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I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died Literary Devices

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From I heard a Fly Buzz-When I Died-, Emily Dickinson uses symbolism and irony to present her abandonment in religious beliefs. The usage of symbolism is meant to show the lack of value that the author places on theological beliefs. Dickenson first uses symbolism of the window to present her views on religion. As the narrator dies they see that “the windows failed”, showing the reality of their death. The windows symbolize Dickenson’s faith and beliefs in religion. Because the narrator struggles “to see”, Dickinson conveys that she has abandoned her trust in religion. The symbol of the fly reinforces this idea by signifying how how little importance Dickinson has for her faith. In the poem, the fly is described as “uncertain” and “stumbling”. Both of these words can be used to describe Dickinson’s faith. In addition to this, a fly is usually thought of as a creature that is …show more content…

In the poem, the narrator prepares themselves for “the last onset-when the King be witnessed”, however comes to realize the reality of death. The narrator’s unfulfilled expectations of religion and afterlife are a result of their inability to accept reality. Dickinson uses this example of situational irony to present her belief that one cannot depend on religion for hope. This view is supported by the friends and family that surround the narrator on their deathbed. From the detail of “the eyes around - had wrung them dry” it can be inferred that they share the same theological expectations and use religion as a form of hope. The difference between the narrator and the other people in the room is that the narrator realizes the reality of death. The other people in the room must live in ignorance, believing that the narrator has passed into the afterlife. Dickinson adds this element to show that she is not satisfied with false hope and requires a more feasible sense of

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In “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” Porter uses multiple allusions to three of Emily Dickinson’s poems to show the change from total, unwavering Christian faith, to the absence of Jesus as Granny dies. In the story, Porter describes Granny stepping into a cart, whose driver Granny knew by his hands, and whose face she did not have to see, because she “knew without seeing” (Porter). This scene is almost identical to the scene in Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for death-.” This allusion aids in conveying the Christian idea of death as Granny has come to accept it: a tranquil figure, Death, calmly and peacefully carries one’s soul to an eternity where centuries feel like days.

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741 Words | 3 Pages

Aside from the fly, a slew of mourners are also present at the narrator’s deathbed, as the narrator states that the “The Eyes around [them] - had wrung [themselves] dry” (Dickinson), proving how the mourners, or eyes, around the narrator, are devastated by the narrator’s death, as their eyes are dry from crying. In fact, the narrator’s death is so important that even “the King / [was] witnessed - in the Room” (Dickinson), with “the King” referring to God. This importance humanity, which is represented by the mourners, places on death is similar to that it places on marriage, as in The Storm, Calixta is aware of how her marriage makes her affair all the more scandalous, just as the mourners are aware of the narrator’s death is something monumental and holy. However, just as Calixta disregards her marriage due to her natural lust, the “stumbling fly,” interrupts the solemn mourners around the narrator’s deathbed with its clumsy and bumbling nature. Since the fly represents nature, this suggests that the narrator’s death is not as significant in the eyes of nature as it is in the eyes of humanity, just like nature doesn’t find Calixta’s marriage very important as it is the reason she possesses the instinct which drives

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932 Words | 4 Pages

Whitman and Dickinson share the theme of death in their work, while Whitman decides to speak of death in a more realistic point of view, Dickinson speaks of the theme in a more conceptual one. In Whitman’s poems, he likes to have a more empathic view of individuals and their ways of living. For example, in Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, the poet talks about not just of himself, but all human beings, and of how mankind works into the world and the life of it. Even though the poem mostly talks about life and the happiness of it, Whitman describes also that life itself has its ending, and that is the theme of death. For Dickinson, she is the complete opposite of happiness.

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1319 Words | 6 Pages

Thus, Emily Dickinson's poems "I heard a Fly buzz-when I died" and "Because I could not stop for Death-" explore the theme of death and share the same writing style; however, they differ in their perception of death, and tone, which creates a notable and alluring form of writing that defies the standards of poetry. Moreover, “I heard a Fly Buzz when I died” has a unique writing style in which Emily Dickinson is known. This is shown through the use of dashes, and short lines. An example of this is, "Was like the Stillness in the Air - / Between the Heaves of Storm -"( Dickinson 3-4). Besides demonstrating Emily's signature style of dashes and short lines, this quote also shows how she formats her poetry so the reader can see how there is an unsettling realization that something is going to happen as the speaker lies on the death bed, which has to do with the subject of death.

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790 Words | 4 Pages

The white bird is a very important symbol in the book. The white bird makes itself present throughout the book and symbolizes many different things. The white bird first appears in the story when Sara and her family are in the forest. Sara plays a game with her Papa, “Oh Papa! Can you make me fly?

