Read "Because I could not stop for death" by Emily Dickinson. Then, answer the question that follows.
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
We slowly drove—He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility—
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess—in the Ring—
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain—
We passed the Setting Sun—
Or rather—He passed Us—
The Dews drew quivering and Chill—
For only Gossamer, my Gown—
My Tippet—only Tulle—
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground—
The Roof was scarcely visible—
The Cornice—in the Ground—
Since then—'tis Centuries—and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity—
In Dickinson's poem, a carriage is used to symbolize life's journey. What is the contribution of the symbol to the meaning of the text?
a) The carriage is driven by an old man that the speaker knew in childhood but is now a distant friend of her family.
b) The carriage transports the speaker to and from work every day, taking her past all of the same places over and over again.
c) The carriage moves quickly to remind the speaker that she is having a nightmare, and Death is actually nowhere near.
d) The carriage, driven by Death, takes the speaker on a slow ride by locations that represent various life stages, beginning at a schoolyard and ending at a cemetery.