Emily Dickinson’s poems

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Submitted To:

Mr. Tanzeel

Submitted By: Group 05

M. Awais Ilyas 1019

Sadia Alam 1064

Iqbal Mustafa 1087
M.Amjad 1089
Uzma Hameed 1099
Saba Safdar 1105
M.Wasif 1109
Sana Iqbal 1115
Naila Amin 1139

M.A English III

Session (2018-2020)

Department of English
University of Okara
 Because I could not stop for Death

“Because I could not stop for Death” is written by Emily Dickinson. The narrator of this poem
tells us about death and immortality. She tells us that death is so kind and gentle. The speaker
drives in a vehicle with Immortality and depicts a clear perception of Death. Together, they are
passing by old buildings, fields, and a graveyard. The narrator is wearing a gown and looking out
at the shadow of sun as it passes away, watching the world which is going faster and faster.
Going slowly, Death and the narrator walk toward eternity.

Summary of the poem

Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” is a very famous poem
and had a great importance in English literature. It was first published in 1863. It is a ballad
poem with full of ambitious. The six stanzas tell about death. This is personified as a gentleman
and a polite person. The poem blends with metaphysical subject matter and imaginary world.
This imaginary scene suggests to the speaker an iconic view. The poetess describes that she was
too much busy in the worldly affairs and activities and forget about death. Here readers get the
idea that man is too much engrossed in the household activities and forget the truth of life
“Death”.

The protagonist in the poem thinks about death and after death life. She wants to meet the
death in a very polite way. The carriage went slowly and steadily towards eternity and the
speaker wants to meet alone with death. The carriage passes through a town where children’s are
playing. And there are green fields. These fields loaded with grain. Yet, as the sun sets the
speaker feels the chill of the night and accepts that. She is not ready to meet with death in a
proper dress. She wants properly dressed.

In the end they we can say that the fear of death is typified through the figure of the polite
driver who is made incidentally to serve the finish of immortality. In last stanza, the poetess talks
about immortality and death is a root of immortality. Life is too long and we feel it shorter and
long for more and more.
Critical Analysis

The poem is a lofty in its manner of description in which demise get one the
extraordinary character the poetess describes death as a person whom she know and trust as she
says because I could stop for death. Here death is presented as a lover and a gentle man of the
poetess. The word ‘stop’ and stopped suggests that the poet has not sought death but death has
sought her.

In the opening lines of the poem, the poetess describes that she was too much absorbed in
the worldly affairs and forget about death. Here readers get the idea that man is too much
engrossed in the household activities and forget the truth of life “Death”. No options, no choices
are left at the end of the day, all have to gone. All hopes and all dreams were dash to the ground.
Same case with Emily, she has to gone. She used pronoun “He” for death and refers it with some
gentleman and lover who she already know. Death comes as a courteous gentleman. Immortality
comes with death. Death comes in the form of gentleman. Stop on her door and invited her for a
journey. Emily steps forward fearlessly and started her journey.

In the second stanza, the carriage has moved slowly. Death knows no hurry and
impatience and does not snatch life abruptly. Death demonstrates extreme consideration of
human feelings as a lover. Three person in the carriage, death, Emily and third one immortality.
Immortality may confuse us but according to the poetess immortality is a new step of her eternal
life. As the carriage drives slowly so they enjoy the things in leisurely way. The politeness of
death invokes Emily to go with him. She gives up all her activities, all her leisure and ready to go
in return to his kindness and civility. “My labor and my leisure too for his civility”.

In the third stanza, the poetess describe the three phases of life in a very stunning
manners, children refers to childhood, gazing grains refer to maturity (adult) and at the end
setting sun refer to death. The four stanza has terrible combination of an actual building and the
swelling of the graveyard. The roof was scarcely visible. The cornice was nothing but a mound.
In the last stanza, the poetess discussed the everlasting status “the passing is a foundation of
interminability”.

The fear of death is typified through the figure of the polite driver who is made
incidentally to serve the finish of immortality. In last stanza, the poetess talks about immortality
and death is a root of immortality. Life is too long and we feel it shorter and long for more and
more.

Poetic quality:

Poem passes through very nicely. Death is personified as a person. We find a superficial
meaning and as well inner meaning. The simplicity get by the conciseness, clearity and simple
sentences. For example, he kindly stopped for me. The poem has twenty lines and each stanza
consists four lines, rhythm was free and rising and falling, and acquires delight recitation.

Theme

Basically there are three themes in the poem “Because I could not stop for death” love,
death and nature. Emily Dickinson a poet who always talk about death in her writing. The main
theme in her poetry is death. She always wishes death in her life. She waits for death.

