Everyone hopes for afterlife, In one of Emily Dickinson’s poems this is a topic in “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died”, When a lady is on her deathbed hoping for “The King” or “God” to come with a gift of afterlife, when he does not show up the only one there is “The Lady” and a “Fly”. When we hope for something it could be in the smallest things, Questioning are beliefs when it comes times, and Hope is the best way through the toughest times. While dying The lady is hoping for external life, but the only one there is a fly, the fly also represents The king or God. You see the fly is a symbol this is figurative language and is called symbolism. The lady is most likely looking for something for God on a large scale like an angel or light. She is overlooking the fly in which in the writing is “God”. this could also mean flies are everywhere so God is everywhere. “For that last Onset - when the King - Be witnessed - in the Room -I willed my Keepsakes - Signed away - What portion of me be - Assignable - and then it was - There interposed a Fly”, (Dickinson, stanza 2, and 3). This is the lady thinking about what will come, little does she know she is looking for the fly a small insect being overlooked, but now is she still faithful to the Lord? …show more content…
“With Blue - uncertain - stumbling Buzz - Between the light - and me - And then the Windows failed - and then I could not see to see”, (Dickinson, stanza 4), well at this point we have to infer what this lady is thinking. At this point in time, the lady is most likely thinking if all the worship was right, if she had done wrong to go not to heaven or hell, or even is there a God, so right now before death, she is thinking, questioning if her beliefs are correct. Even though death and darkness can there be hope after
Dickinson employs vivid impressions of death in this poem. In the first line, she employs the analogy between sleep and death; sleep is silent but death lives within silence. She uses the word “it” to help identify something other than human. She declares that “it….will not tell its name” as thought it refuses to speak and then resents the dead for its stillness and laziness. Then she acknowledges the attraction she has to death by doubting its “gravity”. In the third stanza, she expresses that she would not cry for the dead because not only is it offensive to the dead but it might panic the soul to return to dust. Christians believe that from the earth we are made and once we die, we return to the dust of the earth.
Dickinson’s Christian education affected her profoundly, and her desire for a human intuitive faith motivates and enlivens her poetry. Yet what she has faith in tends to be left undefined because she assumes that it is unknowable. There are many unknown subjects in her poetry among them: Death and the afterlife, God, nature, artistic and poetic inspiration, one’s own mind, and other human beings.
The idea that something exists after death is uncertain in this poem, saying this, it is important that the point of view is that of the observer. The ...
Because it has become so familiar, death is no longer a frightening presence, but a comforting companion. Despite this, Dickinson is still not above fear, showing that nothing is static and even the most resolute person is truly sure of anything. This point is further proven in “I Heard a Fly Buzz”, where a fly disrupts the last moment of Dickinson’s life. The fly is a symbol of death, and of uncertainty, because though it represents something certain—her impending death—it flies around unsure with a “stumbling buzz”. This again illustrates the changing nature of life, and even death.
Dickinson’s poem 465 is interesting, but also gruesome because it transforms a small, disregarded fly into the figure of death itself. It is interesting to see that the fly’s wing cuts the speaker off from the light until she cannot “see to see.” The fly is a minor character that does not gain any future power or importance, and its final disconnecting act is performed “With Blue—uncertain stumbling Buzz—.” One could also assume that this fly could potentially represent the speaker’s inability to hold onto their spirituality, faith, or hope, while in the process of facing death. The speaker may succeed in willing away their possessions, but they appear distracted by the idea that not all of them are “assignable”, and this potentially means their spirit or soul. According to Michael Ryan, this fly stands between the speaker and the “light.” The poem does not really state that all hope is lost, especially since the speaker has the ability to write a poem
Emily Dickinson, a poet that was never truly heard until after death. Life is not always what you think it will be and sometimes your words are worth more after your gone. “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died,” and “Because I could not stop for Death” both poems engrossed on the subject of death. It is ironic and humorous; that after her death is when people began to read her poetry. Emily Dickinson was somewhat of a hermit so many people had not read her poetry until long after it was wrote; for she did not publish it herself. These poems are noticeably similar focusing on the subject of death, which is also the subject that makes them different. “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died,” is completely focused on death in a physical state; and “Because I could not stop for Death” focuses on death as a spiritual journey: The poems both present the existence of an afterlife, the speaker is dead and yet their voice is heard.
