Comparison of death in Annabel Lee and Because I could not stop for Death
Q 10
Both the poems Annabel lee and Because I could not stop for death have depicted the aspect of death. Through Anabel lee, Poe drives through the theme of death with a love story. The narrator fell in love with Anabel Lee a long time ago. He describes their love that began at an early age and grew over time. From the poem, their love is so strong that the angel is envious of them. According to the narrator, the angels were responsible for her death as they were jealous of the intense bond they shared. Even in her death, the narrator still explores their love. He confesses how he loves her. He believes that their souls are still in love. He goes ahead to describe their escaped in his dream where he sees into her eyes. He also lies down by her side in the tomb by the sea.
Through the poem, Because I could not stop for death, the author explores the theme of death. Dickson further creates a personification for death; he explored the inevitability of death. She also focuses on the ideas surrounding what happens after death. She describes the death of a woman who is in love with this person death. Even though she does not go looking for death, death comes to her, meaning that death is inevitable when the time is right. The woman supposed hops in for a ride with death probably headed for a journey afterlife. Through the poem, it is not clear whether the woman is already dead or she is walking a path to her death. The journey through which they embark has been described as full of fantasy. The author brings out her death as something that happened due to natural causes though strange, and there was no way out, it had to happen.
In the poem, Because I could not stop death, the woman who falls in love with the personification of death does not seem to be alive as the poem begins. It appears as if she is already in her death as she moves around with her lover death. It takes her through a ride exploring the outer life and revealing how death feels like. On the other hand, in the poem, Annabel Lee, the woman is still alive from the begging of the poem. She is lively and is happy with her lover. From a younger age, she is in love with the narrator, and they go about their business to even make the angels jealousy. According to Dickson, “I was a child, and she was a child, in this kingdom by the sea” line 7-8. The woman was vibrant and alive.
Death in the poem, Because I could not stop death, has been depicted to be inevitable. When timing is right, it will show up for you. The woman had no idea of her death when the personified death came for her offering a ride. According to Dickson, “Because I ould not stop for death- he kindly stopped for me” line 1-2. She had no option but to move in and ride in. She seemed tricked to join in the ride, but she does. It highlights that death is inevitable, and it shows up unannounced. As for the poem, Annabel Lee, her death is a result of jealousy. It was ignited by something which, according to the narrator, is the envy the angels felt for them. The jealousy was as a result of the love they had for each other. In this case, it means that if they were not in love by then, then the woman would still be alive, and she would have escaped death.
The poem Because I could not stop death, reveals an afterlife after death. The woman who was visited by death goes through a fantastical journey described in the poem. It seems like the mark of a new life where she starts to explore life again with death as her guide. As Dickson highlights, “We slowly drove-He knew no haste-“line 5. It indicates that the woman was taken a journey. It also signifies that life has to go on for the rest of the people left behind. This is revealed through her environment where children are headed to school to study as they pass across by their carriage. On the other hand, the poem, Annabel Lee, the author does not explore the whereabouts of the narrator’s woman. It only indicates the narrator’s feelings towards her death. The narrator believes that their souls are intertwined; hence their love still blossoms. However, it does depict people still continue with their life even after the death of someone. Like the narrator is left with memories of the late.
In the poem, Because I could not stop for death, death has been depicted as being kind to people. The persona’s death acts very cautiously with the woman. He actually drove himself to her place and picked her up by the doorstep. He used a carriage, which signified royalty those days, and according to the narrator, death drove her around very carefully. He took her to places she knew to have a second hence at seeing the land she lived in. He showed her love for the very last moment. In contrast, the poem, Annabel Lee, death has been portrayed as something cruel that comes to ruin good things. The narrator says his love and Annabel was unbreakable and so strong. Death prevented them from being together like they were used to. A jealous angel has used it as a form of punishment. As Poe says it, “The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, Went envying her and me—, Yes!—that was the reason” line 1-23. It is evident that death is cruel in this.
Work Cited
Dickson, Emily. “Because I Could Not Stop For Death – (479) By… | Poetry Foundation”. Poetry Foundation, 2015, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “Annabel Lee By Edgar Allan Poe | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation, 2020, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44885/annabel-lee.