On Edline, you will find a folder under "Assignments and Power Points" called "Dickinson's Poems". Please read "I Felt a Funeral In My Brain" and "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died". Compare the imagery of death in these poems to the images and ideas about death conveyed in "Because I Could Not Stop For Death". Do you see any connections between the poems? What are your thoughts?
28 comments:
For all three poems, the speaker portrays the time during death or right before it.
It seemed to me that Dickinson had a similar attitude toward death for both Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died. Both poems were calm and peaceful, opposite of how people view death. Just as the carriage symbolizes the journey of life and death, the fly could symbolize hope and freedom- a release to a new "life". Also, "I willed my Keepsakes -- Signed away" supports that the speaker (in the fly poem) accepts his or her death, just like the speaker in Because I Could not Stop for Death did.
One thing different about I Felt a Funeral In My Brain than the other two poems was the ending. Dickinson mentions "dropping down and down" in the last stanza, then suddenly we approach the word "finished", which portrays a feeling of a dead end. But then again the last word "then" could refer to the past and that death did not actually "end". Although I did not TPCASTT this poem, it just seemed to portray a different message than the other two poems. For example, the beginning two stanzas of the poem gives a sad, nervous mood and attitude towards death, something Dickinson revealed not to be true in the other two poems.
Perhaps Dickinson was trying to portray death in different perspectives. Or perhaps her views of death changed between the time she wrote each of the poems. Or maybe I misinterpreted the whole idea of the funeral poem and got all the connections wrong....hmmm..
The speakers of all three poems are in the state of death, which is quite interesting. The way she portray the ideas of death is unusual compared to other people. The atmosphere is almost peaceful and calm. There seems to be no hurry, but only slow but steady pace of the poem.
One particular thing I realized in the poem, “I heard a Fly buzz” is the sibilance in the first stanza. There seems to be the 8 beat, 6 beat rhythms going on through the poem, and it goes the same for the poem, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain.” I think it is significant that Emily Dickinson enjoys using this particular rhythm for all three poems. In addition, Emily Dickinson seems to enjoy using alliterations, such as “Silence, some strange,” and “dropped down, and down” in the poem, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain.”
Anyway I felt that the poem, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,” was different from other poems. I think it is the only poem that literally mentions the end. The poem, “Because I could not stop for Death,” ends with journey toward eternity. The poem, “I heard a Fly buzz,” also mentions about the light and me. Yet, the poem, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,” clearly has negative atmosphere by using dictions with negative connotations. The phrase, “And I dropped down, and down,” and “And Finished knowing – then -”
I do not really understand this poem, so there is a high possibility that I have misinterpreted these poems. In addition, I do not want to admit but I think TPCASTT is needed to understand the profound themes about the poems. :(
Emily Dickinson in all three of the poems held a sort of nonchalent attitude towards death. they all consisted of four line stanzas and had a certain rhyme scheme at certain places. all three of these poems, also hint at a possible afterlife which is a key message in portraying Dickinsons thoughts on religion.
To me, Dickinson portrayed a similar tone and attitude towards death in all three of the poems "Because i could not stop for death", "I Felt a Funeral in my brain" and "i heard a fly buzz when i died". Like Emily mentioned, in "Because i could not stop for death" she personifies Death as a He and uses the carriage to symbolize the journey through life and as well as an afterlife. In this poem she covers both the journey through life, and the process of dying through the "mound in the ground" and then hints at a possible after life. In "I heard a fly buzz when i died" dickinson uses the fly as a symbol for her nonchalance as she watches this bug fly around and buzz until she can not see or hear no more, hinting at her death and a possible after life as well as she mentions herself being in "between the light" which usually signifies heaven or the end of earthly life. In the poem "I felt a funeral in my brain" she uses the coffin as she currently lays dead in her "box" to portray that she is dead yet she is conscious of her memorial service going on around her before she starts to fall and perhaps move on to the next life. This particular poem, however, is unique in that the end is a bit darker than the rest as she claims to fall and fall and fall and "plunge downwards" which alludes to her ending up in hell. We get a sense of hopelessness as she ends the poem with "finished knowing - then -" which leaves the reader at a halt and makes them wonder whether she ended up in heaven or hell.
