Perspectives of Death

There are many different ways that people describe death. Some people may view it as a very dark, dreary occurrence that happens to you when you are ill or sick, or even old. Other people may view it as a very calm experience that happens to you when you are not meant to be on the earth anymore. These two definitions and many more are totally correct, it is all up to the way you grew up and your beliefs. The two Emily Dickenson poems, “I heard a Fly buzz-when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death-” are both about death but they are totally different in setting, certainty, and whether the narrator was viewing death from the past or as the narrator was experiencing it.

These two poems were different in setting by where they took place. The poem, “I heard a Fly buzz-when I died” took place inside the narrator’s house. The narrator was surrounded by family and friends. In this poem, the narrator was on his death bed about to die. The poem, “Because I could not stop for Death-” took place outside, as the narrator was with death itself. In this poem, the narrator had already experienced dieing. The narrator knew everything that was occurring and felt very peaceful when these things were occurring.

These two poems were also very different in certainty. In the poem, “I heard a Fly buzz-when I died” the narrator was very uncertain with what was going to happen. The narrator had no idea what was up for him next. The narrator was just waiting anxiously for the next thing to happen. In the poem, “Because I could not stop for Death-” the