Race for Death
"I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity (Dickinson 19-20"
The two ending lines are very powerful to this poem. Dickinson talks about the cycle of life and stages within it, but at the very end, it's like she shows the end of the race, the "horses' heads" are what cross the finish line first as they head for the finish line or "toward eternity."
It seems ironic that Dickinson would compare the path to death to a race. There aren't too many people who want to willingly race to death. That is an unusual perception.
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Your insight is great, relating the carriage ride with Death toward eternity. I hadn't thought of it in that manner before, but you are absolutely right. People may not intentionally realize that they race toward Death, but rushing through life can be seen as the same thing. Sometimes you simply need to take a step (or sit) back and let the road take you where it will.