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And then I heard them life a Box, And creak across my Soul”. The reader can understand that the narrator isn’t really attending a funeral, but is instead comparing her losing her sense and sanity to a death at a funeral. Her use of punctuation also showcases how mad she is. A quote that supports this is,” And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race”. Dickinson is giving making the ear a person as if to say she only listens but she is silent and is unable to express

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875 Words | 4 Pages

By contrast, Dickinson’s narrator seems very lighthearted and never mentions any regret. She says “And I had put away/ My labor and my leisure too,” (Dickinson 6-7) which is symbolic of leaving this earth and all it had to offer, yet never once does she want it back or miss it. In the eighth line of Dylan Thomas’, the color green is symbolic of young life and the bay is symbolic of the world in which life lives. Emily Dickinson mentions a house where death dwells in her fifth stanza “We paused before a House that seemed/

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Poetry is used as an outlet for people to express themselves. Often times the reader can identify a lot about the poet just by understanding the theme of their works. In the poem “Taking off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes” Billy Collins uses symbolism to demonstrate that through poetry a poet is revealing their inner thoughts and emotions. In the poem, Collins uses symbolism to express the extent of how a poet reveals their inner selves to their readers.

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When Dickinson was young she thought of death as a kind, peaceful gentleman. She elaborates on this idea in her poem “Because I could not Stop for Death”, “Because I could not stop for Death/ He kindly stopped for me/ We slowly drove - He knew no haste,” Emily Dickinson uses the personification of Death in a way that bears resemblance to a classy, peaceful gentleman who is willing to slowly guide and patiently wait for a lady. Her wording also gives the connotation that she is young and in love with this gentle Death. This idea abruptly turns into hatred when she loses her parents.

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This is where you can see that Dickinson took her sisters critique in order to match the tone of the first stanza to create a better flow of the poem. The line, “Grand go the Years—in the Crescent—above them—“ (line 6) follows suit with the darker theme to describe the time spent in heaven by the meek members. The use of the word crescent can be interpreted as the moon which is in the sky, and when giving a geographical location to heaven, many point towards the sky. The passage into heaven is described in the following lines, “Worlds scoop their Arcs— And Firmaments—row—“ (lines 7-8), with when the world is scooping the arc, they are creating a pathway to which these meek members of the resurrection will follow and a firmament means a place in the heavens where god dwells, it is ever-lasting much as life heaven is depicted in the bible. These lines are also keeping with the solemnness of death, which is once again reflected in the second half of the stanza.

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975 Words | 4 Pages

In the poem “Because I could not stop for death” by Emily Dickinson, death is described as a person, and the narrator is communicating her journey with death in the afterlife. During the journey the speaker describes death as a person to accompany her during this journey. Using symbolism to show three locations that are important part of our lives. The speaker also uses imagery to show why death isn 't’ so scary.

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1000 Words | 4 Pages

The speaker seems completely at ease with the Death as they move along at a relaxed pace. In the third stanza, the reader sees reminders of the world that the speaker is passing through, with children playing, fields of grain, and the sun setting. However, the speakers place in the world shifts between the third stanza and the next. Dickinson states, “We passed the Setting Sun- (12)”, but at the beginning of the fourth stanza, the speaker corrects this by stating, “Or rather – / He passed us – (13) ” because she has died. In the rest of the

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The speaker is worried that thier soul will not be taken to heaven for all eternity. As the speaker ponders this, the fly interrupts and is not part of this tradition and ritual. The fly is standing between the speaker and the light, interrupting the speakers final thoughts. The fly symbolizes the physical aspects of death and reminds the speaker of this as the speaker loses their breath and sight then passes

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926 Words | 4 Pages

In “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”, Emily Dickinson uses imagery and symbols to establish the cycle of life and uses examples to establish the inevitability of death. This poem describes the speaker’s journey to the afterlife with death. Dickinson uses distinct images, such as a sunset, the horses’ heads, and the carriage ride to establish the cycle of life after death. Dickinson artfully uses symbols such as a child, a field of grain, and a sunset to establish the cycle of life and its different stages. Dickinson utilizes the example of the busyness of the speaker and the death of the sun to establish the inevitability of death.

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Emily Dickinson lived during a time when many would become very well acquainted with death. As such it would become a specter that was feared as it could make an appearance at any time. So looking at Dickinson 's work it seems rather interesting that taken as a collection there seems to be the tale of one character that comes to view death in a multitude of different ways throughout their life. First is the feared figure that leaves them restless, then death comes as something numbing but leaves the living to celebrate the life of the one that has passed, life as a story that is completed and finished upon death, and finally coming to see death as kind figure that takes one to a new home. this finally view is what paints death as something that is not to be feared but rather as something natural, it is the next

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