PUB #4

 Mehmet Antapli

Professor Brady
Literature For the Soul/EGL 102
May 9, 2023

" What Will Your Verse Be?"

W.H. Auden's poetry "Stop All the Clocks" and Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" both address the subject of loss and mourning. According to the speaker in Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," "the carriage held but just ourselves / And Immortality" (lines 3–4), suggesting that death is a universal experience that all people must go through regardless of their position in life. Similar to this, in "Stop All the Clocks," the speaker emphasizes how much they loved the departed by claiming in line 9 that "He was my North, my South, my East and West" (Auden). The speakers in both poems struggle with the reality of death and the hole left by their loved ones, evoking a sense of finality and sadness.

In contrast, the lyrics to Eric Clapton's song "Tears in Heaven" reveal that the song also addresses the subject of loss and grief: "Would you know my name / If I saw you in heaven?" (lines 1-2). The speaker wonders if their departed loved one will still remember them (Clapton). The words "I must be strong / And carry on" (lines 8–9) show that the speaker is prepared to move forward and find healing despite their loss, unlike the poems, which also contain a feeling of optimism and redemption (Clapton).

The poems' and the song's tones as well as their approaches to grieving are different. The speakers adopt a melancholy and gloomy tone in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Stop All the Clocks," using weighty images and somber language. Dickinson emphasizes the stillness and finality of death in his poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," where the speaker says, "We slowly drove, he knew no haste / And I had put away / My labor, and my leisure too" (lines 5-7). Similarly, in "Stop All the Clocks," the speaker orders that "the stars are not wanted now: put out every one; / Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun" (lines 13–14), creating a gloomy and dreary picture of their world without their loved one (Auden). With its delicate guitar riffs and quieter voices, "Tears in Heaven" has a more somber and reflective vibe.

Overall, while the songs "Tears in Heaven" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and the poetry "Stop All the Clocks" all address the subject of grief and loss, they do so in various ways. While the music combines a sense of optimism and salvation, the poems express a sense of finality and loss. The songs' tone is quiet and reflective, with softer melodies and voices, in contrast to the poetry' melancholy and gloomy tone, weighty imagery, and solemn language. All three pieces, however, show how poetry and music have the ability to express and encapsulate nuanced feelings and experiences.