Motif of the Poem

From the beginning of the poem, death is a

term used by Emily Dickinson to tell us about
the motif of it. Throughout the poem,
Dickinson depicts what happens before,
during, and after death in her fluid and unique
manner. In Emily Dickinsons poem, she
addresses death as an imminent part of the
cycle of life.

 The second motif we see in the poem is time.

As portrayed by the speed of the carriage in
the poem, time plays a very important role in
the processes leading up to death.
The passing of time during different
circumstances is shown many times
throughout Because I Could Not Stop for
Death

 One example of time in this poem is how the

speaker refers to time after his or her death.
This is shown when the speaker says, Since
then-tis Centuries-and yet/Feels shorter than
the Day
The speaker says since her death, it has been
centuries, yet it seems even shorter than a
day.