Morales 2341 Spring 2015 Class TTH discussion
Death
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Paradise or Hell- Because I Could Not Stop For Death
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Lillian
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Mar 10, 2015 04:06PM
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By Eric de LeonI would have to disagree with the premise that Death has an agenda altogether. I do not believe Death to be a kindly entity nor a deceiver. It seems to me like Death more closely resembles a force of nature. Nature itself is impartial though one could experience either beauty or total devastation by this same force. Death can be more subjectively described depending on the manner in which a person dies. In this poem Death is described as civil. “We slowly drove-He knew no haste and I had put away my labor and my leisure too, for his civility (5-8).” The lack of fear towards Death could possibly indicate an acceptance of it. It also seems to point towards a ‘good death’ or passing by the speaker. Similarly, I also have trouble with the notion that Death transported the speaker to either a type of paradise or towards destruction. There is nothing in Dickinson’s poem to support either claim. Dickinson’s poem instead focuses on the timelessness one is thought to experience in eternity. “Since then- ‘tis centuries-and yet feels shorter than a day (21-22).” Being aware of time, yet outside of it, also neither being definitively in heaven or hell seems to more closely describe purgatory rather than paradise or oblivion.
In this poem I believe that both opinions are correct, critics believing that this poem is kindly inviting one to its paradise are right and those that believe that death comes in the form of a deceiver are also correct, there is no right or wrong answer. For the critics believing that death is kindly inviting the speaker to it’s paradise they may have gotten that when they read lines, “we passed the school where children drove at recess in the ring –we passed the fields of gazing grain-we passed the setting sun”(9-12) these lines, set a calm mood, they give off a sense of feeling that death isn’t a dark place, or maybe it was the speaker traveling to a time when they were children themselves, only on their way to their “paradise”. I also like the lines before that, “We drove slowly, he knew no haste and I had to put away my labor and my leisure too...” (5-7) , because when one dies I would like to believe that is how it is like, you went to school and worked hard all your life and now it is time to rest, the speaker is on their way to the end of their life there is no rush to it, it is now simply to experience their journey to their “paradsie”. For those believing that this poem is deceiving the speaker to their death , I can see their point of view as well when reading lines “He kindly stopped for me the carriage held just ourselves and immortality” The person in the story wasn’t trying to die, death merely came for them, it was their turn to go, and death came to her as no surprise yet in a gentle calming manner……in a carriage ride, and that can be too very deceiving.
In the poem “because I could not stop for Death,” I believe that death came in a form of a deceiver to escort the speaker to some sort of paradise. In the second sentence of the poem the speaker mentions how death "kindly stopped for me" but he also says how “The carriage held but ourselves and immortality” (Sentences 3-4). Meaning that death convinced the speaker to get into the carriage by offering him immortality. Death is viewed as a deceiver in this poem because he convinced the speaker to get into the carriage by offering him immortality. The speaker mentions “I put away my labor and my leisure too, for his civility” (sentences5-7) which makes the reader think that death is not that bad because the speaker set aside his labor and free time for the politeness that death was offering. In sentences 13-15 the speaker says how “The dews drew quivering and chill for only gossamer, my gown my tippet only tulle” this let the reader know that the weather was changing as the speaker felt quivering and chill as for only gossamer. The speaker mentions the gown which informs the reader that the speaker is a woman. Towards the end of the poem the speaker mentions how “I first surmised the horses’ heads were towards Eternity.” (Sentences 23-24) this let the reader know that death had deceived the speaker by offering her immortality which at the end of the poem he did not carry out.
In this poem "because I could not stop for death" I think that she was unaware of death coming.I believe that she thought it would be a more violent form. line 2 He kindly stopped for me.Line 8 For his civility. Death being kind and not what she expected.Lines 21-24 "Since then -tis centuries - and yet" times no longer is important in the after life. It is just ongoing forever. Death is doing her a favor by coming for her.And she does not have to deal with life anymore. She believes there life after death.
