Whatever I see, I swallow immediately.
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
Dickinson and Thomas paint a very different picture of death and spirituality in their poetry.
Another theme which is often expressed in the writing of both poets is the cycle of one’s life. In the third stanza of ‘Because I could not stop for Death’,
We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
She describes a carriage ride in which she is escorted by death, a journey from life to death and ‘eternity’. The imagery of “the school, where Children strove/ At Recess, in the Ring” implies childhood and youth. The ‘Ring’ is reminiscent of the cyclical nature of life. She then passes the “fields of Grazing Grains,” symbolic of adulthood, both fertility and hard work. Finally, they pass “the setting sun” which represents age and the passing of time; the beginning of the end of her life. Dylan Thomas also shares this vision; evident in all of his poetry is the cycle of decay and rebirth, none more so than in his poem 'Fern Hill'. Represented by the 'green grass', in his youth he is innocent and free, the innocence of the 'Garden of Eden' forming an association with the 'apple boughs'. The passing of time is illustrated by the flowing rivers and stars turning overhead. He describes adulthood as an awakening. A biblical allusion referring to 'Adam and Eve' is employed to describe the acquisition of knowledge and end of innocence. Finally, in the last stanza a 'green and dying' man is illustrated, rife with regret of his wasted childhood. Although he 'sung in [his] chains like the sea', he could not escape the 'force' and died, raging 'against the dying of the light'. Although the cyclical nature of life is present in the poetry of both Dickinson and Thomas, each has a different view concerning the actual death of one’s earthly body and spiritual afterlife. Both however accept that one can not escape death.
Many people fear death, it is often seen as a tragic end to one’s life and hence much time, effort and money is invested in prolonging life. Dylan Thomas seems to share this fear of the ‘unknown’ and in his poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ he urges all men, those who are wise, wild, grave or good, not to go quietly, but struggle with a fiery intensity. Conversely, Emily Dickinson is accepting of death, as expressed in ‘Because I could not stop for Death’. Her acceptance of death allows her to calmly lay aside her 'labor and [her] leisure too’ willingly accompanying death to her grave, despite the fact that she may have things she still wishes to accomplish. She describes her grave, an image which usually carries a negative connotation, as ‘a house that seemed/ A swelling of the ground’. In her poem ‘Drowning is not so pitiful’ she advises us not to resist drowning, or fight death, rather allow it to take us gently. She reminds us that though we fear death, our ascension to heaven is assured and that we will face 'the maker's cordial visage'. Her religious belief allows her to overcome her fear of 'drowning'. To resist is 'pitiful' and shows only a lack of faith. In this, the greatest contrast between the beliefs of
Death, life and immortality are major thematic concerns of both Emily Dickinson and Dylan Thomas. However, their interpretation of death differs greatly. Whilst Thomas seems engrossed in a struggle with death and immortality,