Emily Dickinson is one of the most well-regarded, and well-known American poets of today. Born in 1830s Massachusetts, she lived quite an introverted life, writing a collection of more than 1760 poems. She spent most of her early life in school, but later in adulthood, indoors, writing or reading literature. Many of her poems deal with life and death, and also immortality, with her poem, “I Heard a Fly buzz—when I died” not an exception. Emily usually did not give titles to her poems. Her works, instead, are titled as their first line, or given number by author Thomas H. Johnson in his book The Poems of Emily Dickinson. The poem “I Heard a Fly buzz—when I died” was numbered 465 according to Johnson’s analysis of the poems’ date of publication.
This means that a title cannot be analyzed, therefore a jump to the first line of the first stanza must be done. The first line of “I Heard a Fly buzz—when I died” includes, “I Heard a Fly buzz—when I died—” (Dickinson 1). The significance the narrator is putting on the fly cannot be missed. Ironically, other than rot and decay, there is no significance or relation between death and flies. This could either show that the fly is only a figure or a representation of an important part of the poem, or the narrator is lying dead in a dirty, obscure place. The next lines Dickinson writes in the poem include, “The Stillness in the Room / Was like the Stillness in the Air—” (2-3). Through these lines, it can be concluded that the speaker is in a silent room, most likely referring to an indoor area. However, the lines can be vague on its reference of whether the narrator is talking about the silence other than the fly or that the fly is in the narrator’s mind and the room really is silent. The last line of the first stanza writes, “Between the Heaves of Storm—” (Dickinson 4). This line shows the reader tension. The phrase “calm before the storm” might come into mind. This tells the reader that the room the speaker lies in is very tense. This might hint that other people are present as the dead cannot feel tension other than cause
However, in their deathbed, the truth, the reality of their situation, that death is death and nothing else, will remain in their subconscious, and will shortly be realized. Written in four parts, Emily sets up an interesting, attention grabbing first stanza, highlighting the significance of a fly to the death of a person. She continues to raise inquiry and interest as she introduces religion and reveals to the reader the narrator’s situation. This was followed by a conveyance of the narrator’s personality, showing kindness and generosity. A surprise then crashes in, revealing the significance of the fly as the harsh truth and reality, and the realization of the falsities of religion and the afterlife. She successfully communicates truth in atheism, the fallacy in the belief of religion, and theists’ futile resistance of finality, through the creation of an afterlife, a
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
Even though it is a short 16 lines long, Emily Dickenson’s poem “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—” is full of death and darkness as well as light and life. Throughout the poem, seeing and sight are major topics which serve as a sense of irony for the narrator who is dying. Dickenson is able to describe death in a very vivid and colorful way that makes readers feel as if they are at the bedside of the dying narrator. She is excellent in her use of hidden meanings and references for such a short poem— this is the mark of an exceptional poet .
In the first poem,“ I heard a fly buzz –When I died” by Emily Dickenson, it describes the atmosphere and surroundings when a person dies in the point of view of them already dead. The buzzing of the fly seems to be the last sound she heard through the silent air as she departs her life in the first Stanza. “I heard a Fly buzz –when I died –. The stillness in the room was like the stillness in the air – Between the heaves of storm –.” It seems as though the room was surrounded with people that love her and are yet preparing themselves for the death of their loved one as she says, “ The eyes around – had wrung them dry.” Meaning that the people in the room were ones to be hurt and affected by her departure as those o...
Emily Dickinson stands out from her contemporaries by discussing one of man's inevitable fears in an unconventional way: death. In two of her poems, "I heard a Fly buzz-when I died" and "Because I could not stop for Death," Dickinson expresses death in an unforeseen way. Although Dickinson portrays death in both of these poems, the way that she conveys the experience is quite different in each poem. Dickinson reveals death as a grim experience, with no glimpse of happiness once one's life is over in "I heard a Fly buzz-when I died." In contrast to this, Dickinson consoles the reader by characterizing death as a tranquil journey in "Because I could not stop for Death." However, despite this difference, Dickinson seduces and catches the reader off guard by speaking of death in an unconventional way. Emily Dickinson masters describing a traumatic human event in the most mundane terms, with the help of literary devices such as imagery and language.
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.
Emily Dickinson once said, “Dying is a wild night and a new road.” Some people welcome death with open arms while others cower in fear when confronted in the arms of death. Through the use of ambiguity, metaphors, personification and paradoxes Emily Dickinson still gives readers a sense of vagueness on how she feels about dying. Emily Dickinson inventively expresses the nature of death in the poems, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (280)”, “I Heard a fly Buzz—When I Died—(465)“ and “Because I could not stop for Death—(712)”.
Only a very few pieces of an American poet Emily Dickinson were published during her lifetime. The majority, more than seventeen hundred of them, became available to public after her death. Dickinson’s poems are short, unique, and lack a title. Common topics are death, immortality, and the role of a woman. Dickinson was not famous during her life, and she wanted her books to be burnt after she died. However, they were published, and she is now one of the most renowned American poets. The poem “Fame is a bee” (1763) expresses her view of fame, but it is not clear whether she really had no interest in being famous, or whether it was her desire, the path to immortality.
Comparing and Contrasting Dickinson’s Poems, Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz - When I Died
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.
The fly can also be seen as an interruption in the narrator's process of dying. The fly can be heard buzzing above the "Stillness in the Room." The fly also comes between the speaker and the light in the last stanza of the poem, which is another disturbance in the speaker's dying process. The fly can also be seen in an ironic light. The speaker, like all of us, is expecting death to be an important, grandiose experience in our lives. Her own death, however, is interrupted by something as insignificant as a fly. The insignificant quality of the fly could represent the commonplace nature of death and the relative irrelevance of the death of one person. The fly is unimportant, an...
Death is a controversial and sensitive subject. When discussing death, several questions come to mind about what happens in our afterlife, such as: where do you go and what do you see? Emily Dickinson is a poet who explores her curiosity of death and the afterlife through her creative writing ability. She displays different views on death by writing two contrasting poems: one of a softer side and another of a more ridged and scary side. When looking at dissimilar observations of death it can be seen how private and special it is; it is also understood that death is inevitable so coping with it can be taken in different ways. Emily Dickinson’s poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died” show both parallel and opposing views on death.
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.
Emily Dickinson became legendary for her preoccupation with death. All her poems contain stanzas focusing on loss or loneliness, but the most striking ones talk particularly about death, specifically her own death and her own afterlife. Her fascination with the morose gives her poems a rare quality, and gives us insight into a mind we know very little about. What we do know is that Dickinson’s father left her a small amount of money when she was young. This allowed her to spend her time writing and lamenting, instead of seeking out a husband or a profession. Eventually, she limited her outside activities to going to church. In her early twenties, she began prayed and worshipped on her own. This final step to total seclusion clearly fueled her obsession with death, and with investigating the idea of an afterlife. In “Because I could not stop for Death”, Dickinson rides in a carriage with the personification of Death, showing the constant presence of death in her life. 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. “This World is not Conclusion” is Dickinson’s swan song on the subject of afterlife. She confirms all her previous statements, but in a more r...
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.
Throughout Emily Dickinson’s poetry there is a reoccurring theme of death and immortality. The theme of death is further separated into two major categories including the curiosity Dickinson held of the process of dying and the feelings accompanied with it and the reaction to the death of a loved one. Two of Dickinson’s many poems that contain a theme of death include: “Because I Could Not Stop For Death,” and “After great pain, a formal feeling comes.”