1. Emily Dickenson Analysis Help “Because I could not stop for Death” Take Notes! Death = Extended Metaphor

2. Line 1 “Because I could not stop for Death” Personification Line 2 “He kindly stopped for me.” Positive Imagery Effect: Death in the form of a gentleman to pick up the speaker puts a positive spin on death

3. Line 5 “We slowly drove- He knew no haste” Personification Effect- It is not going to be a quick or short death Line 8 “For his Civility” Personification Effect- Death is polite and courteous

4. Line 9 “He” has changed to “We” Personification Effect- This suggests that the speaker is dying.

5. Line 9 “the school” Line 12 “the Fields of Grazing Grain” Line 13 “ the Setting Sun” Imagery Effect- The details could represent the stages of life Line 13 “the Setting Sun” Symbol Dark=Death

6. Line 14 “The Dews drew quivering and chill” Imagery Effect- This represents the cold one feels before death

7. Line 15 “Gossamer” Line 16 “My Tippet” “only Tulle” Imagery Effect- These images suggest that these fragile objects are used to make shrouds.

8. Line 17 “We paused before a House” Metaphor Effect- This marks the end of the journey. The house is the “final resting place.”

9. Line 18 “A Swelling of the Ground” Imagery Effect- The area around the grave swells once the body is in the ground.

10. Line 22 “Feels shorter than the Day” Metaphor Effect- The speaker depicts the timeless nature of eternity. It suggests that both death and life are journeys, but death’s journey is free of the busy, chaotic pace of life.