Ch. 1 Sec. 9

How are the speakers of "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" similar? Both fear disapproval by others. Both seem angry and tormented. Both are forthright and confident. Both reject religious feelings.

Both are forthright and confident.

Read the quotation from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." The Carriage held but just Ourselves - And Immortality. What is the effect of the phrase "but just Ourselves" in the lines above? It gives the poem a humble tone. It conveys the personal nature of the speaker's journey. It conveys a sense of sarcasm. It gives the speaker's journey a feeling of loneliness.

It conveys the personal nature of the speaker's journey.

How does the first-person point of view in both "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" help communicate the ideas presented in the poems? It makes the experiences and feelings described easier to sympathize with. It immediately persuades readers to accept each speaker's entire worldview. It makes readers think that they know someone like the speaker. It makes readers think that the poet has personally experienced the events described.

It makes the experiences and feelings described easier to sympathize with.

Read the second stanza of "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church." Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice - I just wear my Wings - And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church, Our little Sexton - sings. What is the effect of the word "surplice," which is a garment worn by the clergy, in this stanza? It reinforces the difference between the natural things the speaker holds dear and the rituals of the church. It reinforces the poet's belief that most people feel the need to attend church. It reinforces the poet's authority by suggesting that she knows quite a bit about religious rituals. It reinforces the speaker's view that great mystery lies at the heart of most religious rituals.

It reinforces the difference between the natural things the speaker holds dear and the rituals of the church.

A clergyman is an official leader within an organized religion. Why does Dickinson call God "a noted Clergyman" in "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"? She is trying to convince readers of the seriousness of her worship. She is expressing her respect for the members of the church clergy. She is poking gentle fun by suggesting that God is the supreme clergy. She is expressing appreciation for those who discuss God with others.

She is poking gentle fun by suggesting that God is the supreme clergy.

In "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church," why does the speaker say that she has "an Orchard, for a Dome" in the first stanza? She is suggesting that she has made her house into a church. She is suggesting that one can appreciate God only through nature. She is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church. She is suggesting that only she is able to view the natural world as sacred.

She is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church.

Read the quotation from "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church." And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church, Our little Sexton - sings. What is the most likely reason for the poet to oppose the phrases "tolling the Bell" and "sings" in these lines? The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option. The poet is hinting that religious worship should be considered a gloomy and serious activity. The poet is suggesting that those who worship in nature are more formal than those who worship in church. The poet is contrasting her attitude about religion with her feelings about the natural world, which remains largely unappreciated.

The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.

How are the speakers' sense of goals different in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"? The speaker in the former knows exactly what her goal is, while the speaker in the latter believes that she has already achieved it. The speaker in the former thinks that she may never reach her goal, while the speaker in the latter is far more confident. The speaker in the former is not interested in achieving a goal, while the speaker in the latter is passionately interested. The speaker in the former views her goal as intangible, while the speaker in the latter considers her goal as too distant to achieve.

The speaker in the former knows exactly what her goal is, while the speaker in the latter believes that she has already achieved it.

Read the lines from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility - What is the purpose of the words "labor" and "leisure"? They are aspects of life that frustrate the speaker. They are elements of life that the speaker wants to show Death. They are aspects of life that the speaker is leaving. They are elements of life that the speaker will not miss.

They are aspects of life that the speaker is leaving.

How do the settings of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" differ? Traveling in the former represents a journey toward death, while the setting of the latter shows that the speaker is well grounded. The landscape in the former represents a worshipful attitude toward nature, while the natural setting is only symbolic in the latter. The setting of the former is separate from the poem's themes, while the setting of the latter is merely a backdrop for a larger theme. The countryside setting in the former creates a dreamlike mood, while the setting of the latter creates a mood of artificial happiness.

Traveling in the former represents a journey toward death, while the setting of the latter shows that the speaker is well grounded.