First Draft to Published

by Rebecca Camarena Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Because I could not stop for Death” written in 1862, could be considered an examination of one’s own conscience in preparation for death after a long life. Dickinson was greatly affected by death and had friends and loved one’s who died early in their life probably due to diseases, sickness or injury. When she wrote the poem in 1862 the country was in the midst of the “Civil War”, so while the political aspect of the war was not a major theme in her poetry, dying as a result of war had a major impact on the country and quite possibly her poetry. The speaker examines her life with death at her side. Maybe, the speaker is not quite ready to die and thus the opening line in the first stanza, “Because I could not stop for death he kindly stopped for me” and also, the mention of her state of dress, “For only Gossamer, my Gown – My Tippet – Only Tulle,” give us the image of the speaker being in her night clothes with a light wrap around her should...