I feel that for the most part, Dickinson maintains a similar tone and message in all three of these poems when she refers to death. Although "i felt a funeral in my head" sort of treads of the same road as the other two by hinting at hell and proposing negative connotations, all her poems exude that nonchalance and calmness towards death.
The only commonality among the three poems seems to be their theme regarding the inevitability of death. I thought that the tones varied quite a bit, especially between Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Felt a Funeral in My Brain. While the tone in the first is quite leisurely and calm, there is something very omnious about the second poem. The latter poem metaphorically refers to a funeral and casts a dark light on its process using words such as "wreck" "solitary" "broke" and "plunge". The speakers of each poem write from a postmortem perspective, perhaps alluding to the existence of an afterlife.
Because all three poems refer to death and the imagery of death is pervasive throughout the poems, the tone, for me, is automatically morose, gloomy and literal as the author expresses emotion through this use of imagery that alludes to death and then an afterlife. However, this alluding to the afterlife is, in many ways, uncertain as most people are pretty uncertain of what comes after death and even if there is anything after death such as an afterlife. This alluding to and uncertainty of an afterlife is evident in the first poem as there is a sense for continuation with the word ‘eternity’. Yet, this is only “surmised [that] the horses’ heads Were toward eternity”. Moreover, in the second poem, “I heard a Fly Buzz When I Died”, the mentioning of the ‘Windows’ seems to refer to a window to look into the future. Yet, the “Windows failed – and then [the author] could not see to see --”. Hence, the fact that the speaker cannot exactly ‘see’ demonstrates that of the future. Finally, in the third poem, “I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died”, it finishes with a caesura and a “then --”, this also shows that whatever idea was portrayed, it was unfinished and that there is more to just an end.
In all of these three poems, it is interesting to see how Emily Dickinson used death as a reoccurring theme. They all have 8, 6 rhythm and four line stanzas and the use of alliteration. Also, the speakers of the poems are all in the state after death. It is possible that Dickinson tried to portray that afterlife exists.
It seems that the calm and still mood and tone is set in all three poems. In “Because I could not stop for death,” Dickinson uses the symbols like the carriage and the horses to accentuate her belief that there is an afterlife. In “I heard a Fly buzz when I died,” she also uses “Between the light -- and me” to signify a possible afterlife. Also, in “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” Dickinson hints that there is an afterlife for the speaker but the place of an afterlife is not evident.
Even though the messages of the poems are slightly different, all of these poems hint about death and the state that follows after.
All three of these poems leave the reader questioning death and every unsure of what's beyond it. The only main difference though is that "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" provides the image of an eternity past death while the other two poems leave the reader unsure of what happens after death, or of the "world" visited in "I Saw a Funeral in My Head".
I noticed though that both "I Saw a Funeral in My Head" and "I Heard a Fly Buzz" speak of something breaking or a sense of loss that can also be found in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" in the second to last stanza (during the moment of death). These similar images of death, give an aminous feeling to it, but the casual mood of all three of Dickinson's poems also show her lack of fear towards death. :) I'm pretty sure that's what she's trying to get across with her poems, instead of going along with the common sterotype of death being something foreign she is instead excepting it as just a part of life.
All these poems relate to the universal experience of Death. I got the feeling that although these poems talk of death, they are really talking about the life after death. In “Because I Could Not Stop For Death,” Dickinson talks about “horses’ heads [going] toward eternity.” Dickinson explicitly states the word “Heaven” in “I Felt a Funeral In My Brain” and I think “the King” mentioned in “I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died” is talking about God. Interestingly, I got a slightly different feeling from each poem although they were all on the same idea. The diction of each poem is slightly different, so it is no surprise that the poems give distinct feelings. However, in the end, the overall feeling of death does not seem to be a negative one. Perhaps, Emily Dickinson is trying to say how death is not such a bad thing or something to be feared especially when God and the afterlife with Him are in the picture.
