The Dead

“Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson (1890)

Emily Dickinson’s poem uses personification to present death not as a state of being but as a sapient force who is an amiable and gentlemanly companion. Like Mitchell’s “The Dead,” Dickinson’s work raises larger questions about the relationship the dead have with the living.

• “Because I could not stop for Death” on SuperSummary

“Two Thoughts of Death” by Countee Cullen (1926)

Countee Cullen’s dual poem takes an alternate perspective from the living speaker looking toward the inevitability of death; though, like Mitchell’s poem, it hints at the experiences of those who will be left behind.

“Dear Lovely Death” by Langston Hughes (1931)

Renowned poet Langston Hughes examines death as a process of change from one state of being to another.

“The Bear” by Susan Mitchell (1983)

This poem and “The Dead” appear in the same collection, The Water Inside The Water. Both poems explore an othered perspective, following the passage of time.

“The Dead” by Billy Collins (2002)

This poem by American poet laureate Billy Collins shares a title and core theme with Susan Mitchell’s “The Dead.