Question: Discuss two poets" treatment of similar and different theme(s) in the poems you have studied in the course.
"Because I Could Not Stopped for Death" by Emily Dickinson and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost are the poems that I have chosen for this assignment. This essay will analyse the treatment of language and style by both poets in conveying theme for each poem.
Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. In "Because I could not Stopped for Death", Dickinson provides detailed information and description of feelings when she expresses her vision of her own death. The poem is about journey after life which is inevitable and may be unpleasant. In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", the poem deals with one's responsibilities and obligations in the journey of life before death occur. The speaker is caught between his desire to remain still, by the serene beauty of the woods and his contrasting need to live, to return to his responsibilities. (DiYanni, Robert.1990).
Dickinson shows that death does not need to be painful. Her poem maintains a peaceful tone by using words like "slowly" and "passed". Few lines in the poem set a silence and dreamy atmosphere. For instance,.
"We slowly drove-He knew no haste"//.
"We passed the School, where Children strove".
"We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain-".
"We passed the Setting Sun-".
Repetition of the word "passed" for several times show that in her journey towards the eternity, she gradually leaves behind her legacy. As for Frost, an essential element of his style is diction. He uses everyday words that we would use in conversation. According to Richard Gray, Frost's poem moves from a more conversational tone to the charming effect that characterizes the ending. The language does demonstrate this change: from the colloquial.
"Whose woods these are I think I know.