Hmm I guess the obvious similarity would be the use of death in all three poems. Also, in all three poems, the speaker is actually dead. The poem “I heard a fly buzz--when i died—“ is more direct in stating that the speaker is dead.
since i didnt analyze the poem in depth, I might be wrong, but when i first read the poem “I heard a fly buzz-when I died-” I thought it was quite different from “Because I could not stop for death.” While the “because i could...” was a conceit, an extended metaphor for journey, the poem, “i heard a fly...” sounded as if it had a lot of pauses. This was evident through words such as 'stillness, stumbling, failed.'
Perhaps Dickinson is using enjambment and a reference to ‘pausing’ to show that journey of death is ongoing and inevitable?
Although this idea of death not being an end is mentioned in “Because I could not stop for death,” the other poems do not mention this. In “I heard a fly buzz...” I’m not sure what is meant by windows failed.. Perhaps the fly was trying to find a way out and crashed into the window? The words such as ‘could not see to see’ show a different ending to death.
The poem “I felt a funeral in my brain” does not mention anything after death. Although it mentions Heaven, the last line, "and finished knowing--then--" shows a pause or an end to this 'journey of death'
Overall, the speakers in all three poems seem to have direct interaction with Death.
All three poems of Emily Dickinson deal with the issue of death. Though Dickinson’s attitude or tone in each poem may slightly vary, the three poems have reoccurring theme of death and further the possibility of afterlife. Also, I could immediately notice that all three poems are composed of four line stanzas.
The last stanza of ‘Because I could not stop for Death” definitely suggested the possibility of afterlife. In “I felt a funeral in my brain,” the last stanza also suggests afterlife. The last line of the poem mentions a “World,” but the readers are not sure what might happen in this “world.” “I heard a fly buzz when I died” seem to express the possibility of afterlife most explicitly out of all three poems. For instance, “Between the light – and me –“ and “Windows” seem to symbolize the separation between Heaven (afterlife) and our current life.
Honestly, I personally felt there are more similarities between “I felt a funeral in my brain” and “I heard a fly buzz when I died” in terms of its style and structure. When I just skimmed through the poem, I could notice two things. One is that they both somehow used the effect of sound. The “I felt a funeral in my brain” used the drum sound while “I heard a fly buzz when I died” used the buzzing sound. Also, I could notice that both poems had a lot of capitalized words. I am not sure if it was intentional, but those two things seem pretty interesting to me.
i agree with most of the above.
personally, i find dickinson's portrayal intriguing. i mean its so impasse!
maybe this is reflecting her christian faith, and how she struggles with it? i mean, on the surface her ideas read in quite a serene manner; but really they arent.
and of course, in context of religion, death becomes so multi-layered that its impossible to really contain.
It is seemingly depressive to read three poems in a row relating to death. I think the connection among the three poems is the main idea of death or dying.
I do see some difference in the portrayal of death in the three poems, though. In "Because I could not stop for Death," death was a gentleman who rode the carriage for the speaker, and there was a journey of eternity after death.
In "I felt a funeral in my brain," death is portrayed as a very negative process, with the use of diction such as "sense was breaking," "mind was going numb," "wrecked, solitary."
In "I heard a fly buzz when I died," quite similar to how it is portrayed in "Because I could not stop for Death," death seems to be a peaceful process of life. It's interesting how Dickinson used a fly in the scene of death, but I couldn't understand why...;;
With all these 3 poems of Emily Dickinson, the similarities I see is that the speaker of each poem are reflecting back on their moment right before death.
As we know, “Because I could not stop for Death” is a poem that shows death is an inevitable part of life and nothing to fear of. We know that this poem shows a positive aspect of this natural part of life showing that death is something that is not as something miserable as the world thinks.
