Comparing Death in Poetry - Reseacrh Paper

This is a research paper for my Introduction to Literature class.  The paper compares and contrast the form, style, and content of the following two poems:
Because I Could Not Stop For Death - Emily Dickinson
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - Dylan Thomas

 

Comparing Death in Poetry

Summer Calandra

LIT 100: Introduction to Literature

Instructor: Alex Vuilleumier

January 27, 2014

There are many different feelings about death. It is probable that no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing.  The fact that our day is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one amongst writers who seek to make sense of their own emotions, and in so doing, help readers to make sense of theirs too.  Emily Dickinson, author of Because I Could Not Stop for Death and Dylan Thomas, author of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night are two well-known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of such emotions. Both of these poems explore the themes of death and the acceptance of it, though the feelings about death in Because I Could Not Stop for Death are calm and reflective whereas in Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night the feeling are of a passionate rebuttal.

            Because I Could Not Stop For Death, by Emily Dickinson, is a narrative lyrical elegy of a woman’s experience with death. Despite the morbidity of the topic, the tone is not somber (Joly, 2002). Rather, the tone in this poem is thoughtful and lighthearted.  This is made evident by the many literary tools that Dickinson employs, such as personification, symbolism, and her stylistic uses of assonance and alliteration. Perhaps one of the most notable uses of personification is in the very first two lines of the poem “Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec. 12.3). The capitalization of death makes this word a proper noun, an indication that Dickinson intends to portray death as a person.  There is further evidence of this when she refers to death as “he” who stopped for her, giving death once again a proper noun and the human ability to stop and pick her up. Considering death as a person is an important element in the speaker’s relationship with death, and thus the mood, in this poem.  Seeing death as a man makes him less fearsome, particularly in the way he “kindly” stops for her.  Personifying death also humanizes the experience of it, making it more acceptable and less abstract.  For example, many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions that cannot be answered in life – how will it happen, when, and what comes next? Humanizing death makes the experience more relatable.

Further in stanza one is the introduction of a carriage which she rides in with death and immortality.  Immortality, like death, is personified with capitalization.  The presence of immortality is better understood at the end of the poem, yet in stanza one, immortality’s presence suggest the need for a chaperone to accompany a woman and a gentleman, as was customary in the time this this poem was written (Joly, 2002).  In this sense, there is an implied comfort and trust in riding with death and immortality, not just for the consideration death makes in stopping for her, but the formality and recognition of propriety as well. Dickinson also suggest that the woman, having accepted the ride from death, is now within death’s realm and therefore immortality is present just as mortality would accompany life should such a carriage also exist.  

            The ease in accepting the ride in death’s carriage is continued to be felt in stanza two when the speaker begins to relate her experience.  “We slowly drove, he knew no haste, and I had put away / my labor, and my leisure too, for his civility” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, sec. 12.3). She explains that she has willingly put aside her work and her free time to accept death, as death was polite enough to show chivalry. This reiterates the tone of lightheartedness and acceptance, yet at the same time, the imagery presented begins to build a feeling of suspense.  The reader is made aware of the fact that there is a comfort in deaths presence with the use of the word “we” (we slowly drove) yet in the same line, Dickinson switches to “he” (he knew no haste), which reminds us that death is in charge and that she is at his mercy. Such use of language helps to understand the theme of the death’s control – that death comes when it may despite how unprepared one may be for it. 

            Further imagery is presented in stanza three, as the carriage passes school children playing at recess, a field of grains, and the setting sun.  In the four lines of this stanza, Dickinson uses several literary tools.  The words “we passed” are an anaphoric reference to the journey of life.  Such repetition draws the attention to the meaning in what they are passing and the fact that it is being left behind.  The children playing are symbolic of childhood – the first stage of life.  Ironically, the children are said to “strove” rather than play at their “recess”, calling attention to the fact that they too are unaware of the passage of time while their minds are on their labor (strove) and leisure (recess), much like the speaker was when death came for her. They pass next “the field of grazing grain” a reference to midlife.  The grains have passed seed, come to full fruition, and appear ready for harvest. This is symbolic of the establishment and continued obligation that is typical in middle age. There is maturity, yet further need to fulfill (harvest) ones duty. In the final line of this stanza they pass “the setting sun” once again a symbol of the life cycle. The setting sun in this case brings closure to the image of the speaker’s life. The fact that the sun sets after the image of the grains allows the reader to assume that the speaker is not in her elderly years as no symbolic imagery for old age is presented, yet another implication that death has come before it was expected. The set of the sun also assumes an increase of darkness and creates a rising feeling of morbidity. The suspense at this point builds but the rhythm and sounds of the words suggest the speaker remains calm, as evident by the use of alliteration: “grazing grains” and “setting sun”. Alliteration, or the repetition of the initial consonant sounds of two or more words, is an effective device in drawing attention to particular words and creating desired moods (Clugston, 2010).  The suspense continues to elevate as the reader can assume darkness is drawing in, a lifespan has been passed, and the carriage shows no sign of gaining speed nor stopping. With immortality in tote time is no longer of the essence.

