Emily Dickinson and E. E. Cummings

Before I actually read "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson I made a connection with "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Surprisingly enough, when I did read through the poem my theory seemed more plausible. I figured you can think of Arnold Friend as a form of personified Death instead of merely a modern day monster come to kidnap Connie. There's fear in death just as Connie was frightened by Arnold Friend. There's no escape from death. Connie attempted to phone for help, but to no avail. In the end Death is "gonna get you, baby" even if you try to pass him by being busy with labor, leisure, or spending time with friends at the shopping plaza and drive-in restaurant. If you won't stop for him, he'll stop by for you. He'll show up with his carriage or gold jalopy for a date with death. I found it interesting that there are three passengers in the carriage/jalopy. Death (Arnold Friend), Death's date/Poet (Connie), and Immortality (Ellie). The poet only mentioned Immortality once focusing more on Death similar to how Connie paid little attention to Ellie and more focused on Arnold Friend. Course I guess when Death comes a knockin on your door there may be a tendency to think little of the immortality after your last breath and focus more on the fear of leaving this earth to the unknown.

Moving away from Emily Dickinson, E. E. Cummings' poem "in Just" sheds more light on the innocent caught in the Devil's trick. In this case the villain is the lame, old, goat-footed balloonman. Judging by the activities: game of marbles, playing as pirates, jump roping and hop-scotching, Eddie, Bill, Betty and Disbel are depicted as children lured in by the devilish balloonman's trap. Discussing in class, Professor Sexson revealed that cloven hooves could be in Arnold Friend's boots. Another similarity with balloonman is that Arnold Friend is also an older man. He's at least 15 years older than the innocent, teen Connie. By depicting the villain as older and his victims as younger children, it definitely amplifies the innocence at stake how disturbing and foul are the acts of the villain. It's programmed into human nature to find the trickery or harm of children more vile due to their helplessness and unawareness to danger as well as their innocence.