dickinson

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Emily Dickinson's works addressed many dark subjects, including death. In the poem #465, "I heard a fly buzz"; Dickinson uses diction and imagery to express the last thoughts and sensations of the narrator while dying, and the ultimate emptiness in death. The theme of death is expressed by many ideas in the poem. Some examples of this are: the focus on the fly; the description of mourners gathered around the dying speaker, the idea of "light"; the "willing of keepsakes"; and the reference to the loss of sight and consciousness, ("and no longer could I see to see").

The first line expresses the theme of death literally in the words "when I died", and connotatively in the use of the words "I heard a fly buzz". A fly lays its eggs in dead organisms; a decaying corpse is often seen "swarming with flies". The placement of words in the line, the fly being heard buzzing after the death of the speaker, reinforces the idea of the speaker's physical death and decay. The capitalization of the word "fly" further implies the significance of the fly to the speaker.

In the next three lines of the poem, the "Stillness in the Room" is described.


The next lines, "And Breaths were gathering firm/For that last onset-when the King/Be witnessed-in the room" conveys the mourners' anticipation of the Speaker's death and passing on into heaven. This implies that the breaths of the different observers are becoming synchronized ("gathering firm'), which emphasizes they are in a homogeneous state. Also, "firm" can be associated with strength, a group (Breaths), "gathering" to be strong for one another during a time of emotional sadness and distress

The third stanza describes the speaker's actions taken in anticipation of death. The narrator uses the word "Keepsakes" indicating possessions. Therefore, the first three lines "I willed my keepsakes-signed away/What portion of me be/assignable-and then it was", describes the speaker's last actions before death, which like many elderly, is completing a will. The "portion" may not just be of physical items; it can also represent immaterial things such as control of their estate or fortune, which have no significance to someone after death. In this respect, the narrator is referring to both real items "willed away", and significant parts of life that become meaningless after

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Approximate Word count = 792
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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