            A slight change in the tone is presented in the next stanza, as the speaker suggests that rather than the carriage and its occupants passing the setting sun, the sun past them.  This reference infers that not only is the pace eerily slow, it is also a delivery into the supernatural.  The sun is personified in its passing of them, making evident that they are no longer within the confines of the cycle of life, but that they are now beyond that point where the sun no longer rises and sets indicating time stands still – a direct reference to the role immortality takes. Not surprisingly a chill is upon them causing her to quiver in her sheer clothing. Referencing a chill, or feelings of being cold in literature, is symbolic of death, a ghost, and the afterlife. “The dews grew quivering and chill, for only gossamer my gown, my tippet only tulle” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3). Again, Dickinson uses alliteration to draw attention to the speakers clothing.  Her gown is gossamer, a fine sheer material, as is her shawl made of tulle.  These garments are evidence that death has surprised her and come when she was unprepared, which is central in the theme of this poem.

            The destination of the carriage becomes obvious in the fifth stanza of the poem, when death arrives at a grave.  The poem refers to this as “a house that seemed / a swelling of the ground; the roof was scarcely visible, the cornice but a mound” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3). This is strong visual of a freshly dug grave, though instead of referring to it as such, the speaker calls it a “house”.  The avoidance of morbid words like grave, cemetery, or tombstone keeps the tone lighthearted and conveys an acceptance of the change. The particular choice for “house” insinuates an active presence that the speaker will take there rather than a final resting ground.  An active presence then implies life after death, or rather, immortality: a companion that was introduced in the first stanza of the poem.  In finalizing the poem, Dickinson reveals that the speaker has been dead for centuries and is narrating the story as a thoughtful reflection on the day she “first surmised the horse’s heads / were toward eternity” (as cited in Clugston, 2010 sec 12.3).  The poem ends on the word eternity leaving the reader pondering the word and considering, once again, the many points that the poems theme makes. Death takes us whether we are ready or not and is but a passing from one existence to another.

            In a sense, Because I Could Not Stop for Death romanticizes the passage from these existences (life to immortality) by the personification of death as a gentleman that has lured her into its chariot, much like that of Greek mythology. The theory of life after death, or rather, existence after death is a common notion, one that is feared as much as it is relished.  For instance, in Christianity it is thought that after death one’s soul is either delivered to heaven or to hell.  In this sense, the immortality in Dickinson’s poem is the eternity spent in either place.  Ironically, immortality is presented in this poem as an eternity in death, rather than eternal life. This is a rather subjective point though as the personal perspective of the speaker is not made available.

            Similarly, the central theme in Dylan Thomas’ poem Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night is death, though the tone and attitude towards death are completely opposite of Dickinson’s poem. The poetic form is lyrical elegy, which according to Clugston (2010), lyrical poetry “expresses a poet’s thoughts and imagination. Its melody and emotion create a dominant, unified impression” (sec. 11.3, para. 1). As such, much of the content in this poem can be considered subjectively. The writing style is less straight forward as his ideas are presented metaphorically with striking visuals that rely greatly on one’s interpretation to form an understanding. The diction Thomas used in this poem sets the tone and is central to conveying the theme and its meaning.

            For instance, the first line of the poem “Do not go gentle into that good night” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec. 12.3) is a strong statement that seems to contradict itself if it were to be taken denotatively.  There seems little reason to not go gentle into something that is good. However, when followed by the next line of the poem: “Old age should burn and rave at close of day” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3) it becomes more apparent that “go gentle” and “good night” are to be taken connotatively and are symbolic of the dying process.  The mention of old age alerts the reader to the fact that death is even more imminent.  The references to day and night are symbolic of life and death, as seen also in Dickinson’s poem. However, there appears to be more contradiction in old age burning and raving against death.  It is natural to assume that at the end of a long life, old age would prefer a gentle slip into a good – or welcomed - death.  Thomas asserts otherwise; he generalizes that old age should not give into the ease and comfort of death, but rather should contest violently against it. At this point in the poem, the reader is left uncertain as to why Thomas makes such unnatural declarations. It is not until the last line that the reader is made aware of the personal stake that the speaker has in his demands for life. If for any reason the subject of death is unclear, the last line in the first stanza makes the strongest and clearest statement of all.  “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3).  There is powerfully felt passion in this line, so much so, that this line is widely quoted for its impact and depth of feeling. The repetition of the word rage accentuates the desperation for the fight against death, though there is as much pleading in the delivery of the line as there is commandment. This duality draws attention to the deep rooted weakness and power that coexist in the human spirit.