In the poem “Because I could not stop for death” Dickinson shows the view of death and
immortality rendered with an artistic perfection. In this poem she presented the death as an kind
friend and lover who is very kind to human soul and talking with civilize manners and gently.

In this poem he personifies “Death” as a kind lover who comes in very good manners and
stops at the house of his beloved to give her a courteous ride.

Above Emily’s poem on “Death” G.F Whicher says it often rises to a level where abstract
ideas are personified and dramatized, filled with vital breath, and placed in exciting relation with
each other.

Conclusion:

It is one of the most fascinating poem of Emily on death. The poem is remarkable, superb
on the subject of daily realization of the immense loser/convicting that calm acceptable of death
is a way of conquering death.

In short, this poem is a well admired poem. The critic Allen Tale says, one of the greatest in
English language. It is flawless to the last detail.
 I died for Beauty

“I died for beauty” by Emily Dickinson was written around 1862 and was first published in
1890. Editor Thomoy Wentworth published this poem in September issue of the Christian union.
The complete poem of Emily Dickinson published by Back Bay Book in 1976.

I died for beauty is an allegorical work that depicts someone who died for beauty often in
an allegory ideas are given in physical form as they are in Dickinson’s poem. The poem equates
the two of equally noble martyrs who’s names are eventually covered with moss.

” As if to indicate that in the end, what one dies for is unimportant “

Summary

I died for beauty by Emily Dickinson describes the events after death. The speaker
declares that “She died for beauty but she was unable adjust her tomb”. The writer says that there
was a tomb next to her belonged to the person who had died for truth. The speaker and the man
next to her tell each other the causes of their death. “They speak softly”

The man declared that truth and beauty are the same, so he and the speaker were brethren.
According to the speaker they met at night as kinsman and they talked between their tombs for a
very long period.

“We talked between the rooms, until the moss had reached our lips, and cover up our names”

Critical Analysis

The poem brings to mind the line written by Keats “Beauty is Truth, Truth is beauty” in
his poem Ode an Grecian Urn”. In the present poem by Dickinson, this theme has been used in a
very different content.

Dickinson’s poem is a short lyric. It gives the sense of bizarre and macabre. It talks about
the physical death. There is a kind of romantic yearning in the line;

“I died for beauty” …….. “One who died for Truth”.

 The line “until the Moss had reached our lips” gives the sense of martyrdom, the sense of
dying together. It shows a kind of platonic companionship. Finally the speaker says, “That the
moss creeps up and covers their graves and even hides their names”.

The reference seems to be going to the very fact that ultimately every-thing related to us
is going to be last in oblivion.

Death erases everything which is related to humans; ideals, feelings, identity, and the
monuments, everything disappears with time. A casual reader might think that Dickinson is
highly pessimistic to her approach to life because in most of her poems she realizes on the theme
of death or the theme of afterlife. The truth is far from the assumptions made by people. She
seems to have a mind which can think beyond, and an eye which can visualize what is still to
come.

The Holy Quran ( Surah al- Muminoon )

“And it is who gives life and causes death”.

Themes

Beauty and Truth

“I died for Beauty” deals very directly with the themes of beauty and truth. Dickinson
portray them as parallel in various both are represented by someone who died for them, both are
buried in the same tomb near each other, both die and decay at around the same time, and both
names are covered by the same moss.

The poem makes a strong and overt statement that beauty and truth are “brethren and
kinsman”. Dickinson’s means that the two recognize one another as being kindred spirits, as that
the two figures died as martyrs for beauty and truth, or that the two figures died in order to attain
beauty and truth.

“I died for beauty” and I for truth” leaves the door open either interpretation”.
Theme of Afterlife

The theme of afterlife is prominent theme of Emily Dickinson which she used in her
poem “I died for beauty”. In this poem she tells us about the life of the next world. This sense
represents the theme of afterlife. According to her when a person died he goes from this world
to next world where stay for a long time.

Style

Allegory

“I died for beauty” is an allegory poem. Often in allegory ideas are given in physical
form, as they are in Dickinson poem. An allegory is a type of ettended metaphor in which
elements of the narrative represent something beyond what immediately apparent.

Metaphor

Metaphor is a literary device in which the writer compares two or more things. Dickinson
also uses this device. She compare in I died for beauty to comment “on beauty and truth”

“The two are one”.

Lyrical poem

I died for beauty is a short lyrical poem. It gives the sense of bizarre and macabre.

Rhyme Scheme

The rhyme scheme of this poem is A.B.C.D. The first and third lines in each stanza have
Iambic tetrameter, and the second and fourth lines have Iambic trimeter.

