Death in Dickinsons I heard a Fly Buzz When I died Essay

Death in Dickinsons I heard a fly buzz when I died Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"I heard a fly buzz when I died† is a reflection on what happens when one dies. In the poem, the speaker is waiting to die. It seems as though they are expecting something spectacular to happen at the moment of their death. This spectacular event they are expecting does not happen. I heard a fly buzz when I died By Emily Dickinson I heard a fly buzz when I died; The stillness round my form Was like the stillness in the air Between the heaves of storm. The eyes beside had wrung them dry. And breaths were gathering sure For that last onset, when the king Be witnessed in his power. I willed my keepsakes, signed away What portion of me I†¦show more content†¦This appears to be a reference to God, and they expect to see a display of God’s power as the speaker is brought into the hereafter. This is the only mention of the afterlife in the poem. Even this mention of the afterlife has more to do with the process of dying and being brought into heaven then what happens after death. The focus is not the unknown after death, but what happens as one dies. The event that everyone is waiting for is the death of the speaker. They want to see something amazing, and do not seem to concerned with what happens to the speaker after the passing. The speaker is preparing to die. The crowd is now ready to experience the grandeur the speaker thought would accompany death, but suddenly, a fly intervenes. This is a lead in to the next stanza, in which the fly interrupts the event the speaker is waiting for at the moment of their death. The speaker has almost ceremonially prepared for death. It seems as though nothing will go wrong and they will see the big even they have been waiting for, and suddenly a fly appears, spoiling the moment they hoped would come. The grand event that was expected to accompany death does not occur. The entrance of the fly with a â€Å"blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz† is all that accompanies the speaker’s death. It is not that the fly caused the speaker to miss the event of their death, there was no sight to see. The speaker believes that the fly’s brief buzzing may have caused them toShow MoreRelated The Reality of Death in Emily Dickinsons Poem, I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died2683 Words   |  11 PagesI 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 d eath and her own doubtfulRead More Death in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died965 Words   |  4 PagesDeath in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died Emily Dickinsons two poems, Because I Could Not Stop For Death and I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, revolve around one central theme, death. Though the two do centralize around the theme of death they both have slightly different messages or beliefs about what is to come after death. By discussing both of the poems and interpreting their meanings, the reader can gain a fuller understanding ofRead More Comparing and Contrasting Dickinson’s Poems, Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died833 Words   |  4 PagesComparing and Contrasting Dickinson’s Poems, Because I Could Not Stop for Death and I Heard a Fly Buzz - When I Died Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on 10th December, 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. As a young child, she showed a bright intelligence, and was able to create many recognizable writings. Many close friends and relatives in Emily’s life were taken away from her by death. Living a life of simplicity and aloofness, she wrote poetry of great power: questioning the natureRead More Death in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain1449 Words   |  6 PagesDeath in Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain Emily Dickinsons poems Because I Could Not Stop for Death, I Heard A Fly Buzz-When I Died, and I Felt A Funeral In My Brain all deal with one of lifes few certainties, death. Dickinsons intense curiosity towards mortality was present in much of her work, and is her legacy as a poet. Because I could Not Stop for Death is one of Emily Dickinsons Read MoreDeath s Shocking Truth By Emily Dickinson864 Words   |  4 Pagespoems â€Å"I heard a buzz when- I died† and â€Å"Because I could not stop for death†. In these two poems, Emily Dickinson, describes two very different death experiences. While doing so Dickinson describes what she believes death to be. The poem â€Å"I Heard a buzz when I died,† takes a rough route to death with an even rougher shock. The other poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for death,† takes a gentler route to death with a not so gentle shock. However out of these poems, â€Å"I heard a buzz - when I died, â€Å"receivesRead MoreAn Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died and Jilting of Granny Weatherall1714 Words   |  7 Pagesprimarily to a future life after death but a transformation in this life of both ourselves and this world† (Peters, 845). Salvation is not only something that can be found af ter death; people can finds salvation at any point by deciding to make a transformation in their lives to better themselves as well as the world around them. However, most humans seek salvation to find solace in the critical moment of their death; individuals find comfort in the belief of life after death or an eternal sole. SeveralRead MoreEmily Dickinson : A Comparison Of Death791 Words   |  4 Pagestopic of death, which made it seem as if she had an almost morbid fascination with the subject. Her poems I heard a Fly buzz –when I died, and Because I could not stop for death— are some of the many poems that she wrote on this ghastly topic. Even though the poems are somewhat similar with the main focus being death from different viewpoints, I personally believe that I heard a Fly buzz—when I died was more of a powerful and impacting poem for various reasons. In Dickinsons Because I couldRead MoreEssay about Two Viewpoints of Death in Emily Dickinsons Poetry642 Words   |  3 PagesTwo of Emily Dickinson’s poems, â€Å"I heard a Fly buzz-when I died† and â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† are both written about life’s stopping point, death. Although the poems are written by the same poet, both poems view death in a different manner. Between the two poems, one views death as having an everlasting life while the other anticipates everlasting life, only to realize it does not exist. While both poems are about death, both poems also illustrate that the outcome of death is a mysteriousRead MoreEmily Dickinson s I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died846 Words   |  4 PagesElements of â€Å"I heard a Fly Buzz When I Died† In some instances within literature, writers surprise readers by incorporating ideas that the reader may or may not expect. Within Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"I heard a Fly Buzz When I Died†, readers are introduced to a ghostly speaker that discusses the scene of their deathbed. Readers are exposed to many surprises throughout various aspects of the poem. One aspect of the poem that surprises readers is the relationship between the speaker and the fly .The firstRead More An Annotation of Emily Dickinsons I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died1091 Words   |  5 PagesAn Annotation of Emily Dickinsons I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died Emily Dickinsons poem I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died is centralized on the events of death and is spoken through the voice of the dying person. The poem explores both the meaning of life and death through the speaker and the significant incidents at the time of near death that the speaker notices. Many of Dickinsons poems contain a theme of death that searches to find meaning and the ability to cope with the inevitable. This