            The next four stanzas of the poem present the speakers argument for preserving life with the mention of four types of men: wise, good, wild, and grave. These men are generalized, just as old age was, asserting that despite the life that such men have lead, they too refuse to accept death in their old age.  Beginning with wise men, the speaker states that such men “at their end know dark is right” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3), a notion that the speaker acknowledges the hypocrisy of denying death.  Though despite such knowledge wise men do not go gentle “Because their words had forked no lightening” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3), meaning they have not managed to make great changes to society and therefore refuse to die. Good men are mentioned next for their good deeds, but that the frailty of their deeds failed to have a more beautiful setting to shine in, and as a result, they too should rage against the dying of the light (Lord, 2002). Thomas uses figurative language to make this point by describing a bay that the deeds might have danced in had they had the chance. The use of the word “forked” with the wise men followed by “frail” with the good men swing the visuals, and the sound of his words, from rough and punitive to gentle and meek. Again there is a contradicting duality in the words that Thomas uses, alluding once again to the nature of the human spirit. He continues this figurative language in the argument for wild men, stating that wild men, having late regrets for their reckless actions, do not succumb to death.  Nor grave men, whereas in their poor health even blind eyes “blaze like meteors and be gay” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3). In using the first simile in this poem, Thomas asserts that blind eyes still find purpose. An example that, regardless of the physical inabilities that accompanies old age, there is no limit to the happiness that life can offer and that it is not only possible to defy death, but to do so with a “blaze” – an unapologetic conviction.   Thomas generalizes these four types of men either to point out that all men find themselves into one of these categories, or that each description is characteristic of one man in particular.

            The poem closes with an apostrophe as Thomas speaks directly to his dying father which confirms that he has a personal stake in the matter.  His feelings are addressed literally when calling to his father at the “sad height”. Height in this sense is a metaphor implying his father’s closeness to death (Lord, 2002). Such emotions are further presented through the paradoxical words in the next line, “curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, sec 12.3). To be cursed and blessed are powerful opposites and propose the ambiguity that Thomas feels in accepting his father’s eventual demise.  Thomas begs his father for tears as evidence that he will fight against death, a blessing, but yet a curse as his selfishness overcomes his father’s needs.  The final words of the poem are once again “rage against the dying of the light”, a blatant cry to his father to not gently pass away (BBC, 2008). The repetition ends the poem fiercely, yet leaving it open without a sense of closure. There is no response to his argument against death. This leaves the reader to assume what happened, though the outcome is less of a concern in this poem since life’s outcome cannot be avoided. 

            It is evident that despite the shared theme of death there are more contrasting issues between these two poems than there are similarities. Dickinson’s poem is a female speaker discussing the day she accepted death after she already died, while in Thomas’ a speaker is crying out against the death of his father, arguing that all men in old age must fight fiercely against their inevitable “good death”. Thomas’ speaker, presumably male, addresses his father directly in what appears to be his father’s last days or hours of life. The two extremes, calm acceptance and adamant rebuttal of death are seen in these poems. Consequently, the entire tone and imagery that the reader is presented with is oppositional as well.  In Because I Could Not Stop for Death, death is personified into that of a chivalrous male seducer whom she appreciates for his consideration in stopping for her (Engle, 2002).  In Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night, death is clearly the enemy and that which must be avoided at all costs.

Dickinson and Thomas differ in form and style as well, though they have similar qualities in iambic qualities.  Dickinson’s poem is a narrative lyrical elegy and is longer than Thomas’ as she uses short lines that break her thoughts up in a rhythmic fashion. She has an elliptical style that requires the reader to pay close attention to the implications of her metaphors, symbols, and other devices. Rather than being thorough in her explanations, she leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Her writing is formal and controlled with every other line in her quatrains switching from either four iambic feet (iambic tetrameter) to three feet (iambic trimeter), though the formality of her style is muted slightly by the casual tone she takes in her diction. The emphasis Dickinson places on the sound and rhythm of her work lightens the delivery of the morbid theme. Dylan Thomas’ poem is also considered lyrical poetry, through the structure is villanelle – a nineteen line poem made up of five tercets and one quatrain (Cengage, 2014). The meter in the poem is iambic pentameter as each line in his poem has ten syllables, breaking it down into five iambic feet.  Like Dickinson’ poem, the iambic rhythm adds to the flow of the poem, though the difference in iambic meter makes Thomas’ sound much more long winded in comparison to Dickinson.  This adds to the gravity and seriousness of his tone and accentuates the plea he makes to his father. The lack of quick closure to his sentences is evidence to this as short bursts of thought would not adequately dictate the complexity of his grief. His diction is full of hard hitting visuals with rough verbiage.  He avoids smoothness in his work, thus reinforcing distress and sense of unease he emotes.

