Death is the mere termination of life, an execution of breath. For some an escape whereas for others a catastrophic affair. For those who believe in the existence of a god, their destination is determined by the creator, where their fate lies between heaven and hell. Emily Dickinson’s faith was a controversial subject but it is known she had come from a Christian background. Her poems encompass biblical references which link to god. In ‘I heard a fly buzz’ and ‘I could not stop for death’ she talks about the ‘trivial’ matter of death, and explores death in a new light.
She shows it in a positive way which suggests she was optimistic about death and didn’t see it as something to frown upon as it’s a natural event and sometimes the answer to all suffering and difficulties that life bares. ‘I heard a fly buzz’ consists of four stanza’s, with an identical number of lines. Dickinson uses capitals in specific words throughout the poem. This creates a distress on the rhythm of the poem, however it also draws the reader’s attention to these words, this connotes that Dickinson felt the need to emphasise the words as they have a great significance in the poem.
She also repeats the words ‘stillness’ and ‘room’, both words entwine and reflect the lifeless mood in the poem. The various dashes represent her life flashing before her eyes and creates a breathing effect. The last dash depicts her last breath of life. ‘Because I could not stop for death’ consists of six stanza’s with also an equal number of lines. Dickinson uses the words ‘we passed’ continuously to show her movement in life. Her life’s evolving rather than ending, and she isn’t alone in death.
The Essay on Sense Of Loss Death Life Words
He did not steal into my room like a common thief, though that was his nature. He was sitting there as if he was always there, taking little heed to his surroundings. His presence in the room was an assault to my sense of security, yet his smile never portrayed this intention. Like a child he did not really comprehend the repercussions of his actions. His physical features, clothing, even his ...
She’s trying to inform us that death isn’t as lonely as people percept; it’s a reality that people need to come to terms with. She also uses alliteration, ‘gazing grain’ she feels as if people are watching her, however it’s ironic that she’s dead hence not being able to be seen by the human eye. ‘Death did not wait for me’ starts with a person answering a question about death. Narrating their journey; after death encapsulated her and ‘kindly stopped’ for her.
During the poem Dickinson personifies death and gives it human characteristics showing us that death is normal and shouldn’t be seen as an outcast. I get the impression that the narrator is now an ‘immortal’ ghost living in another dimension which is ‘eternity’. The narrator watches the scenes before her but she cannot intervene only watch the world pass her by. In ‘I heard a fly buzz’ she describes her death in depth and illuminates her surroundings. People are awaiting her death they have all finished crying “The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –“and are preparing for her final moments.
In the poem she is reflecting back on her life and uses the movement of the fly to depict to us the freedom that comes with death. The small fly is juxtaposed with the almighty powerful king. The diminutive fly and the king could be a metaphor for the narrator and god, about how her life’s in god’s hand. He can end it without a second glance. The room represents the stillness and isolation whereas the fly buzzing contrasts and brings sound to the dreary image created in our head. ‘Between the light and me’ shows that she’s between two places, heaven and hell waiting for her dictator.
Both poems are showing us that death shouldn’t be feared; instead you should embrace in its glory as death is inevitable. In ‘I heard a fly buzz’ the narrator gives themselves to the unknown and awaits the afterlife. Towards the end of the poem the person is dying and her eyes are failing hence death has captured her. In ‘because I could not stop for death’ the narrator has a companionship with death and shows us that death is not evil and he’s not rushing to take lives away ‘he knew no haste’ he’s considerate and doesn’t want to do it, but its something that has to be done.
The Term Paper on Emily Dickinson’s Death Poems
Emily Dickinson's world was her father's home and garden in a small New England town. She lived most of her life within this private world. Her romantic visions and emotional intensity kept her from making all but a few friends. Because of this life of solitude, she was able to focus on her world more sharply than other authors of her time were.Her poems, carefully tied in packets, were discovered ...
The poems were both enlightening and changed my perspective on death. The reader gains the knowledge of knowing that there is a life after death. Death is not the sole end to existence, there’s still eternity to live. There wasn’t a certain poem I preferred but I liked the way Dickinson shows death in different perspectives. I think Dickinson wanted to evoke to the readers her views on death through the poem. I usually connected death with sorrow and pain however Dickinson presents death as a superior being.