In this poem I believe that it shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise because of some stuff she mention in the poem. For example, when she says “My tippet- only tulle” if she was going to hell maybe it would have been made out of wire or something rough like that. Another idea that I get that she is going to paradise is when she mentions “since then- ‘tis centuries- and yet feels shorter than the day” to me it sounds like she is having a good time not worrying about anything making the days go by super-fast. And to me that is paradise you have no worries, there is not rush going on, everything runs smoothly, and time goes by really fast without even knowing. To me that sounds perfect it would be my paradise. I also really like this poem because of the way I understood it. It goes perfectly well with the things I believe and imagine that happens after someone dies.
In the poem, “Because I Could Not Stop Death”, I would have to agree with the critics in the matter of thinking “that the poem shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise” because in the last stanza, “Since then-tis’ centuries and yet, feels shorter than the day I first surmised the horses’ heads were toward eternity”, we find out the speakers ride with death took place centuries ago meaning she's been dead for a long time. But it seems like just yesterday when she first got the feeling that horse heads like those of the horses that drew the death carriage, pointed toward "Eternity" or in other words, signaled the passage from life to death to an afterlife.
In "Because I Could Not Stop Death" Emily Dickson makes death seem so peaceful instead of eerie. Maybe not leading death to paradise but making the spirit rest from life. Death appeared out of the nowhere, as described in the second chapter, she describes death as some kind of innocence. The kids playing, the sunset, and the fields symbolize life as paradise and beauty. Making death feel painless and happy, or maybe just admiring how life was is being described as the peaceful death body is still surrounded by the energy of life.
In this poem “Because I could not Stop for Death”, I believe that escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise because she is remembering the good old times. Line 11-12 “We passed the field of gazing grain, we passed the setting sun” I feel that she was going forward instead of a death stop which is making part of her journey towards paradise. Also, she feels that the sun is passing by her and she sees death as a light in her journey giving her that warm instead of a cold death. Line 13 “or rather he passed us.” But at the end of poem we find out that she’s been dead long time ago thinking that she was dying. Lines 23-24 “I first surmised the horses head, were toward eternity” meaning that she has been dead for years. She wanted to be in paradise remembering her death.
I have to say that I agree with the idea of "a deceiver, carrying her off to destruction." Initially, the poem personifies Death and presents it as a "kind" and "civil" person, rather than antagonizing it. Reading the poem almost feels like Death is courting the speaker and the speaker is recalling a sort of date. The way the speaker describes her time spent with Death makes me think that it was a pleasant time, something she didn't want to end. However, the poem progressively gets grimmer, as seen in lines 12-14: "We passed the Setting Sun – Or rather – He passed Us – The Dews drew quivering and Chill." These, I believe, are the first hints we get that Death has deceived the speaker into spending time with it, only to take her in the end. However, rather than being led to "destruction," I'd say the speaker is still in a sort of in-between, or purgatory, which can be proven by the last stanza. "Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity." She has been heading towards eternity for centuries.
In the poem, "I Could Not Stop Death" by Emily Dickson I feel that the speaker is already dead and is remembering how everything happened so quickly when she says, "Since then -'tis Centuries - and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity."(20) I believe both are correct in the sense that the speaker has accepted her death now that time has passed and realizes how death can feel so freely, "And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility -." On the other hand, lets say the speaker had an illness and in one day to the next she died unexpectedly, since in the first line it says, "Because I could not stop for Death - He kindly stopped for me -" I would say that the speaker had no idea she was badly ill and her time was up. I believe at the time of her death she might have felt deceived because she was not ready to die and maybe felt she had more to live. And now that she has been dead for some time she feels in paradise or in heaven because she has accepted her death kindly.
Arlette.Cortez wrote: "In this poem I believe that it shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise because of some stuff she mention in the poem. For example, when she says “My tippet- only tulle” if..."Arlette, I understand your point of view but I would have thought that she was already dead and is reminiscing how quickly it happened. Also, I do agree that she feels free from any worries and days have gone by so quickly.
