386. DSC 251- Because I could not stop for death (1)
1. Critical appreciation
"Because I could not stop for death" is written by Emily Dickinson who had very radical views upon life and death. She was one of the most famous poem who ever lived in 19th century America. She chosed a life of seclusion not mixing with many people. She never married and spent her life reading and writing rigorously. But most of her poems were discovered after her death and published by her sister. She was greatly influenced by metaphysical poetry. She was greatly influenced by metaphysical poetry. Her life was very short. She was born in 1830 and died in 1886. But within this short span she developed unique poetry with her own signature style- utilising short sentences loaded with extensive meanings. Her topics were life, death, and immortality. These same topics also made her poetry very controversial. Critics engaged in huge discussions over just one line of her poem.
The title of the poem is actually the first line of the poem. So, the unnamed poem is named after the first line. Now, death has happened to Dickinson many times because she lost several of her close friends and family members. So, much of her poetry became informed with death. Surprisingly though, when she talks about death, it is far from frightening. She discusses death as if it is a person or a kind and chivalrous gentleman. To the famous critic and philosopher Alan Tate, it was truly an extraordinary poem and in fact, it was one of the finest poems because of its perfection to the last detail.
It is a lyric poem in quatrains. It is in the metaphor or image of a journey. It is a common image because we generally refer to many aspects of our life as a journey. These journeys begin with ignorance and the destination is the point of seeking knowledge. This poem is also slotted with the phases of the journey. The dead person begins the journey. The starting place of the journey is this world only and carries on to the eternal life. The only difference that Dickinson creates is that, not just life is a journey but also death is a journey. Life is a journey to death and death is a journey to eternity. In this way, Emily Dickinson makes a double use of the metaphor of journey.
The subject of the poem 'death' is introduced in the first line of the poem itself. There is a shock value in this subject of the poem in the first stanza one. The effect of this immediately captures the reader's focus. The poem has a live feel where the poet draws the conversation with herself and there is a to and fro in this conversation. There is a question and answer in argumentative pattern. The speaker and the reader are engaged in a useful mechanism. The reader stays focussed to in this engaging technique.
The poet was so busy with life that she has no time to think of death. Actually most of us think of death. The matter of death is controlled by someone else, so we forget it soon is the reason is unknown.
Dickinson also petsonifies death. She represents it as a kind and chivalrous man. "He kindly stopped for me" is a strange line. We know death as harsh and cruel. But Dickinson shows the rational behind it is her own death. That, in the busyness of life and structure of her plan and busy schedule. So, death has been kind to remember her. And death is trustworthy whose job is just to collect a person and take him somewhere else. This are the clues to Dickinson's poetry and life. She is on different label where she is thoughtful of the continuation of different, afterlife.
Death is not perceived by her as something daunting or intimidating but rather kind and gentle. The tone of the poem is very calm and that becomes the setting of the poem.
There is also a packed suspense where we along with the poet discover that there is one more person and that is Immortality. The three objects: carriage, ourselves and immortality havd been capitalised as nouns. These three non living things are not personified as Death has been done. It simply means that she wants our attention in these three objects as special place of importance. This carriage is no ordinary one but in fact it is the death chariot of the poet. It is on a mission which will take her from this life to another. The pronoun 'ourselves' gives a sense of intimacy as almost a relationship has been established between death and the poet. And the two of them are enclosed in one carriage when suddenly they discover Immortality in Line 4. Immortality is the most complicated being in the poem. Here, the poet looks at death as the transition which is not sorrowful. The poet is ready to enjoy the journey death takes her. She is only the passive person. 'For his civility' in the next stanza means that She has surrendered life before such a carriage-owner.
The schoolchildren scene in the poem is a bit eerie. They bring the mundane routine in which we are involved right from childhood. Even the recess or leisure time is stressful. Because during this time we are thinking of doing what next. The ring refers to the common rhyme ring-a-ring-roses and then we all down is nothing else than falling or surrendering before death.
Dickinson brings the structure of life is brought this way from childhood till death, in the poem. We yearn that perhaps the struggle will be over with death.
Next, Emily Dickinson talks about the 'gazing grain' as if they were people. She personifies grain where the ripened grain bunches look like heads watching the carriage with the Poetess, Death and Immortality. The setting sun symbolises the end of the day or the people in the later years of life or 'sunset years'. With the descent of the sun, the poet's life also descends from life into death. Together with the children, gazing grain and setting sun, Dickinson creates the whole gamut or range of life's experiences.
Apart from personifications, the recurring phrase 'we passed' is the anaphora used to show progression. 'He passed us' is a distinct shift to the sun. In a very real sun, it stands for warmth, light and life. And so the sun witnesses our lives' various phases including the new phase. The poem then moves coldness which we normally associate with death. Gossamer, a delicate fabric is used in bride's gown. Tippet is a traditional cape worn by nuns who consecrate their lives to the service of god and stay single. But the poet's tippet is made of a soft net fabric, tulle. This part of the poem lands us to the explanation of the biblical reference that when a unmarried Catholic Roman Christian females die they unite with Christ through marriage. In the Book of Revelation 'marriage supper' is talked of which the poet must be referring to here. And she was feeling cold in the poem may also mean that she felt unprepared to meet Christ.
In the next stanza it is quite certain that she has reached her destination. She uses the word 'house' in a very comfortable manner. The technique of euphemism is used here where the harsh word is replaced with a gentle word. So here, house is used for the frightening grave. Cornice is something which is at the top of the wall which supports the roof and hides the ugly parts. So, the cornice of her grave is beneath the grave.
In the sixth stanza, the reader meets the poet centuries later after her death. But she remembers all the details of passed life. This final stanza if full of surprises for the reader. It brings us back to the opening lines of the poem and completes a cycle. The horses in the last stanza are not horses used in carriages. These may be the trained race-horses which run so fast and head towards their destination or finishing line. The flight of a fast life is metaphorically used here.
Death is inevitable and we all have to confront it. Dickinson's perspective on death is quite new and different. In her lonliness she befriended death very easily. Her Puritan, religious and orthodox life also added to her optimistic view with death.