When Dickinson starts this poem, she lets you know what is going on right away. With the first line being, “Because I could not stop for Death-“ (line 1) it gives you the general summary that this poem is going to be about death. Next, she sates “He kindly stopped for me” (line 2) and to me this made me imagine that it was like they were on a date. It’s easy to relate this poem to someone going out on some sort of date. In the next couple of lines she writes “The Carriage held but Ourselves- And Immorality” (line 3, 4) and these lines made me start to think that she is okay with the idea of death. She isn’t really freaking out about it she is just riding along with death. In lines 6 and 7 she is saying that she has given up everything to be on this date with death, kind of like you do when you start dating someone. For the next stanza she is describing they scenery that they are passing through and it set the tone to be relaxing and kind of beautiful. I enjoyed reading these lines because they really do help to set an image in your head so that you can be picturing everything that is going on in this date with death. Dickinson next writes “The Dews drew quivering and Chill- For only Gossamer, my Gown -”(line 14, 15) which is implying that the person in this story wasn’t properly prepared for this date because she is getting cold in the outfit that she is wearing. Stanza 5 lets us know that she is going to die. A house has been made up in the ground, like a hole you dig for a casket. In the final couple lines of the poem Dickinson states “Since then- ‘tis Centuries- and yet Feels shorter than the Day” (line 21, 22) and after reading those two lines you realize that this memory was from a long time ago but it seems like it just happened yesterday. This lines also relate back to it being like it was just any other date that someone would have had, it might have been one of the best or worst date,
Emily Dickinson had a fascination with death and mortality throughout her life as a writer. She wrote many poems that discussed what it means not only to die, but to be dead. According to personal letters, Dickinson seems to have remained agnostic about the existence of life after death. In a letter written to Mrs. J. G. Holland, Emily implied that the presence of death alone is what makes people feel the need for heaven: “If roses had not faded, and frosts had never come, and one had not fallen here and there whom I could not waken, there were no need of other Heaven than the one below.” (Bianchi 83). Even though she was not particularly religious, she was still drawn to the mystery of the afterlife. Her poetry is often contemplative of the effect or tone that death creates, such as the silence, decay, and feeling of hopelessness. In the poem “I died for beauty,” Dickinson expresses the effect that death has on one's identity and ability to impact the world for his or her ideals.
Comparing and Contrasting Dickinson’s Poems, Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz - When I Died
Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I” and “VIII”, are both three verses long and convey the irony and anguish of the world in different ways. By paraphrasing each of Dickinson’s poems, “I” and “VIII”, similarities and differences between the two become apparent. Putting the poem into familiar language makes it easier to comprehend.
Although difficult and challenging, I have compared and contrasted the works of two American Poets, Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson, based on literary elements used in their writings. Their differences both in style and subject are contradictory to the fact that both Poe and Dickinson are writers/poets of the same personal nature. The use of literary elements showcase the iconic statuses of the writings created by such reserved yet fame dependent poets such as Poe and Dickinson. To an extent, their chosen elements are what create their uniqueness. Further, it establishes a uniform perception that they are similar yet different poets of the personal essence. Through their writings, readers are able to grasp the concept that they are rarely drawn to the fact their lives were perfect. Dickinson seemed to be a writer of distinct but subtle characteristics. Poe, on the other hand, was considered to be a writer filled with a dependancy on fame and fortune.
...e describing a sort of spiritual death, since she talks about the fly cutting her off form the light, which could represent God. This interpretation has some difficulties, however, since family members probably would not be present during a spiritual death. (Dickinson 1146)
Imagery is a big component to most works of poetry. Authors strive to achieve a certain image for the reader to paint in their mind. Dickinson tries to paint a picture of ?death? in her own words. Thomas A. Johnson, an interpretive author of Dickinson's work, says that ?In 1863 Death came into full statue as a person. ?Because I could not stop for Death? is a superlative achievement wherein Death becomes one of the greatest characters of literature? (Johnson). Dickinson's picture to the audience is created by making ?Death? an actual character in the poem. By her constantly calling death either ?his? or ?he,? she denotes a specific person and gender. Dickinson also compares ?Death? to having the same human qualities as the other character in the poem. She has ?Death? physically arriving and taking the other character in the carriage with him. In the poem, Dickinson shows the reader her interpretation of what this person is going through as they are dying and being taken away by ?Death?. Dickinson gives images such as ?The Dews drew quivering and chill --? and ?A Swelling of the Ground --? (14, 18). In both of these lines, Dickinson has the reader conjure up subtle images of death. The ?quivering an chill? brings to the reader's mind of death being ...
I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died –, written by Emily Dickinson, is an interesting poem in which the poet deals with the subject of death in a doubtful yet both optimistic and pessimistic ways. The central theme of the poem is the doubtfulness and the reality of death. The poem is written in a very unique point of view; the narrator who is speaking is already dead. By using symbols, irony, oxymoron, imagery and punctuation, the poet greatly succeeds in showing the reality of death and her own doubtful feelings towards time after death.
Emily Dickinson is one of the most important American poets of the 1800s. Dickinson, who was known to be quite the recluse, lived and died in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, spending the majority of her days alone in her room writing poetry. What few friends she did have would testify that Dickinson was a rather introverted and melancholy person, which shows in a number of her poems where regular themes include death and mortality. One such poem that exemplifies her “dark side” is, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”. In this piece, Dickinson tells the story of a soul’s transition into the afterlife showing that time and death have outright power over our lives and can make what was once significant become meaningless.