After reading “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson, I believe the speaker in the poem was being deceived and taken to her destruction. The reason I feel this way is because in the beginning there is warmth to the poem but towards the end of the poem the mood turns gloomy and cold. In the beginning of the poem, death arrives in a carriage and gives the speaker a ride. For it being a poem about death the mood of the poem doesn’t seem dark or depressing at all. There is neither a feeling of anxiety nor fear but a sense of calm. The language used throughout the beginning of the poem creates a mood of ease and relaxation. For example, death is described as “[knowing] no haste” which gives the feeling of taking a slow stroll. Throughout the stroll they encounter fields of grain and a beautiful sunset. The poem carries this mood until line 13 which says “or rather- he passes us”. After this moment, as if they go into another dimension, time starts moving faster than the carriage and people in it and this is when the poem changes in tone. Afterwards, the speaker uses words like “quivering” and “chill” to describe the dew. Another example of this change of mood is the use of dark imagery. The carriage stops in front of a house that seems like a “swelling in the ground” that doesn’t paint a very nice picture in my mind. If i was being taken to some sunken house in the ground I wouldn’t think for one moment in my mind that I was going to a paradise. The change in mood of the poem gives the ending a morose feeling not one of a bright, beautiful paradise.
In my believe, death is just the end of life of an organism. For me, death has no conscience or intentions, it just happens. According to the story, death is personified with intentions and in the form of a civilian but assumptions, theories, and analysis can still be made if you adapt your mind to other people's believes. Since death was personified in the story I would say that he was using kindness as a human quality to guide the speaker to the death of her soul. "An I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For his civility." This sentence gives me the sense that the speaker felt comfortable with death and a feeling of respect because of his civility and kindness. I would say that the speaker realized she was dead long time ago due to the time difference of the physical world and spiritual world. When her body died in the physical world, her soul went to sleep in the spiritual world. The story starts when her soul woke up in the spiritual world, so when she woke up, many years have passed. During the story, the transition of death to after life occurs. At the end, death has guided her to what seem to be her burial ground. This means that her soul will die for eternity since her body was already dead in the physical world. In conclusion I would say that she did not have an after life. She did not go to heaven or hell but to the eternal death of her soul. I believe that the after life in this poem is only heaven, so death kindly guided her soul to the destruction and end of it.
Jessica wrote: "In the poem, "I Could Not Stop Death" by Emily Dickson I feel that the speaker is already dead and is remembering how everything happened so quickly when she says, "Since then -'tis Centuries - and..."Hi Jessica. I also feel that the speaker's death was sudden and unexpected like you mentioned. I feel like the speaker while not expecting of it, was accepting of it though as evidenced in the following lines,"And I had to put away My labor and my leisure too, For his civility(6-8)." There is no horror or shock in the tone of that line.
Jaqueline wrote: "I have to say that I agree with the idea of "a deceiver, carrying her off to destruction." Initially, the poem personifies Death and presents it as a "kind" and "civil" person, rather than antagoni..."Hi Jaqueline. I thought you had a very interesting take on the poem. "We passed the Setting Sun – Or rather – He passed Us – The Dews drew quivering and Chill(12-14)," could very well be an indicator she is being taken towards her destruction. I saw those lines as a metaphor for end stages of life, especially the "setting sun," representing death itself.
I believe that the speaker of the poem is already in their destruction. I believe that perhaps the speaker’s “Hell" or "damnation" is being stuck in time, where they died. My reasoning behind the experience being a destructive force and not a positive one is in the first line “Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me” the speaker was not ready to die meaning the death was unexpected and unwanted. We know Death is the antagonist because of his character described in the poem, he “drives slow” and “knows no haste”, to me he is described as a predator. Death is a great deceiver, Death is kind of like a gentleman suitor pursuing the speaker. He takes his time and doesn’t rush things, giving the speaker time to enjoy the ride. “And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility” this would be the speaker accepting death but not by their liking but as an inevitability. The speaker being stuck in a perpetual limbo is her “destruction”.
