Topic > Contemplating Mortality: The Poetic Visions of Dickinson and Tennyson

The poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “Song: Tears, Idle Tears” dramatize different attitudes toward human mortality. The theme of mortality is analyzed in the poem "Song: Tears, Idle Tears" showing the poet's fascination with the death of loved ones, while the poem "Because I could not stop for death" is about the poet experiencing death itself. Literary devices such as personification, imagery, diction, and structure are used effectively to convey the different aspects of death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the poem “Why I Could Not Stop for Death,” Dickinson uses the structure of the poem to convey a strong theme of mortality. It is an allegory that deals with a dark topic in a light tone. The poem is written in six stanzas made up of quatrains that follow a hymn-like iambic tetrameter and this regular structure represents how death is a natural and inevitable process. There is an arithmetic pattern in the poem, where the syllables in each line alternate from 6 to 8, which establishes a rhythm in the poem giving it an upbeat tone. While “Song: Tears, Idle Tears” is a blank verse poem which gives it a plaintive tone. The poem has four stanzas of five lines that each end with “the days that are no more,” similar to the way life ends in death. The parallel ending represents death as a continuous idea. Similar to Dickinson's poem, this one also has a regular structure which shows that the poet accepts the morality of human beings. The poet connects his ideas together with alliteration and quasi-rhymes that give the reader feelings of contentment and wholeness towards the poem. Both poems are written in first person narrative, which is insightful as the reader gets to look into Dickinson's mind in the midst of her death, as Tennyson's feelings over the loss of a loved one are shown. The poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” ” and “Song: Tears, Idle Tears” reflect on the passage of time during life. The first verse suggests that Dickinson wasn't quite ready to die yet. The poet uses personification to portray death as a disturbing yet inviting friend. The caesura emphasizes the word 'stop', conforming to the theme of morality described throughout the poem “The carriage held but only ourselves”, the carriage symbolizes the passage to death and is capitalized to show its importance. This shows how the poet considers death an essential part of life and presents it as something not to be afraid of. The caesura between the last two lines “And immortality” shows how, although mortality is with them in the carriage, it is still separate. The carriage personifies immortality as it is transportation to the afterlife. It might also suggest that Dickinson isn't getting closer to immortality, but her work is. The poem "Song: Tears, Idle Tears" implies that the poet's tears are useless as they will not bring back the past. The word "inactive" suggests that the tears are not caused by an immediate reason. “Depth of some divine desperation,” is an oxymoron since divine means similar to God, but desperation connotes sin. This demonstrates the magnitude of the discouragement. The poet remembers his past and tries to point out how he cannot relive his past. In “Rise in the heart and gather in the eyes,” the direct image of tears insinuates that tears are a symbol of sincerity. The use of personification in the next verse, “happy autumn fields,” reveals that the tears come from memories. Also.