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A "setting sun" is a reference to the passing of the day into night (12). The word "passing" is repeated throughout Dickinson's poem. Repetition allows the poet to stress the meaning of the word, which in this case symbolizes the passing of all things in life. Yet Death distinguishes between that which is temporary (the setting sun) and that which is eternal (the sun itself). A new dawn is always promised at the end of the day, just as Death's horses' heads point towards Eternity (24).
The narrator also takes note of her gossamer gown, and of a tulle tippet (15; 16). Gossamer and tulle are both sheer fabrics, suggesting her own ephemeral and ghostly nature. They are thin, weak, and will not last long. Life is as delicate as gossamer, transitory but eternal at the same time. Imagery of delicate fabric also illustrates the difference between that which is temporary and that which is truly eternal. Moreover, these sheer fabrics also symbolize...
Dickinson urges a more lighthearted view towards death. Death is not to be feared but to be embraced and appreciated.
Death takes the narrator on a leisurely carriage ride, and he "knew no haste," (5). Unlike the living, Death hurries for no one. Instead, the narrator views the world as if with fresh eyes. Even though the narrator is herself no longer a part of the world of the living, she seems to appreciate the timelessness of Eternity. Death shows the narrator how delicate the fabric of life can be, and how even young school children will eventually die. Usually treated as an unpleasant subject, Death for Dickinson is natural. Death takes the narrator past a grave, which is described as a home in the fifth stanza: the "House that seemed / a Swelling in the Ground" with "scarcely visible" roof (17-19). Emily Dickinson's poem treats Death as a kind companion. Death teaches the difference between what is true and…
.. "I could not see to see" (from Dickinson, "465"). Words; phrases, and lines of poetry composed by Dickinson, within a given poem, are also typically set off, bookend-like (if not ruptured entirely at the center) by her liberal use of various punctuation "slices" (or perhaps "splices" is the better word) appearing most often in the form of either short and/or longer dashes (or combinations of these), e.g.: "-"; and/or
She dislikes the way that members of the church use the name God to enforce their own temporal values and thoughts of sin. Although Dickinson believed: "This World is not Conclusion," she added the caution that "Philosophy" and "Sagacity, must go" to explain the mystery of human existence. Every person must search for their own answers, beyond the confines of the rationality of the church (510). Dickinson honors Christ: "Men
And so in just a few lines the poet has taken the reader from her childhood, to the autumn of her years, and on to eternity. The sun was setting and first she says she was passing by the sun but then, changes her tune and admits the sun is passing by the carriage. How could the sun pass by a carriage that is moving towards heaven? "Or rather, he
Diskenson Insight In Emily Dickenson's poetry we share images that she sees, and hew viewpoint is often a bit odd, but useful in showing us what she feels. She often splits herself into the seen and the one seeing, as if part of her can observe from outside. In her poems, Emily Dickenson often pauses time and observes very small things, such as a fly and then she focuses upon one
Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson The Poem Because I Could Not Stop For Death by Emily Dickinson is both morose and whimsical. Making light of the speed at which people live their lives Dickinson thanks Death for think of taking the time to stop and pick her up by the side of the road. The whimsical language of the opening stanza; Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped
Dickenson Whereas many of the other posts about Emily Dickenson focused on the poet's obsession with death, you chose to focus on her equally powerful interest in the theme of love. I appreciated this change of pace, and being able to explore Dickenson's poetry from a more cheerful standpoint. Love, at least romantic love, is an old theme as you point out. Dickenson does borrow some of her perspective on romantic