Analysis of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death--"

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Poetry is a medium through which poets communicate with the readers. The immeasurable power of poetry lies within its language. So far no one has managed to manipulate the language of poetry as well as Emily Dickinson. In accomplishing her enormous quantity of works of over 1700 poems, Emily selects the finest and most precise words from a list of optional words or phrases, and deliberately employs literary elements for not only embellishment but also the sublimation of the theme; and finally, the words are fit into a purposely set structure. The process is just like weaving a rug: the words are the threads, the literary elements are the beautiful patterns, and the form and structure is the shape. This distinctive feature of Emily Dickinson’s poetry can been seen in almost all her poems, as it will be further discussed in the poem, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death—.” In this poem, Dickinson inspires the readers with a different interpretation of death and immortality, speaking from the viewpoint of eternity. She exposes the beauty of death through most notably, the vivid imagery, other exquisitely exercised literary elements, and the poem’s unique form and structure. The creation of imagery is the soul of poetry. Emily Dickinson dresses the scene such that mental picture of sigh, feeling and sound come to life. The poet begins painting the picture the moment she invites the readers into the “carriage.” “Death” takes the speaker on a trip that looked back on the stages of life. The first place “we” passed is the “school,” “where children strove, / at recess, in the ring-.” The “ring” connects with the old folksong “ring-a-ring-a-roses” of which little kids sing out loud while playing in the playground. Immediately, the readers can vividly see children playing, laughing, and singing. The first stage of childhood is over, and the carriage moves on to the second

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