I felt that the poem “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain.” Was similar in the same ways as “Because I could not stop for Death”. I actually see a scene of the funeral and the part where they move the casket into the graveyard. This can be supported by the words of ‘mourners’, ‘service’, ‘heard them lift a box’, and ‘and dropped down and down’. By showing the process and the routines of a common funeral, Dickinson shows the ‘inevitable part of life’ (death) that everyone has to go through. Everyone dies, and have a funeral for their death. It’s not a happy thing, but it’s not really a sad thing either. Everyone needs to go through this cycle, and face the next step of life which we have no idea about, but that’s why we need to ‘finish’ and know it then. The mood of this poem can be referred to be sad, but only for the time-being. Therefore, death is nothing to fear, and it’s clearly nothing to worry about.
For the poem “I heard a Fly buzz,” I actually pictured a gloomy atmosphere within this piece. While reading this poem, Dickinson illustrates a dark feel by using words such as, ‘stillness’, ‘heaves’, ‘storm’, ‘blue’, ‘stumbling’, and ‘failed’. What I picture is the speaker on his/her deathbed supposedly in bad, stormy weather. The mood of this poem is very still, quiet, silent, with no one around in the room except for the speaker. The mood makes it seem like she speaker is alone in the room which creates this thought that this speaker is very lonely. The color ‘blue’ mentioned in this poem gives the imagery of a dark room, and with the addition to the phrase ‘and then the windows failed’ shows maybe how bad the weather was. So what I’m trying to say is, for this poem, I think that it shows the negative side of death whereas this speaker died with loneliness attached to his/her side showing that she had an ‘incomplete’ life. It does support the ‘death is inevitable’ part but in a more negative way than just saying how we should accept death. (oh my gosh I’m confusing myself HAHAHA)
So therefore, these 3 poems all relate with the inevitable cycle of death but all encountering it in different perspectives.
As we discussed earlier in class, "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" was about death. However, the tone and the mood of the poem wasn't the natural tone and mood one would expect in a 'death' poem. The overall rhythm of the poem was incandescent and the author accepted death as reality than mourning and grieving about death.
"I Felt a Funeral In My Brain" and "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died". are two poems which-I think-differ with "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" The imageries in those two poems are used to portray sadness and reminiscence. The overall tone and mood of the two poems are melancholy and gloomy. It's quite surprising how Dickinson was able to write two different version of poem about death.
There is a definite connection between "I Felt a Funeral In My Brain" and "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died". The speakers remember small details and recognize those details. This fact implies that speakers in the two poems desire to live than face the upcoming death of their lives.
I hope you don't mind, Ms. Lavender, I'm chiming in here from Saudi Arabia because Emily Dickinson (as you know) is my favorite poet. I think her views on so many subjects are so eclectic, it is sometimes hard to tell what her intentions are to readers. She was certainly unconcerned about audience in her own writing, keeping her poetry much to herself. It seems, like her unique style, her message is often constrained by our own perceptions of death/life/faith rather than her extremely different (and, I feel, refreshing) outlook.
Who else would ever have Death be a gentleman that "kindly stops for me"? Like we are making Death be subject to our whims, at least until we enter his carriage. And then we find ourselves in for the ride of our lives (deaths?) as we perceive the "horses' heads (are) toward eternity." And yet, it all seems so civil, so much on our terms - a pleasant way to while away eternity. Perhaps a game of sorts.
That's always the way I have seen "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" too. I know it could possible be the end of a life, but what if it is just some children trying to play a "funeral game" only to have a pesky fly interrupt their seriousness by "interposing" itself into their play. Whether it is real or imagined death play, the poem retains the same calmness that the carriage ride has. It is a quiet kind of shutting of the eyes, like falling asleep on a sticky, hot, fly-infested day.
"I Felt a Funeral in My Brain" on the other hand, is not so pleasant. But then aren't funerals themselves less pleasant than death in Dickinson's world. We are caught in a world that seems to cling so tenaciously to the tangible that letting go is a noisy, painful process where we "hit a World, at every plunge." I especially like that last line: "And Finished, knowing -- then --" Dickinson leaves us once again in the midst of pain with a kind of "playful" reminder that after all the pain, pomp, and procession of "Sense," "Service," "Space," and "Silence," there is a knowing that goes beyond "it is finished." But the meaning of it is also beyond this world and beyond telling in poems. Not hopelessness or despair, but an open statement ("-- then --"), a revelation waiting to be revealed.
