attentions of a gentleman" (Sewall 125).

In one of her poems "Because I Could not stop for Death," death is a portrayed as a gentleman who comes to give the speaker a ride to eternity. "The content of death in the poem eludes explicit definition" (sewall 22). Throughout the poem, Dickinson develops her unusual interpretation of death and, by doing so, composes a poem full of imagery that is both unique and thought provoking. Through Dickinson's precise style of writing, effective use of literay elements, and vivid imagery, she creates a poem that can be interpreted in many different ways. The precise form that Dickinson uses throughout "Because" help convey her message to the reader. Yvor Winters says, "The poem is a imminence of death-its is a poem of depature from life, and intensely conscuous leave-talking" (33). A way Dickinson makes death a more agreeable subject for the reader is in lines 13 and 14, she writes, "We paused before a house that seemed - / a swelling in the ground, which compares the grave to a house. Dickinson uses the final literary element of symbolism to help the reader to undestand the

meaning that she is trying to convey. Symbols give the poem a deeper outlook on death, eternity, and immortality. Even through Dickinson's style of writing is concise and to the point, she is able to use many vivid images to paint an everlasting picture in the reader's mind. The carriage is symbolic of a hearse and carries the speaker, who is symbolized as humanity, and her suitor, who