Emily Dickinson portrays death in very different ways in “I Couldn't Stop in the Face of Death” and “I Heard a Funeral in My Brain.” “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is a happier, much lighter portrayal, with the speaker entering the chariot of death and traveling until she is ready to accept her own death. “I Heard a Funeral in My Brain” is a much more morbid approach to death and documents well the speakers' thoughts in their coffin. “I Heard a Funeral in My Brain” and “Why I Couldn't Stop for Death” show how people deal with the moment of their death and their own mortality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Why I Couldn't Stop for Death" describes Death as a carriage or hearse. Death immediately presents itself as the protagonist and fulcrum of the poem, carrying out a human action; stop for someone on the road. Death is obviously not a real person, but in Dickinson's work he is personified as courteous and kind to the speaker. The speaker goes on a journey with death, crossing places four times before stopping. The “We took a break” ties the entire poem together through anaphora, making the reader feel the connection between the speaker and death. When he finally “Pauses,” it is in front of “A house that looked like / A bulge in the ground” which represents a grave. The speaker has finally accepted her death and is ready to move on. “I Heard a Funeral in My Brain” takes a much darker view of death. The entire poem reads almost like a horrible rendition of a church Hymm due to its rhyme scheme and strict adherence to quatrains. Depending on your level of sympathy towards him, you may see the speaker as morbid and obsessed with death, or simply as someone who is going through a traumatic experience against his will. Maybe he just has a terrible headache. When he says "those same lead boots, once again," we get the feeling he's been through something like this before. He can't really decide whether he wants to be around people or not. She is unhappy with all the mourners walking all over her at the beginning of the poem, but in the fourth stanza she associates loneliness with being "broken." He hears the church bells; "As all the Heavens were a Bell,And a Being, but an Ear," but I cannot answer them in any way. He appears to have an understanding of religion, but hates the idea of ​​heaven. Finally the floor collapses "And then a board in the reason, it broke, and I fell down, and down" and she finally loses her thoughts and is able to be at peace. Keep in mind: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although both literary pieces address and explore death in different ways, both are resolved with the death of the speaker. Both “I Heard a Funeral in My Brain” and “Why I Couldn't Stop in the Face of Death” show how people react differently to death.