These poems differ in rhyme as well. Dickinson’s rhyming, while consistent and expected, changes word families every stanza while Thomas’ rhymes throughout the entire poem stay in the same family as “night”, the last word on the first line and “day” the last work of the second line.   The use of these rhymes throughout are not coincidental; Thomas uses them to reiterate the contrasting feelings of life and death.  Ironically, despite the message to battle death that the speaker presents, not once does the word “fight” get used in the rhyme scheme.  Yet where they differ, these poems once again find themselves alike as such avoidance of direct verbiage in expression is similar to the style Dickinson uses as well.  Dickinson too avoids the direct reference of the issue as she replaces the word “grave” with house at the end of her poem. 
            Continued similarities are found in their stylistic use of literary tools.  Both poems have a heavy use of metaphorical imagery and personification of death and objects presented to the reader. The use of nature in such figurative language is found in both poems as well, as Dickinson describes the scenery she passes in the carriage while Thomas uses nature to point to specific feelings he seeks to address.  Additionally, both poems use day, night, light, dark, and the sun as a symbol of life and death.  These symbols are common in literature and provide a universal understanding.  Addressing the theme through the use of symbols such as night and day add layers of emotion and complexity in their contrasting natures.  Metaphorically, day and night also represent the opposition or acceptance towards death that teeter back and forth in the human spirit.  This acceptance or opposition is a shared theme of both poems.

            Emily Dickinson’s poem speaks about human nature.  Often time, we are too busy to realize that death is coming whether we are prepared for it or not.  Likewise, for many people Thomas’ poem is easy to emphasize with, as it is likely most people have, or will have, to experience the loss of a loved one.  Though once again we expect this as the inevitable, the way we come to accept death differs from situation to situation and person to person. The themes in these two poems both revolve around such acceptance. Emily Dickinson’s poem offers feelings of reflection upon the day she allowed death to guide her to eternity.  She expresses calm acceptance of death, whereas Dylan Thomas’ poem grieves the likely loss of a loved one as it pleads and argues that old age should not be reason to accept death – old age should rage against this finale.

References

Cengage, G. (2014). Literary Style. eNotes.com. Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/topics/go-gentle/in-depth#in-depth-style.

Clugston, W. R. (2010).  Journey into literature.  San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.  Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books.

BBC. (2008). Dylan Thomas: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.  Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/dylan-thomas/pages/do-not-go-gentle.shtml

Engle, P. (2002). Dickinson's BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH. Explicator, 60(2), 72. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/

Joly, R. (2002). Because I could not stop for Death. Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition, 1-2. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/

Lord, R. (2002). Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition, 1-3. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/

Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Because I could not stop for Death Summary. Retrieved from http://www.shmoop.com/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death/summary.html

Reading Response to Poetry - Not Waving But Drowning (Essay)

This is a personal response essay for a literature class.  I had to add more specific thoughts in the way of my personal response than I would have like to.  I had to stretch a little to satisfy the grading rubric.  It feels a bit trite at some points because of that.

This is not my finest piece.  I wrote this quickly and am now catching typos and errors in my word selections.  However, since this blog is a collection of my written work as I progress through my degree program, I prefer to not fix the errors as they represent the quality of the work I produced, submitted, and was subsequently graded on.

The poem I selected to respond to is below, followed by my full essay.


Not Waving But Drowing
By Stevie Smith

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

Reading Response to Poetry

            Poetry is meant to evoke strong reactions and emotions out of its readers.  The poem Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith does just that.  In only twelve lines this short poem discusses the circumstances of a man’s death while the author’s use of literary elements alludes to much deeper issues concerning how he lived as well as how he died. As a reader I found Smith’s use of language, the content of her poem, and the theme it seeks to express engaging and interesting as they make the poem relatable to many real life circumstances in today’s society.

