How Does Mortality And Death Affect Emily Dickinson's Poetry

Some of the poems Emily Dickinson wrote, usually offered many different views of death that involve physical and emotional responses of the soul and body’s journey through nothingness, madness and even eternity. The greatness in her poems comes from the use of literary devices to give meaning to death and the different interpretations of the journey through death. Although Dickinson presents contradicting thoughts sometimes, it is clear that she believes that there are many types of deaths in a human being’s life. This paper compares and contrasts the theme of death in Dickinson’s three poems titled “I heard a fly buzz”, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “After great pain a Formal Feeling Comes”.

The large amount of poems in Dickinson’s collection containing the theme of death is impossible to be overlooked. Approximately one-third from her entire collection speaks about the subject, something that for many decades has intrigued fans and scholars alike. In order to understand this fixation, one must study the poet’s upbringing and religious conflicts, which are unequivocally at the center of this fascination with the theme of death.

Emily Dickinson is a famous author of poems, written when she isolated herself from the world and became a recluse in the 19th century. Dickinson’s puzzling, secluded life proved to generate ideas and emotions that she recorded for herself, but eventually became public pieces. These poems all follow similar themes of death, pain, success, grief, faith, and nature. Dickinson uses many literary devices to portray her unique and varied views of death especially in the poems “Because I could not stop for death” and “My life closed twice before its close.”

“I heard a Fly buzz – when I died,” begins with the narrator describing how “The Stillness in the Room Was like the Stillness in the Air” (Dickinson 2-3). This description of her surroundings provides a sense of tension in the air causing it to appear heavy and thick. In the following stanza, the narrator mentions “The Eyes around – had wrung them dry – And Breaths were gathering firm” (Dickinson 5-6). By this description, the reader can envision an image of the aftermath of the surrounding individuals crying. Furthermore, the succeeding stanza involves the narrator willing her belonging to friends and loved ones. However, a twist begins on the twelfth line, “There interposed a Fly” (Dickinson 12). Due to the use of Dickinson’s vocabulary, it is evident that the fly is interrupting this serious moment in time. Finally, in the last stanza the narrator negatively describes the fly and its imposition on her final

Emily Dickinson, a unique poet of over 1,700 poems is considered to be one of the most gifted poets in American Literature (Great American). In her poems qualities of nature, love, immortality and death are expressed through her words (Great American). Dickinson was born and raised in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her Puritan spirit, wrote very little until the early sixties as a result of the chaos of the Civil War. In 1862, she decided to send out her poems to Thomas Wentworth Higginson in response to his call to do so in article titled “Letter to Young Contributor” that he published in the Atlantic Monthly (American Authors). Higginson soon became Dickinson’s mentor and was able to validate her as an authentic poet (American Authors). Her writing never truly became famous until after her death (Great American). Looking in depth to her poetry one can lead to paraphrasing, notice use of literary devices and utilization of themes and morals.

Dickinson starts to form the image in her by brining her audience into “The Carriage” which held only “herself and Immortality” (3-4) Dickinson wants to begin to bring her reader into state of mind so they can understand her thinking. As a known recluse she must make an effort to invite her readers into her mind to take them on the journey known as death. She wants to build the image of what she believes death to be, and change how people think of the journey of death. As she continues her journey in the carriage with death, she describes how they “Passed the school/where children played” to “ the setting sun” (9-12) As she continues her ride with death, she continues to set the stage not only for her journey, but for the paradox between herself and the puritan faith on their ideas of death.

From examining her poems of natural transitions of life and death, changing states of consciousness, as a speaker from beyond the grave, confronting death in a journey or dream and on the dividing line of life and death one can see that Dickinson points to death as the final inevitable change. The intensity of Dickinson's curiosity about dying and her enthusiasm to learn of the dying persons' experience at the point of mortality is evident in her poetry. She studies the effect of the deads' disappearance, on the living world, in a hope to conjecture something about the new life they are experiencing after death. Dickinson believes that a dying person's consciousness does not die with the body at death but rather it lives on and intensifies. In To know just how He suffered-would be dear To know just how He suffered -- would be dear -- To know if any Human eyes were near To whom He could entrust His wavering gaze -- Until it settle broad -- on Paradise -- To know if He was patient -- part content -- Was Dying as He thought -- or different -- Was it a pleasant Day to die -- And did the Sunshine face his way -- What was His furthest mind -- Of Home -- or God -- Or what the Distant say -- At news that He ceased Human Nature Such a Day -- And Wishes -- Had He Any -- Just His Sigh -- Accented -- Had been legible -- to Me -- And was He Confident until Ill fluttered out -- in

Death is a mysterious, yet frequently occurring topic in Emily Dickson’s poetry. Due to her introverted and isolated personality, Dickinson tended to write poems that included themes of death and immortality. In Death is a Dialogue Between, Dickinson illustrates the dispute between Death and a Spirit. In contrast to other American poets, Dickinson’s unique style of punctuation, formatting, as well as themes of mortality and death distinguished her from her contemporaries.

