One Dignity Delays for All, Emily Dickinson: Summary & Analysis
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"ONE DIGNITY DELAYS FOR ALL" by Emily Dickinson contemplates the universal human experience of death and the dignity that awaits every individual. The poem reflects on the idea that death is an inevitable equalizer, bestowing the same dignity upon all who face it. Dickinson employs vivid imagery and contrasts to convey the transformative power of death, turning simple individuals into regal figures. The poem invites readers to consider the shared fate of mortality and the dignified acceptance of its inevitability. ONE DIGNITY DELAYS FOR ALL
One dignity delays for all,
One mitred afternoon.
None can avoid this purple,
None evade this crown.
Coach it insures, and footmen,
Chamber and state and throng ;
Bells, also, in the village,
As we ride grand along.
What dignified attendants,
What service when we pause !
How loyally at parting
Their hundred hats they raise !
How pomp surpassing ermine,
When simple you and I
Present our meek escutcheon,
And claim the rank to die ! Summary &q…