EMILY DICKSON

Stanza One

Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality

In Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘Because I could not stop for Death’, the author personifies death, portraying
him as a close friend, or perhaps even a gentleman suitor. In the first stanza, she reveals that she
welcomes death when she says, “he kindly stopped for me”. The pleasant tone of the poem further
suggests that the author is quite comfortable with death.

Stanza Two

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,

And I had put away

My labor, and my leisure too,

For his civility

The carriage ride is symbolic of the author’s departure from life. She is in the carriage with death and
immortality.She reveals her willingness to go with death when she says that she had “put away…labor
and…leisure too for his civility”. This further reveals that the author has come to terms with her own
mortality. She has set down all she wanted to do in life, and willingly entered the carriage with Death
and Immortality. She may be aware that had she not gone willingly, they would have taken her captive
nonetheless, but this does not seem to alter her perception of the two characters as kind, thoughtful,
and even gentle. This is portrayed as Death drives slowly for her, allowing her to reminisce. He “knew no
haste” as they drove. He takes her through the course of her life with a slow and patient ride.
Immortality rides along, but is silent.
Stanza Three

We passed the school, where children strove

At recess, in the ring;

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

We passed the setting sun

They drive “passed the school where the children strove” implying that the author is generously given a
few moments to remember her childhood. They then drive past the “gazing grain” allowing the author
to think back upon the prime of her life. Then they pass the setting sun. This symbolizes the author’s
death. The sunset is beautiful and gentle, and Stanza Four

Or rather, he passed us;

The dews grew quivering and chill,

For only gossamer my gown,

My tippet only tulle

There is a sudden shift in tone in the fourth stanza. Suddenly, now that the sun has set, the author
realizes that she is quite cold, and she shivers. Then she becomes aware that she is underdressed. Prior
to this moment of realization, the author felt quite comfortable with Death and Immortality. After all,
she was riding along with them in only her “gossamer” and her “tippet only tulle”, or in other words, in
only a sheer nightgown. In the first through third stanzas, the author is on close affectionate terms with
Death and Immortality. Describing Death as a gentleman suitor who is kind and civil, she shows no
shame at being underdressed. However, when the sun sets, and the cold damp sets in, she becomes
aware of her inappropriate attire.the passing from life to eternity is portrayed as such.

Stanza Five

We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible,

The cornice but a mound

In her moment of realization that she has been seduced by Death, they pause before her new “home”, a
“swelling of the ground”. She claims the “the roof was scarcely visible” and the “cornice but a mound”.
The tone becomes one of disappointment, as the author realizes that death is not all she thought it
would be. Now, as the sun has set on her life, and she is standing before her new forever home,
disappointment sets in. Death was kind and gentle, like a gentleman suitor. He lured her in with
grandiose promises of eternity. Now that she sees her small, damp, eternal home, she feels cheated.

Stanza Six

Since then ’tis centuries, and yet each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the horses’ heads

Were toward eternity

It has now been “centuries and yet each feels shorter than a day” as life goes on without her. It has been
centuries since that moment of realization when she “first surmised” that Death had seduced her, that
he had appeared a kindly gentleman at first, but had left her alone in the dark, cold, damp grave.

"Hope" Is The Thing With Feathers

Analysis Stanza By Stanza

Emily Dickinson did not give titles to her poems so the first line is always given as the title. Her poems
are also given numbers. In 1998 R.W.Franklin published a definitive version of her poems, closely
following the poet's form and layout, and this poem is number 314.

First Stanza

The first word is given special emphasis with speech marks (inverted commas, quotation marks) as if the
poet wants to define that elusive word "Hope", and she does so with metaphor. Hope has feathers and
it can, like a bird, perch in the human soul. Feathers are soft and gentle to the touch but they are also
strong in flight, even on tiny birds. And feathers are made up of complex individual fibres; unity is
strength.

The imagery here grows stronger as the reader progresses. Not only is Hope feathery, it can sing. It sits
on a perch and sings the whole time. But the song is special for there are no words, no diction for
anyone to understand rationally.