Jesus wrote: "In the poem “because I could not stop for Death,” I believe that death came in a form of a deceiver to escort the speaker to some sort of paradise. In the second sentence of the poem the speaker me..."I can see your point and as to why you agree that this poem was in fact inviting people to their death paradise,I like your use of examples of lines from the poem. Lines five through seven in fact give off the vibe that death may not be a bad thing. I still aruge that neither of these perceptions towards the poem are right or wrong it could go both way depending on how you view, but you’ve definitely made yours with the ending, I didn’t quite understand the end but you made it clear.
This poem make on particular, made me chill. It makes me uncomfortable to actually write about it but o well it is part of nature. On this poem only describes the truth of life, life in which everyone makes of their life “hell” or a “paradise”. Dead on this poem is being described as a nature thing that drives “drives slow” in which “knows no haste”. As we now, every person on the world is programed to die at some point of their life, taking place slowly. To me, the poem gives the reader a hint of what dead is like in a dramatic way. The fact that a person died during a sun setting (the end of light) could be interpreted as the end of life. Now, is dead a hell or a paradise? To me once you are dead there is nothing more. What I think is that everyone in life, live their hell or paradise. It all depends of how a person live their life doing good or bad, it your choice. On the poem, the speaker passes by a “school were children strove”. This could represent that the speaker’s life was full of excitement and innocence. Next the pass fields of gazing grain meaning that he/she may have been a calm and passive person.
Jessica wrote: "In the poem, "I Could Not Stop Death" by Emily Dickson I feel that the speaker is already dead and is remembering how everything happened so quickly when she says, "Since then -'tis Centuries - and..."Hi Jessica, I completely agree with you about the speaker being dead already because in the last stanza, she describes the timing, "since then- 'tis centuries.." and that makes it clear that she has been dead for a long time. I also think her death happened so quickly and she didn't expect it because in the beginning she states,"I could not stop for death."
In the poem, “Because I could not stop for death,” I agree with the critics who believe that the poem shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise. Through the poem it demonstrates some comfort and acceptance as death is taking her towards eternity. The poem begins, “Because I could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me” (1-2). Emily Dickinson represents death as being courteous and kind for stopping for her since she did not have time for it. The way she represents this lines, I imagined death being a gentleman for being nice enough to stop for her. Then throughout the rest of the lines as she describes the sceneries she makes it sound so passive. She mentions how they slowly drove with no haste meaning there was no hurry and everything seemed calmed. Even the way she describes the grave she does not show any badness in it. She describes the grave as having a Cornice which is an ornamental molding around the wall of a room just below the ceiling. In the end she makes it seem like if death is a paradise place since eternity feels like it just recently happen, “Since then- tis Centuries- and yet Feels shorter than the Day” (22-23). It makes me think of the phrase, “Times flies when you are having fun.” Since she is in a good place enjoying herself seems like things just happen.
Miguel wrote: "In my believe, death is just the end of life of an organism. For me, death has no conscience or intentions, it just happens. According to the story, death is personified with intentions and in the ..."Great post Miguel. I also believe that she has been dead for so many years and that her soul is the one who is awaken and that she did not go to either hell or heaven. I don't believe there is such thing, its just your soul experiencing eternal life.
Frank Corral wrote: "I believe that the speaker of the poem is already in their destruction. I believe that perhaps the speaker’s “Hell" or "damnation" is being stuck in time, where they died. My reasoning behind the e..."Frank I like your interpretation of the poem. It is the opposite of what I believed, but with your point of view I now see the poem in a different perspective. Maybe you are right she was not ready to die and was unwilling. I also like how you mention how the speaker is stuck in a perpetual limbo.
