I have to write a paper on the Emily Dickinson poem that begins "Because I could not stop for Death". They haven't told me the title but I think it is called "The Chariot". Does anyone have any good thesis ideas??? I would appreciate the help. Poetry is a real struggle for me.
Hello mapgirlmaybe you could start off the discussion with some of your own ideas first, that way people can try to assist you better.
The full text of Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" can be found here:
http://www.online-literature.com/dickinson/443/
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
--
To me this poem is a lady being carried to her eternal resting place (whatever that may be) with a driver (Death) via a carriage ride. Beyond that???
Good luck. Dickinson was a genius. Don't have much to add except that the tone of the poem seems rather on the peaceful side, -- no fear, dread, or anguish.
Playing off of byquist’s idea, you could base your argument on how Death is perceived by Dickinson in this poem. For the speaker, Death is not portrayed as something dreadful, rather as someone civilized and gentlemanly, kindly stopping to offer her a carriage ride to her destination. Just think about what qualities you feel are associated with being civilized and gentlemanly, support them with what you find from the poem, and you’ve got yourself an essay.
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