It's as if Hope is pure song, pure feeling, a deep seated longing that can take flight at any time.

The song is endless. Note the double dash emphasis on - at all - and the stanza break which brings extra
attention to these two little words.
Second Stanza

The first line is unusual in the use of the double dash - there are two distinct pauses which the reader
has to be careful with. Hope is always singing as we know from the first stanza but it sings the sweetest
when the going gets rough, when the Gale starts to blow. So, when life is hard and things are thrown at
us, the pressure relentless, there is Hope, singing through the chaos and mayhem.

Note the first mention of the bird in line 7. It would take a hellish storm to embarrass or disconcert this
bird (sore - angry and abash - embarrass) which protects many people from adverse situations. Hope is
difficult to disturb, even when life seems hard.

Third Stanza
The personal pronoun I appears for the first time, indicating a personal connection to this subject
perhaps? Emily Dickinson thought of herself as a little bird (a wren) so the link is direct.The speaker has
heard the bird during the hardest, coldest times, when emotions are churning and life surreal. But even
when things are extreme Hope is still there and never asks for anything.Hope gives us much but never
asks for a crumb in return. It is all inspirational, yet slightly mysterious. Hope wells up in the heart and
soul yet who knows where it comes from? Philosophy, religion, psychology and even metaphor are not
sufficient - there is an abstract nature to Hope. It can give us strength to carry on in the most adverse of
conditions. Its voice can be heard, despite the noise at the height of the storm.

The central idea of “Hope is a Thing with Feathers” is that hope is always within us through all of the
hardships life deals. The author portrays that hope is always guiding us from within. Hope rests in our
souls. In the poem Dickinson states “ Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the
tune without words, and never stops at all,..”. This quote means that hope is like a bird that rests in our
soul. The possibilities are endless when you can fly and hope lifts us. The tune without words is a
message that isn’t always clear but is still as helpful and uplifting. This message relates to the central
idea because even when the message isn’t always understood, hope is always there guiding us.

THE SOUL SELECT HER OWN SOCIETY

Stanza One

The Soul selects her own Society —

Then — shuts the Door —

To her divine Majority —

Present no more —

In the first short stanza of ‘The Soul selects her own Society’  the speaker begins with the line that later
came to be used as the title of the poem. This is a common practice in regards to Emily Dickinson’s
poetry due to the fact that all of her poems remained nameless after she wrote them. She describes in
the first lines how “The Soul,” whether her’s or anyone else’s, selects the person, or perhaps people, she
wants to grow close to, and them “shuts the Door”. No one, at this point, is allowed into her “divine
Majesty”. The select few, or one, are the only ones allowed to know her truly and fully. 

Stanza Two 

Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing —

At her low Gate —

Unmoved — an Emperor be kneeling

Upon her Mat —

The soul’s strength and determination are emphasized int he second stanza of ‘The Soul selects her own
Society’.  Dickinson’s speaker notes that it does not matter who comes knocking at the door of her soul.
It could be an Emperor “kneeling” on the mat of Chariots “pausing— / At her low Gate”. Neither of
these things would convince her to open the metaphorical door to her heart. This should prove to the
reader that the type of person at the door (their statue, wealth, grandeur). The soul only opens for
those it selects for reasons above the mundane. 

Stanza Three 

I’ve known her — from an ample nation —

Choose One —

Then — close the Valves of her attention —

Like Stone —

In the final four lines of ‘The Soul selects her own Society,’  the speaker zooms back and speaks about the
soul’s exclusive selection process. She has known “her” to choose “one” from the “ample nation” of
people who want to gain entry into her innermost life. She then closes the “Valves of her attention— /
Like Stone”. Thus suggesting that no one will ever open the “valve” or door again. The valve metaphor,
in addition to the stone imagery, helps to conclude the poem firmly. This is the way things are, the
speaker is saying, and there’s no one who could convince the soul to change her mind.