A View of The Spooky Features Evident in Edgar Allan Poe’s- Annabel Poem and Emily Dickson’s- I Could not Stop for Death

In the poem Annabel Lee, the poem revolves around a very dark setting and story. One gothic element that is represented in the poem is Mystery. The narrator himself is a mystery because we do not know the true identity of this young boy. Annabel Lee’s death is also a mystery as it states that a “chilling wind” had killed her. The story itself is a mystery as to what happened in their “kingdom by the sea.” Another gothic element is the Explained Supernatural that is shown through the description of “angels” and “demons” around the sea. The supernatural is symbolized by the belief of the heavens and how the angels watch over from above as the demons hunt below.

Gothic elements are also seen in the poem Because I could not stop for Death, by Emily Dickinson. The poem is about a women being pulled in by Death in the form of a wealthy man as they casually stroll through a town in a peaceful setting. We are then informed that she has been dead for many years already and this past event was a memorable one for her. Like Annabel Lee, this story also has the gothic element of Mystery. The carriage and the women itself are a mystery as to why Death had taken her on such a ride to her own grave. Another gothic element that appears in the poem is Cemetery when she is slowly and peacefully brought to her grave. Death brings the women through a final journey of peace before her death so that she can rest in peace at her gravestone that they arrive to.