In Emily Dickinson's famous poem, Death is a polite gentleman who stops his carriage to take the speaker on a slow, calm ride toward eternity. This free worksheet has the full poem with numbered lines, vocabulary, five discussion questions, a writing prompt and an answer key. No signup needed.
Grades 9–12 · Common Core RL.9-10.4, RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.5 · US Letter PDF, with an answer key on the last page
What’s on the worksheet
Dickinson wrote the poem around 1862–63; it was first published in 1890, after her death, under the title "The Chariot." This worksheet uses that 1890 version, which has five four-line stanzas in ballad meter (alternating lines of four and three beats). Later editions restore Dickinson's original wording and a sixth stanza that the 1890 editors left out.
Vocabulary
- civility: politeness, courtesy
- haste: hurry, speed
- leisure: free time for rest or enjoyment
- immortality: endless life; living forever
- gazing: staring, looking steadily
- cornice: a decorative ledge along the top of a building
- surmised: guessed
Discussion questions
- How is Death described in the first two stanzas? Why might Dickinson make him kind instead of frightening?
- What three things do they pass in stanza 3? What stages of life might they stand for?
- In stanza 2, what has the speaker "put away"? What does this suggest about her attitude toward the journey?
- What is the "house" in stanza 4?
- In the final stanza, how much time has passed, and what does the speaker finally realize?
Writing prompt
Choose an abstract idea (Time, Fear, Luck, Sleep) and write a poem of 3–4 stanzas in which it appears as a person who takes you somewhere.
The answer key is included in the PDF, on its own page for teachers.