1. A ballad is a poem that narrates a story. One characteristic of a ballad is that it follows abcb rhyme scheme and it is written in quatrains. Dickinson uses slant rhyme in her poem to follow the rhyme scheme in most of her poem.
Example: Me and immortality; away and civility
On the other hand, Dickinson is narrating a story in which death (personification) stops to pick her up and take her on a journey.
"Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me "
In the journey they pass through a school (3rd quatrain), some fields (3d quatrain), a grave (5th quatrain).
2. The relationship of the speaker and the character Death is civil. In the second quatrain the speaker reminds the reader of death's civility. However, the mood that is set in the poem is rather sad and nostalgic. Death is a gentleman by taking the speaker on a journey through the main stages in one's life. The speaker ends up being sympathetic to Death, and Death is kind to the speaker as shown in the first quatrain. One is too busy to stop for Death, but the speaker who shows no resistance to embark on a journey with him.
