Because I Could Not Stop For Death

1. Gossamer: a gauzy form of material; Tippet: a scarf or headdress; Tulle: Fine silk; Surmised: to suppose something is true without having evidence to support it. 
2. In line seven, the woman says she has put away her labor and leisure, meaning her work and spare time for this date with death. She is going on a carriage ride with death, and the poem is saying that she has stopped worrying about her former life because she will never be returning to it, so she just enjoys Death's gracious company. It is ironic to use the words "Kindly" and "Civility" because they aren't words one would usually use to speak of Death, but in this case, he is appearing to her as a handsome suitor, therefore her strange choice of words make sense. The situation this woman is in is almost comical in the sense that not only does she say that Death is good and friendly, he is also there as a striking man, which gives the whole concept of passing on a very seductive feel. As I mentioned above, Death is being personified as a handsome suitor taking her away in his carriage. 
3. In the first two lines, the speaker talks about children playing at recess- a strangely normal scene for this poem. The poet might be trying to make a statement about the normalcy of Death, and how it is very similar to life in a way. The children playing are a symbol for life because of how youthful and energetic the poet has made them out to be, and this image gives a striking contrast to the otherwise dark idea. In the second two lines, the female character describes a field of grain and the setting sun. One of these lines has the same purpose of the children. In the same way that kids are a symbol of life, so is grain- it's nourishment and a symbol for fertility, two things that death could never be. The "settling sun", on the other hand, may be something a bit darker because the setting sun is representing the end of a day, and also the end of her life. 
4. The image itself is a harmless one, but given the situation it's in, it becomes very eery. The way it's described, "A Swelling of the Ground"and "The Cornice - in the Ground", makes it seem unnatural in the way that the Earth shouldn't be able to grow a house, and therefore it is unwanted. In my opinion, this is highlighting the idea of living in the ground for all eternity- as in Death. This is one point in the poem where the woman is really coming to the realization that she will never return to her old life.
5. She is saying that, in Death, time ceases to matter. Even though this day was hundreds of years ago, it seems a shorter time than one day. That experience was so lofty, so chalk-full of insight, that it felt like it took years to complete her carriage ride when, in fact, it was only a day. This might be representing the idea that time ceases to exist when you die, but I think she was just reminiscing on how Death was such a powerful experience. 
6. In line 13, it changes how you view the poem. The first read through I didn't catch it, but the whole poem is in motion, always moving forward as it should since it's describing a journey...except this one line. In this line, the poem is suddenly stopping to let the sun end their journey, and then in the next stanza, they pause for the first time at a small, overgrown house. Up until line 13, they were continuously heading to the end of the poem. 
7. Where the words start with the same letters, those lines seem to represent a key factor in the poem. In stanza, three "At Recess - in the Ring -", "Gazing Grain", "Setting Sun"are all images that can be used to further interpret the poem, and the alliterations make them stand out in your mind. One key example was "The Dews drew quivering and chill -" this is the coming of night, and since she only has a thin cover to keep her warm, she is unprepared for the weather. This represents how she was unprepared for Death's journey/Death in general, and this alliteration highlights that.