Regular stanza

Dickinson’s poetry is characteristically formal in style and regular in structure and

rhythm. “I died for beauty” is a perfect example of her regularly style. The lines for every stanza
follow a regular pattern of iambic tetrameter, iambic trimeter.
 Success Is Counted Sweetest

“Success Is Counted Sweetest” is a famous poem of Emily Dickinson. It was published in 1864.
It is famous because of these themes. The most important themes are success and failure. Which
are described in a very unique style. Success is important for those people who are failed in their
life. Failure is more important for achieving success.

Summary

This poem is written by Emily Dickinson. And this poem has great place in English
literature. She has great importance in American literature. She wrote many poems but
“Success Is Counted Sweetest” is a very popular poem because in this poem she wrote on
success and failure. It was first published in 1864. The poem speaks or tells about the value of
success and explains it.

In this poem she tells us how we can achieve success and also tells us the tools of
success. She tells that failure is another name of success. Because if we will not taste of failure
we cannot achieve success. This poem “Success Is Counted Sweetest” has other major themes
need success and defeat. She argues that success has great importance or value for those who lost
something in life. Success is very important in the life of every person.

For example; the students who fail in his exams are best known about what is value of
success. Rather than that who passed his exams are not known what is the importance of success
and value of success.

For example; a politician who won the election of any politic seat without any hurdles or
barriers he is not known about success and success has not value for such person rather than that
person who failed in election in a very bad way he knows about the value of success. “Success
comes after failure”.

E .g;

A soldier who have won the war but still do not understand the real meaning of success
because they have not experienced the pain of failure. Hence the one who is losing the battle of
his life can sense the true spirit of success.
 Everyone wants get success nobody can wants failure if at first you do not succeed so try
again until success if we fail one time we should not be discharged we should try again and again
until success.

Analysis of Dickinson’s ‘Success is counted sweetest”

The title of the poem conveys how somebody can truly feel success. Dickinson
emphasizes on how the fallen soldier understands and appreciates the value of success. More
than that the victorious soldier, because he has been defeated.

Literary Devices

Literary devices are tools that enable the writer to present their ideas, emotions, and
feelings by using persuasive language. Emily Dickinson has also employed some literary devices
in this poem to describe her feelings.

Consonance

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sound in the same line such as the sound of |r|
“required sorest need” and the sound of |t| in the distant strains of “triumph” and “success is
counted sweetest”.

Imagery

Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example;
“Not one of all the purple Host”, “The distant strains of triumph” and “who took the flag today”.

Symbolism

Symbolism is the used of symbols to signify ideas and facilities by giving them symbolic
meanings different from their literal meanings. “Nectar” symbolizes white victory and luxury
while “The purple host” is the symbols of the royal army.

Enjambment

It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end at a link break; instead it
moves over the next line.
Metaphor

It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different

in nature. There is only one metaphor in the third line “to comprehend nectar”. Here nectar is
referring to the sweetness of victory.

Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example; the sound of
(o) in “who look the flag today” .

Syncope

It is a literary device that can be defined as the contraction or the shortening of a word by
omitting sounds, syllables or letters from the middle of the word.

Paradox

A paradox is a statement that may seem contradictory but can be true. For example,
“success is counted sweetest” by those who never succeed. Here the poet has used paradox to
explain the imperlance of success.

Themes

The title of poem tells us how someone can really feel success. Commonly when
someone is considered undergo their success is great and more powerful in the experience
because they know that what is the failure .The poem tell us that the people who win anything
they feel happy but people who lost something is more conscious for success .They know What
is the real meaning of success .In this poem we saw the soldiers who win the war they are not
understand what is success rather than the soldier who lost the war and listening the voice of
celebrating of Enemy side .They know what is real success .In the first stanza the poet Express
that only failure can understand the real meaning of success. Emily announces this theme in the
first two lines success is counted sweetest by those who never succeed .The poetess present idea
in this poem by describing different example she says that the people who always win they
never understand what is important of success .The poem is built upon a paradox of success and
defeat. The poetess says that Victor Express is different with the loser experience .The main
theme of the poem is success and failure .The student who failed in the exam are not knowing
value of success rather than the student who passed in the exam .Second example the politics
leader who win the election easily is not known what are the importance of success rather than
the candidate who failed in the election .Third example the country who win the war are not
know what is the importance of the success .She also give us the example of success and failure
.She says that the solder who raised The Pale flag and celebrate their success or not knowing
what is the important of success rather than the soldier who are injured in the war .

Conclusion:

In the end we can say that the taste of failure knows who failed in the life. The poetess says that
success cannot be tested until any person had faced failure in his life.