Ya gotta love Ms. Emily, she never disappoints!
Mr. Munson, chime away!!!! Thank you for posting here, and please post anywhere on the blog. I know your wise words will encourage all of us as we journey together. Hannah is sitting here, working away on a creative response to Sylvia Plath's "The Surgeon at 2 a.m." and I miss you like crazy. Get back here, would you???
It seemed obvious to me that Emily Dickinson likes to portray death in metaphors such as a journey in a carriage, a soul, and a fly. For all three poems the speakers are already dead and speaking in the perspective of a dead soul. For instance, in "Because I could Not Stop for Death," the woman who is in a carriage is retrieving back her memory when she was a child, adult, and elder. This makes readers see that the speaker is already dead, and is taken to the grave. Also, in the poem "I felt Funeral in my Brain" directly points out that the speaker is a soul in his/her funeral. Well, the speaker in "I Heard a Fly Buzz" is not already dead, but he/she is about to die. The line "Between the light and me and then the Windows failed -- and then
I could not see to see --" shows that the speaker in this poem died at that instant.
Although I might not have a clear understanding of other two poems, as I read, Dickinson indirectly mentions the concept of eternity or the life after death in "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain." In the line "And I dropped down, and down --And hit a World, at every plunge,And Finished knowing -- then --," 'then' signifies that there will be something continued after 'finished knowing."
Furthermore, the mood of each poems are different because each poem displays different images of death. For instance, "Because I could Not Stop for Death" shows that death is inevitable and it is nothing to be feared. Also, in "I Felt Funeral in my Brain" portrays death in a very moody and sentimental way. Thus, it evokes the tragedy when one dies. Words like "wrecked, solitary, and dropped down" shows the true side of death. Similarly, "I Heard a Fly Buzz" depicts death in solemnly mood because phrases like "heaves of storm, stillness in the air, and windows failed" show death in negative connotation.
Wow. Hi Dad. I'm glad you found a way to stalk me even when you're so far away... hahah...I'm not sure if I should be touched or scared what other teachers you're secretly plotting with.
Hope the camels are keeping you company :)
I think the three poems show three different perspectives or Dickenson's thoughts about the experience of death. All three suggest an afterlife but the experience in "I felt a funeral in my brain" is more painful or more negative than the calm tone in "because i could not stop for death". "I heard a fly buzz when i died" seems to have a nonchalant attitude towards death.
"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" - I think this poem, in terms of imagery and mood, is very similar to "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." From the very first stanza, the speaker describes "The Stillness in the Room" after he/she dies. This idea of a tranquil and calm acceptance of death definitely forms a parallel picture between the two poems. Also, the idea of a fly being a part of a person's crucial moment in life gives a sense that death is in fact simply another journey to the afterlife. It's interesting to see a fly - a creature that humans tend to look down on - and a human together in the same room as the speaker dies.
"I Felt a Funeral in my Brain" - This poem is consistent to Dickinson's idea of death - A speaker, most likely dead, who embarks on a journey to another life. Although this poem is not identical to the mood of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death", it tries to give an insight perspective of the dead when buried in a coffin. Here, death is described as something sudden yet orderly. This again, goes back to the idea of Dickinson trying to portray her message or maybe even her desire to willingly accept the end of life on earth.
The three poems seem to suggest "death" as a solitary journey that one must take alone. The journey of death is portrayed as silent and quite peaceful, as implied in words like "solitary", "silence", and "stillness". Especially in "I Felt a Funeral In My Brain", Dickinson evidently shows that death does not mark an end, but is a continuous journey because the poem ends with an unfinished sentence, which leaves the reader with an image of a never-ending journey. Also, similar to "Because I could not stop for death", many abstract terms in these poems are capitalized, thus creating more vivid imagery through the use of personification.