            The language that Stevie Smith uses in her poem is casual and easy to read. Unlike many poems, the flow of Smith’s words are somewhat conversational.  The conversational elements in this play are brought out by the use of three different personas: a speaker, the dead man, and an unnamed and unspecific group of outsiders that are meant to represent the dead man’s friends, or perhaps more appropriately, mere acquaintances (Mallot, 2003). They seem to respond to each other by interjecting their thoughts or comments back and forth, both creating an ease in the sentence structure as well as bringing new perspectives, and consequently, further insight, to the reader. This ease in words makes the tone neither too serious nor too casual; rather, the tone is neutral.  The exception to this neutrality is the voice of the dead man who adds an element of sadness. This sadness is felt in his “moaning”, while everyone else speaks with more objectivity and lack of genuine sentiment. For instance, in the second stanza the dead man’s supposed friends are said to say “Poor chap, he always loved larking” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, sec. 10.1). While the words poor chap express an element of sympathy, there is a serious lack of heartfelt emotion over his death.  The lack of emotion adds to the tone of neutrality while also reinforcing the assumption that they are mere acquaintances and not true friends.  As a reader, I can almost imagine these people gossiping in a group about the man’s death before abandoning the topic for a conversation about the weather.  Meanwhile, an outside speaker states that the man’s “moaning” is unheard, suggesting that the speaker is slightly sensitive to it (Clugston, 2010).  Overall, the conversational language of the speaker and the man’s acquaintances, despite slight sensitivity and light sympathy, lack any emotion thus creating a tone of neutrality with underlined sadness that the man’s moaning is not heard and his death is not genuinely cared about.

            Since the tone does not reflect great depth of emotion and significance, the content of her poem becomes ever more important in understanding the underlined issues in the life, and death, of the man. The dying man says that he was “much further out than you thought / And not waving but drowning” (as cited in Clugston, 2010, sec. 10.1), which is symbolic to how he lived while presenting imagery to how he died, simultaneously.  The distance that is mentioned and the reference to drowning tells the reader that the man is out on a frozen lake that he has fallen into. One can surmise that the lake is frozen as his acquaintances are next quoted saying that his heart must have stopped due to the cold (Clugston, 2010). From a distance away a drowning man in the water could easily be misinterpreted as a man waving on top of the ice.  It is the distance between his acquaintances that begin to allude to the isolation that the man must have felt in his life. There is a feeling of yearning to be acknowledged that the man has in his unheard words.  The sense of deafness that the acquaintances have to the dead man is understood as they do not acknowledge his statement that he is “not waving but drowning” by their assumption that he must have been “larking” (joking). Such deafness is metaphorical of the lack of communication and acknowledgement the dead man had in his relationships with others while his physical distance from them is symbolic of the emotional distance from them he must have felt in life (Civello, 1983).  The symbolism of drowning, implying the presence of water that is understood as a symbolism for emotion, conveys the overwhelming emotional turmoil that his isolation causes him. The word “drowning” is also used connotatively as a reference to depression, the inability to help one’s self, and loneliness.  His acquaintances fail to notice that the dying man was “much too far out all my life” (as cited by Clugston, 2010, sec. 10.1), which, in addition to a neutral tone, ignite my sympathy as a reader.  He obviously tried to communicate his needs his whole life but was unable to break through a wall of indifference.

            The theme of this poem is loneliness and silent suffering in today’s society.  This theme is presented by the symbolism and deafness of the dying man’s words and the subsequent lack of genuine sympathy and caring felt by the acquaintances.  The hint of sensitivity that the speaker appears to have makes me, as a reader, sensitive to the theme as well. It is not uncommon for people to feel misunderstood, mute, and distanced from the people in their life. This poem suggests that we as a society ought to examine our relationships and take more consideration of each other. Perhaps the person we think we know, the joker for instance, is hurting inside and seeking to be heard and understood. I am reminded of the many connections that I have made throughout my life. Many friendships were more like acquaintances with very little consideration of one another’s feelings being considered.  Some relationships never went beyond surface level and common courtesy.  Smith’s poem mocks the trite way people relate to each other – often times we are blind to each other’s suffering and needs.

            I am drawn to this poem for the simplicity of the words and the complexity of their many meanings. Just as the imagery in the poem suggests, I imagine the theme of Smith’s poem to be much like a frozen lake: a still and quiet surface that hides what lies beneath.  I would venture to guess that everyone can relate to being misunderstood or feeling alone at some point in their life.  Smith’s use of language, content, and the theme of her poem are effective tools for not just capturing my imagination, but also evoking my sympathies and awareness that this may also be an issue in the lives of those around me. 

 

References

Civello, C. A. (1983). Smith's NOT WAVING BUT DROWNING. Explicator, 42(1), 58 Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.

Clugston, W. R. (2010).  Journey into literature.  San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.  Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books.

Mallot, J. (2003). Not Drowning But Waving: Stevie Smith and the Language of the Lake. Journal Of Modern Literature, 27(1/2), 171-187. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books.