"I heard a Fly buzz-- when I died"

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--

The Eyes around-- had wrung them dry--
And Breaths were gathering firm
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--

With Blue-- uncertain stumbling Buzz--
Between the light-- and me--
And then the windows failed-- and then
I could not see to see--


In this poem, Dickinson's diction creates an intensely gloomy tone. The first stanza develops the idea that the speaker's death lead to an overall feeling of sorrow; The second stanza emphasizes the sadness by stating that the mourners' eyes were "wrung dry." The audience was in awe when the King walked in, which presents the idea that the speaker lived a life of importance. The third stanza indicates that the speaker is accepting death by willing away her "Keepsakes." The speaker's interaction with the fly infers that all humans, no matter how important they once were, are equal after death. This poem taught me to rethink life and to be less egocentric, because everone is the same after death.

"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain"

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading--treading--till it seemed
That Sence was breaking through--

And when they were all seated,
A Service, like a Drum--
Kept beating--beating till I thought
My mind was going numb--

And I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again,
Then Space--Began to toll,

As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race
Wrecked, solitary, here--

And then a Plank in Reason, broke,
And I dropped down, and down--
And hit a World, at every plunge,
And Finished knowing--then--


In this poem, Dickinson develops a relaxed tone to describe the events of a funeral-- assumably the speaker's. In this poem as well, Dickinson writes in a first-person view, establishing death as a less ominous subject and more of an acceptable fact of life. In the first stanza, the speaker discusses mourners wandering around her, and throughout the poem they partake in standard funeral proceedings. The speaker merely observes and seems to be separated from the mourners. In the third stanza, the speaker refers to a Box being lifted by the mourners and describes the noises around her, which implies that it is the speaker who is being mourned. In the fourth stanza, the speaker posits the notion that she can have no influence on the outside world by portraying herself as an "Ear"; She can only listen. Along with Silence, the speaker rests completely alone in solitude. The final stanza ends abruptly, which could represent how suddenly death occurs. After reading this poem, I have learned to make life what I want it to be while I still have the opportunity, because there will come a time when I will have no influence on it.

"Because I could not stop for Death"

Because I could not stop for Death--
He kindly stopped for me--
The Carriage held but just Ourselves--
And Immortality.

We slowly drove--He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility--

W passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess--in the Ring--
We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain--
We passed the Setting Sun--

Or rather--He passed Us--
The Dews drew quivering and chill--
For only Gossamer, my Gown--
My Tippet--only Tulle--

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling on the Ground--
The Roof was scarcely visible--
The Cornice--in the Ground--

Since then--tis' Centuries--and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Head
Were towards Eternity--


In the poem "Because I could not stop for Death," Dickinson's diction and use of figurative language portrays an incredibly melancholy tone. She personifies death as "he" and "kind." This implies that it is not a foreseen burden placed upon everyone. The speaker and death are the only people in the "Carriage", and she has no intentions of dying. She feels as if she is immortal. She describes the carriage ride as "slow" and "hasteless." Death drives the carriage leisurely with grace as if he has time to waste. In the third stanza, the carriage passes multiple settings creating an image of life. We begin as children, progress and grow like grain, and eventually the sun sets upon our lives. Everyone dies one day. In the fifth stanza, Dickinson depicts an image of a house in the ground with a roof that is barely visible. The house is symbolic of a grave protruding out of the ground. The speaker has been dead for centuries, but she states that it "feels shorter than a day." This Poem helps me to picture death as an inevitable event in everyone's life. After reading this poem, I think of death as a natural aspect of the life cycle.