Every process described in these three poems, whether it is a journey with death, at a funeral, or in a process of dying, it is described in a very calm and peaceful manner, thus creating a relaxed and easy breezy feeling. All three poems create an image of death as a solitary, but a calm and peaceful journey.
The poems "Because I could not stop for Death," and "I heard a fly buzz when I died," are quite similar in their messages and the manner in which Dickinson delivers them. The poems seem to suggest Dickinson's thought on death as a peaceful and solitary stage of life. Words such as "stillness," "silence," and phrases like "I heard a fly buzz when I died," create the calm and lonely mood of the poems.
All three poems are very much slowly paced, affected by countless number of caesura and end stops.
Although "Because I could not stop for Death" seems a bit more "finished," all three poems seem to suggest the existence of afterlife in their seemingly "unfinished" ending. (Or, perhaps the poem is indeed "not finished" and we are adding meaning to it just to get a meaning out of the poem, since many of Dickinson's poems were written in her journal. Of course, I cannot back this up with evidence. Just a random thought.)
In the poem "Because I could not stop for Death," it is clear that Dickinson used personifications (Death, Immortality), metaphors (grave=house...), symbolism (carriage, grain & setting sun...), diction (kindly, civility, no haste...), and other literary devices (rhyme scheme, rhythm, structure...) to convey that death is a natural process like a serene journey, thus humans should not be afraid of the concept. In the poem "I felt a funeral in my brain" sheds light on another perspective of death. Looking at the diction (mourners, numb, wrecked, solitary dropped down, finished...), simile (like a drum), repetition (down and down), and other literary devices (rhythm, dashes…) it is clear that the subject of death is dense and heavy. If “Because I could not stop for Death” is a tranquil, beautiful portrayal of death, the poem “I felt a funeral in my brain” is a view that shows the intense effect of death on people. In “I heard a fly buzz” Dickinson illustrates what is like after one’s death. It voices the irony of the concept by portraying death as an insignificant thing to the view of a deity figure (the comparison with a fly can support this idea), yet a confusing and lonely course of “life” to the speaker. This confusion may lead to fear, because it is human nature of fearing the unknown. While all three poems inform the readers on various views of death, there is a consensus on how death is treated by an individual. Many can mourn about a person’s death, but the process of dealing with the death whether that is his/her death or of someone else’s, it is a solitary/private process.
When I read “ Because I could not stop for death” it didn’t really have any negative connotation because Dickinson introduced death as a “gentleman.” She says that death is not to be feared in this poem since she has a peaceful journey inside the “carriage headed to death.” After reading the poem “I heard a Fly buzz,” I got the same feeling as “I could not Stop for death.” I think both poems portray death in a peaceful way. In “I heard,” the word choices such as stillness, firm, light and King set up the positive connotation of the poem. Especially the line that says, “For that last Onset -- when the King Be witnessed” it creates an image of God, the King watching over a person who is about to die and go to His heaven. This shows God’s protection even in one’s death and thus gives hopeful and joyous feelings to the readers. However, in the poem” I felt a Funeral in my Brain” has more negative connotation towards death. The speaker of the poem in the second one seems to be more nervous and scared. Especially the fourth line of the first stanza was sorrowful, “Kept treading -- treading -- till it seemed, That Sense was breaking through –“ She also expresses her nervousness through diction. The second stanza, she uses the word “beating” to describe the sound of the drum which seemed to me as a heart of a human. Also the last line of the poem really gave me a morose feeling. The line which says, “And I dropped down, and down” seemed like a person who fell into a huge pit that one can never come out.
All three of Emily Dickinson poems are quite similar in the sense that they all deal with death and a possible afterlife ass a motif. This afterlife often occurs at the ends of the poems and symbolizes some sort of redemption which she tries to give her readers in all these poems. Also she makes use of a lot of metaphors and caesura in all three poems to further emphasize her theme of death. Metaphors like the carriage in “because I could not stop for death”, windows and fly in “I heard a fly buzz when I died” and finally bell and heaven in “I felt a funeral in my brain”. Also all three poems have a defined four stanza style which creates a sense of organization and sort of mildness even when talking about death. In the three poems her tone varies and is inconsistent but still she conveys a sense of death being quite honoring at the end with that calmness and promising last sentence of the poems proposing an afterlife.
