How The Speaker Use Imagery In Because I Could Not Stop For Death

In poem 712 [Because I could not stop for Death --], Emily Dickinson personifies death as a friendly entity, exhibits symbolic imagery through the carriage windows, and uses dashes to slow the poem’s pace. Through these poetic devices, Dickinson subverts traditional interpretations of death as sudden and frightening, instead presenting it as a foundational element of life. The speaker begins the first stanza by introducing death as a benevolent being, stating, “Because [she] could not stop for Death --/He kindly stopped for [her].” The speaker addresses death as “he” rather than it, indicating that she is at least passingly familiar with him. Ironically, she also identifies him as a caring figure willing to stop and tend to her because she

Firstly, the speaker identifies a school playground, stating that she and death “…passed the School, where Children strove.” The use of the word ‘strove’ invokes the youth’s vigorous struggle to mature and fulfill their position in the life cycle. Additionally, death’s presence in a playground full of children represents the close relationship between life and death. One cannot exist without the other. Also, without death, there would not be enough space or resources for these children to have their day in the sun.

Continuing their journey, death and the speaker pass “Fields of Grazing Grain.” By describing the grain as “grazing,” the speaker implies that it is ready to be eaten by animals. Furthermore, the grain’s maturity signifies that it is prepared to fulfill its purpose - to feed the next organism in the food chain. Through the imagery of the grazing grain, Dickinson stresses that every organism has a destiny in the circle of life, and once they fulfill that purpose, death is necessary to allow new growth to spring

As such, the grain never ceases to exist. Instead, the organism that eats it translates it into a different type of life. Comparatively, human deaths perpetuate the course of nature by creating an environment capable of supporting new generations. Finally, death and the speaker pass “the Setting Sun,” which symbolizes diminishing time and the end of life. The setting sun indicates that the day is ending and soon night will begin, which mirrors the speaker’s transition from life to death. Dickinson uses this series of images to subvert the standard fear of death, replacing it with the reminder that the death of individual organisms is necessary for the life cycle to continue. Structurally, Dickinson uses dashes to slow the poem’s momentum. By forcing her audience to pause at the dashes, she further undermines the narrative that death comes quickly or is unexpected. Additionally, reducing the poem’s speed emphasizes the lack of fear the speaker feels toward death. If the speaker was frightened by death, her heart rate would speed up, which Dickinson would likely translate into a faster meter. Instead, Dickinson displays a leisurely poem filled with beautiful imagery to contrast death’s typical portrayal as a vengeful, malicious