Emily Dickinson was an American poet living during the 1800’s. She published 1800 poemsalso, funny enough. She wrote about what intrigued her, and used lots of imagery to do it.Specifically, Emily wrote mostly about God, death and immortality, and assertion of self. She,herself, died a young death at 55.Death is one of Emily’s most prominent and standing themes. Sometimes she describesdeath as menacing and evil like, the next death is gentle. In “Because I could not stop for Death–,“ she embodies death. She also presents the act of dying as quite simply just the realization ofimmortality. In “Some – Work for Immortality –,” death is nothing but the moment where thedead person can basically cash in their check of good behavior for eternal rewarding.Dickinson

Like many poets, Emily Dickinson explored the themes of death, leading to the answers of so many questions, in which she was concerned herself. Her poetry frequently clarifies her reaction as to why she wrote about death. However, her treatment of death is unique: “Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me –” (577). Dickinson expresses herself being able to accept death as an old friend rather than a force of nature. With many of her poems, Dickinson elaborates and questions death being incorporated in daily lives as well as the mysterious life leading after it. Among the understanding of her views of death, numerous people become frightened as if it were some creature prowling behind something ready to take them at any second.

Emily Dickinson was born in a time when not many women involved themselves in poetry or any form of intellectual capability. Nonetheless, she did, and she was such a wonderful poet that her poetry rivaled Whitman’s. Of course, no one ever saw her poetry at the same time as Whitman because she chose not to publish her poetry in her lifetime. Once she did, however, the world was shocked by the literary genius that lived in seclusion for a good majority of her life, especially because of how raw her writing was without having the influence of an editor or publisher. Her style is very distinguishable through it’s excessive but purposeful punctuation and 4-6-4-6 rhyme that matches church songs and patriotic songs like “Amazing Grace” and “Glory to God on High.” The church influenced more than her style, however, as much of her subject matter pertains to her unorthodox beliefs. Other subjects include hope and sometimes humor, but her ideas on death are both very interesting and complex. Dickinson does not make light of death, but she uses her poems as her diary to record her thoughts on death. She moves rapidly from thinking death is passive to thinking it is an amazing honor, but she also thinks of it in a terrified sense. Emily Dickinson’s views on death may not be easy to understand, and one may not draw a conclusion based off of her thoughts

Emily Dickinson was born in a time when not many women involved themselves in poetry or any form of intellectual capability. Despite this, she was such a wonderful poet that her poetry rivaled Whitman’s. Of course, she was never able to rival him because she chose not to publish her poetry in her lifetime. Once the world saw her poetry, however, it was shocked by the literary genius who had lived in seclusion for a good majority of her life. Her style is very distinguishable through it is excessive but purposeful punctuation and 8-6-8-6 rhyme that matches church songs and patriotic songs like “Amazing Grace” and “Glory to God on High.” The church influenced more than her style, however, as much of her subject matter pertains to her unorthodox beliefs. Other subjects include hope and sometimes humor, but her ideas on death are both very interesting and complicated. Dickinson does not make light of death, but she uses her poems as her diary to record her thoughts on death. She moves rapidly from thinking death is passive to thinking it is an amazing honor, but she also thinks of it in a terrified sense. Emily Dickinson’s views on death are uncertain, she varies between finding death casual, positive and romantic, and negative in a series of several poems

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was the middle child of parents Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson. Young Emily Dickinson’s early childhood consisted of attending school, reading books, taking part in church activities, and learning to sing and play the piano. Her formal schooling was phenomenal for girls in the early 19th century, though not unusual for girls in Amherst. After spending some time in Amherst district school, she attended Amherst Academy for about 7 years before entering Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College) in 1847. Dickinson’s early years were not without distress. Deaths of friends and relatives, including her young cousin Sophia Holland, prompted questions about death and immortality. Death happens to be a recurring theme in Dickinson’s poetry. Although this is the case, no two poems have exactly the same understanding of death, however. Death is sometimes frightening, lenient and gentle, or simply inevitable. The intent of this paper is to analyze the persistent theme of death in Dickinson’s poetry and how it is portrayed in some of her most well-known pieces. These select few poems will include “I like a look of Agony”, “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died” and “Because I could not stop for Death.”

“This was a Poet – / It is That / Distills amazing sense / From Ordinary Meanings” (Dickinson, Fr 446). Emily Dickinson was that poet. Though her life was nowhere near as influential and turbulent as other poets, she managed to bring a fresh, occasionally wry outlook on ordinary things. She is popularly known today for her largely death-related poetry and reclusive lifestyle, yet her life influenced her poetry to encompass many themes, not just death, but love, nature, and the mind.