Wow.
Boy, am I late to the party.
These poems clearly show how much of a recluse Dickinson was. I mean, what kind of person in his or her right mind would write so much about death?!?!?! Ah, then again that IS the realm of the unknown that the human race has often wondered about and tried to explore. In the sense that we, humankind, have always been on this journey towards the Truth after death, Dickinson's poems (not just these three) provide an invaluable outlook on how death, and post-death, should be received be people.
First of all, "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" conveyed a message of the inevitability of death; but when accepted for its unavoidable nature, the journey towards death is not as frightening as one may expect. In fact, death itself will reveal so much about who we are as we embark on a journey that remembers our past experiences and bring out the forgotten, and perhaps lost, memories of what used to be part of us. Furthermore, Dickinson seems to suggest that life extends beyond the understanding of our world, and there is, surely, afterlife. Thus, there is no more apprehension when it comes to the cease of existence, because it is only the end of our physical selves; and a realm of spirituality awaits our arrival.
Not too bad, eh?
Well, I'm pretty sure that some people may not agree with my interpretation, but whether they agree or not, that is what I received from "Because I Could Not Stop For Death"; that's the universal human experience that I found to be embedded in the lines of the poem.
Well, what do Dickinson's other poems say about Death and its character? Well, "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" once again acknowledges some form of existence after death because the speaker is stating that she "heard a fly... when she died." Unless Dickinson believes that death is not the end of our conscious, the speaker could not possibility hear a fly at the moment of death. However, because her sensory perceptions are still intact even after her death, it can be inferred that her mind did not die even with the demise of her physical self. I think the biggest question for this poem is, What does the fly symbolize? Honestly, there are a myriad of ways the fly could be interpreted; it really depends on the reader and the holistic interpretation of the reader. From my point of view, I see the fly as a symbol for the physical deterioration. In the midst of the "Stillness in the room" and the "Stillness in the air" there is the sound of the fly; a buzz. Funny, isn't it? With the speaker dead, it seems that the only thing alive, or with signs of life, is the fly. Then, as the "King" is "witnessed" "in the room" and the speaker gives up his or her "keepsakes," "there imposed a Fly." The "King" represents the coming of God, or some superior being, as the speaker ascends (maybe descends) to an entirely different realm of existence. As the speaker makes the transition by giving up her "Keepsakes" or belonging of her previous life, she notices the Fly with an "uncertain stumbling Buzz." Then, suddenly "the Windows failed" and the speaker "could not see to see." This shows her complete transition to a spiritual world; or a world beyond her physical boundaries. With the fading of her sensory perceptions, the sense of the "Fly" and the "Buzz" was the acme of her existence in the physical world. Thus, this poem shares the message of life after death that is conveyed in "Because I Could Not Stop For Death."
The poem "I Felt a Funeral In My Brain" is quite different from "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died." Instead of focusing on the arcane post-life existence, Dickinson focuses on the process of death. In the poem, readers see the speaker going through death as he or she loses his or her mind. The speaker felt a funeral in his or her brain. With the funeral being an event heavily involved with death, readers are able to know that the poem is about death, and the fact that the funeral takes place in the brain shows that this poem is heavily tied with the mind. As the poem continues, "the Sense" starts "breaking through" because of the "treading," which is repeated in the poem. The "beating" also makes the reader's "Mind" go "numb." Finally, in the last stanza, "a Plank in Reason, broke, and I[speaker] dropped down, and down." Symbolizing the end of his or her existence. With the demise of the mind, his or her life was over. Clearly, a disturbing image is presented in the poem; a process of death in the slow deterioration of the mind.
The three poems of Dickinson are individually very distinct. Although they may share some similarities, each of them ultimately reveals a different side of death. From the inevitable journey towards death to the loss of the mind, Dickinson gives very intriguing ideas about death and its nature.
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