Jesus wrote: "In the poem “because I could not stop for Death,” I believe that death came in a form of a deceiver to escort the speaker to some sort of paradise. In the second sentence of the poem the speaker me..."Jesus I agree with you thinking death came in the poem as to taking her to paradise. Like how you mention that death convinced her by offering immortality. You are also right when you said she put aside her labor for the politeness offer death was giving her.
Maria wrote: "In this poem "because I could not stop for death" I think that she was unaware of death coming.I believe that she thought it would be a more violent form. line 2 He kindly stopped for me.Line 8 For..."Hello, Maria. I agree with your interpretations and, though you didn't specify, I'm guessing you'd take the approach of Death taking the speaker to paradise. As you said, lines 2 and 8 do present Death as a kind, welcoming character, which I also mentioned. However, I think Death is presented that way to deceive the speaker and take her to destruction.
Janetrendon wrote: "In this poem I believe that both opinions are correct, critics believing that this poem is kindly inviting one to its paradise are right and those that believe that death comes in the form of a de..."I agree with you Janet when you say that both opinions on this poem are correct. Some people may think this poem is kindly inviting one to its paradise while other may think this poem is that death comes in the form of a deceiver both for me are correct as well. Although I would like to know how you understand this poem. I just think you give out to much opinions on how others understand this poem and how you understand them but you don’t give enough thoughts on your own personal opinion and how you interpret this poem.
ChristinaMarie wrote: "In the poem, “Because I Could Not Stop Death”, I would have to agree with the critics in the matter of thinking “that the poem shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise” bec..."I totally agree with you Christina, I also believe that in this poem it shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise. You gave out a great example pointing out to the last stanza in the poem talking about how it was centuries and it felt like yesterday. Just like you I believe it was paradise because they didn’t even notice on how quick the time was going by. It they were going to hell they would have been miserable and time wouldn’t go by that fast. I also like how you mention the word eternity and point out you see it as an afterlife because that is the same way I saw it when I was done reading this poem.
Jaqueline wrote: "I have to say that I agree with the idea of "a deceiver, carrying her off to destruction." Initially, the poem personifies Death and presents it as a "kind" and "civil" person, rather than antagoni..."hi jaqueline, i also felt as if the speaker was on a date with death by the way they are describing the landscapes. i also felt that death was a deceiver because he was trying to convince the speaker to go with him. At the end of the story death takes the speaker to destruction.
Joanna wrote: "In "Because I Could Not Stop Death" Emily Dickson makes death seem so peaceful instead of eerie. Maybe not leading death to paradise but making the spirit rest from life. Death appeared out of the ..."Hey Joanna, I agree with you On your interpretation of this poem.She is making death seem as peaceful and not anything to be afraid of. Many people fear of dying . I fear of dying because of leaving my kids and not knowing what will happen to them. I also fear death of it being a slow,painful. But this is a good poem to let people know what death feels like.
Death is different to everyone, to some it is paradise to others it is hell. I guess it all depends on the life you live. This poem gives examples of both kinds so it will relate to multiple audiences. If you live a good life trying to be true to yourself and others you might believe that death is a good place where you are going to be rewarded in life after death. But if you lived a life where you lied and deceived other people doing bad things like stealing, killing, or anything that causes harm, you might be scared to death. Everything we do good or bad eventually we have to pay for it. So in this poem, depending the live that you have lived is how you see death.
Erick wrote: "This poem make on particular, made me chill. It makes me uncomfortable to actually write about it but o well it is part of nature. On this poem only describes the truth of life, life in which ever..."Hi Erick, your thoughts are kind of interesting. I've heard that when you die you see the good stuff in your life in a second, maybe this is what it was don't you think? But instead of everything going so fast, she described it by admiring the memories.
Yuri wrote: "In the poem, “Because I could not stop for death,” I agree with the critics who believe that the poem shows death kindly escorting the speaker to some sort of paradise. Through the poem it demonstr..."Yuri, I agree with you that the author does show that death is escorting to paradise. Yes that phrase you mentioned "time flies when you are having fun" is so true we dont see how time is passing by when we are having so much fun in life.
