Work+One

[|Because I Could Not Stop For Death] __Background__ The poem deals with her main topics of immortality and death. Death and immortality are metaphorically characterized as a man with a carriage and another person in the carriage/a place. This piece was published in 1924 in "The complete poems of Emily Dickinson" and published online in 2000.

__Discussion Questions__ 1. In the poem why could she say "I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me"? 2. What kind of person do you think death is? 3. What metaphor is she using when they stop before a house which cornice was mound? 4. Cause & Effect. What made it possible for her to head into eternity in the carriage? 5. How do the days compare to the centuries in the last stanza?

__Vocabulary__ Civility- A polite action of expression; courtesy. Recess-Temporary withdrawal. Quivering- To shake with a slightly, rapid, tremendous movement. Gossamer-A thread of web. Tulle- A thin, fine, machine-made net of acetate, nylon, rayon, or silk. Cornice-Any prominent, continuous, horizontally projecting feature surmounting a wall or other construction, or dividing it horizontally for compositional purposes. Surmised-To think or assume without real evidence.