Contrasting Dickinson: The Differences Between Hope and Death There is a life in Emily Dickinsons poems, readers have

found. Although one may not completely understand her as a legend, a writer, or as a part of literature books, she is considered one of Americas greatest poets. While unknown answers may not be revealed about her, secrets may not be told, nor any new discoveries made, evidence from books and articles showing Emily Dickinsons experiences and hardships exist. One can also ask, how can she write of lifes experiences that she never experienced for herself as a hermit? In her poems Hope is the Thing with Feathers (314) and Because I could not stop for Death (479), not only does she explore the concept of hope, but also the experience of death; both of these aspects of life differ greatly. Not only are they emotional opposites, but also different animals are used in both poems, times of day also diverge, and death is very demanding, whereas hope is giving. In the first place, death is usually seen as a somber and negative experience; in Dickinsons poem number 479, she lightens the experience through the personification of death itself as being a suitor instead of the stereotypical phantom-like being carrying a scythe: Because I could not stop for Death-/ He kindly stopped for me-/ The Carriage held but just ourselves-/ And Immortality (1-4). This shows that the miracle of life is our most precious possession and promises the gift of unending life. Immortalitys presence helps to remove fears as we exit the physical world and provides the victim with the necessary assistance to assure that the transition from reality to spirituality is a pleasant experience. Pursuing this further, in her contrasting poem number 314, it has a light and airy feel by comparing hope with a bird by personifying it and giving it feathers: Hope is the thing with feathers-/ That perches in the soul-/ And sings the tune without the words-/ And never stops- at all (1-4). In this quote, Dickinson could be implying that hope has the ability to lift someone up, or to heaven. Birds have feathers and therefore, are able to fly upward; this shows you that with hope, someone could get closer to heaven, or happiness. Hope is something that can lift someone's soul or spirit up, in contrast to the idea of death. The second stanza depicts hopes continuous presence, whereas in poem 479, death is eternal and permanent. Dickinson is also ironic by stating that hopes most comforting song is heard during a gale, a horrible windstorm when she says, And sweetest- in the Gale- is heard-/ And sore must be the storm-/ Could abash the little Bird/ That kept so many warm (5-9). The interesting use of the word sweetest illustrates that hope is at its ultimate best during lifes worse moments. It is hard to deny that two different animals are depicted in both of these poems. In

poem 479, Dickinson is riding in a carriage that the reader can assume is horse-drawn. According to Celtic belief, the horse represents war, whether it be internal or within surroundings. One can suggest that death in its entirety is a war that we constantly fight out of fear, thus the horse leading Dickinson into the fight she is afraid of; and, as mentioned, we can assume that there is a horse dragging the carriage when she says, We slowly drove- He knew no haste (5). This suggests the pace of the horse, as it is not rushing. Even though it is possible there were cars at the time, for symbolic purposes, in literature, a horse usually follows death. Dickinson also brings up the horse in the end of her poem when she says, I first surmised the Horses Head-/ Were towards Eternity (23-24). This is when she remembers noticing the horse for the first time, and accepts the fact that she has reached her end. Since Ancient Greece, because of a birds connection to the sky, they have been thought of as a mystical link between heaven and earth; Middle Eastern and Asian cultures often speak of birds as symbols of immortality as well. Birds are also signs of freedom, where they can travel and displace themselves on a whim. In connection with poem 314, the bird symbolism is used to represent that hope is somewhat immortal. Dickinson goes on to state that even a gale could not deflate hope as it is with you constantly and is there to help you through lifes troubles: sore must be the storm-/ That could abash the little Bird/ That kept so many warm (6-8). This also

gives a comforting characteristic to hope as it keeps people warmhearted or safe when they have hope. In these situations, the concepts of night and day are distinct in differentiation. In poem 479, we can easily see that it is night, or at least sundown when Dickinson says, We passed the setting sun (12). Darkness is usually associated with death, so it makes sense that Dickinson would have used this imagery to convey her point. The concept of being cold is both associated with night, and death. In the poem, Dickinson claims that she is cold, and then notices that she is dressed more for a wedding than a carriage ride: The Dews drew quivering and Chill-/ For only Gossamer, my Gown-/ My tippet- only Tulle (14-16). The way she is dressed also alludes to the fact that she has passed on, as when people die, they are dressed up in their best clothes, only to be buried in the later. Contrastingly, the allusion of light is shown throughout Dickinsons poem 314. Hope on its own creates a positive feeling, and also the bird that sings the tune without the words-/ And never stops at all (3-4) creates a positive feeling of a bright sunny day and the birds singing. The notion that the birds song can still be heard in a dreadful storm also alludes to its strength and optimistic connotations (5-9). In addition, one can easily suggest that death is very demanding physically and

emotionally. Within poem 479, death brings the author on a rather long journey that for her seemed only to last a day, albeit had been centuries (21-22). The journey, as she tells it was long: We passed the School, where Children strove/ At Recess- in the Ring-/ We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain-/ We passed the Setting Sun-/ Or Rather- He passed Us (9-13). This just goes to show that their journey is going by so slowly that even the sun is setting faster than they are moving. In contrast, hope, according to Dickinson, doesnt exert much effort from us, except for belief. This is evident when she states that, never- in Extremity, It asked a crumb- of me (11-12). She is suggesting that hope and faith are not demanding, like death. It does not require preparation mentally or physically. Also, hope, like the birds song, never stops - at all (4), where as death is abrupt, or possibly stretched over a long period of time for some. In final consideration, it is easy to see how both of Emily Dickinsons poems differ. Nevertheless, we must ask ourselves, are we really prepared or ready for either death or hope to come rushing into our lives? Is hope just a figment of our imaginations that we believe exists and it is really just our self-determination that gets us through tough situations? Personally, death sneaks up on unsuspecting people, and hope is just something that we as humans have imagined in order to be able to deal with rough situations. Although, some do suggest that hope is ethereal, you need not speak it to have it, nor see it and hope never asks for anything in return.

Works Cited Dickinson, Emily. "Poem 314." The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Shorter Ed. Julia New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. 722. Dickinson, Emily. "Poem 479." The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Shorter Ed. Julia Reidhead. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. 726. Reidhead.

http://www.bignerds.com/papers/39374/Comparing-Emily-Dickinson-s-Poetry/