Dickinsons View of Death - Essay Example

Dickinson’s View of Death The work of Emily Dickinson has served as an enigmatic challenge to many critics and scholars. In part, the reason for this is the how she left her work: “She left no explicit instructions on how her texts were to be assembled and presented after her death, and the evidence contained in the manuscripts themselves is not always consistent” (Mitchell 706). Though her individual poems are often very short, often there are themes running through the separate fascicles that were grouped together. In specific, in fascicle 16 Dickinson presents her own view of death which is very positive and empowering, which is in stark contrast to death as a negative force which it is often treated. The poem “Before I got my eyes put out” will be examined first. The poem is discussing how the sort of power found in angels and the heavens is too much for people: “But were it told to me—Today—/That I might have the sky” (5-6). Having the sky is obviously only something a heavenly creature could possess, though there aren’t any directly mentioned in the text. Regardless, something like this is obviously too much for a person: “The News would strike me dead” (17). In this poem she is setting up the difference between people and the heavens, though it is important to note that she states that she would die, and she does not say that this is particularly a bad thing. Without a judgment as to whether this would be a positive or negative thing, Dickinson is free to develop her theme as she feels fit. Though it’s not obvious in this particular poem, death as a positive event will be developed and treated as the obvious way of viewing it. Next, “I like a look of Agony” discusses how pain and death can be seen in a positive aspect. As Dickinson states that people would not pretend to be in pain because it is not a state that people want to be in, one can assume that a person that does appear to be in pain is actually in pain, and she appreciates the honesty of it. Death, which is “Impossible to feign” (6), is the ultimate form of honesty, and obviously honesty is always regarded as a positive trait. As pain and agony can often lead to death, the link between agony, death, and honesty is apparent. It might seem at first that the poem is a bit morbid, since it sounds as though the speaker is enjoying the suffering of others if one were to merely glance at the first line, by the end of the poem this interpretation obviously cannot be carried all the way through and must be discarded. The next poem, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,” opens with an obvious reference to death. This poem draws the parallel of death having the quality seemingly being more reasonable: “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,/ And Mourners to and fro/ Kept treading — treading — till it seemed/ That Sense was breaking through —(1-4). As “I like a look of Agony” made a parallel between death and honesty, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” makes he case that their is more reason in death. First, as there is honesty in death, it would seem that reason would be a natural extension of honesty. Without honesty, it is difficult to properly take advantage of reason because the correct material would not be available for a person to make use of for ratiocination. When the reason that the speaker has been experiencing falters, there is a return to reality: “And then a Plank in Reason, broke,/ And I dropped down, and down —/ And hit a World” (17-19). By now a very apparent pattern has emerged in which conventional notions of death are not present. “Tis so appalling—it exhilarates—“ continues the theme of death by taking it to the next level and showing a sheer excitement at the thought of death. Yet again this poem makes reference to the idea of death and truth being connected: “The Truth, is Bald, and Cold —But that will hold — “ (9-10). Since there are so many things in life that are confusing and g without answers until death, this could be seen as the inspiration to be excited by th prospect of death. All of the unanswered questions will finally be answered. The speaker recognizes death as a normally reviled aspect of life, but at for the last time uses two contradictory terms to describe it: “And so of Woe, bleak dreaded — come,/ It sets the Fright at liberty —/ And Terrors free —/ Gay, Ghastly, Holiday!” “Gay” and “Ghastly” are both used to describe the same thing, a holiday, and the reader is left thinking that the speaker is looking for to death. Twas just this time, last year, I died” is another poem in which an immediate death reference is made. This poem discusses what a person who had would think after their own death: “I thought how yellow it would look —/ When Richard went to mill —/ And then, I wanted to get out,/ But something held my will” (5-8). The speaker realizes that things will continue on in a not overly different matter. While at first this might seem like a negative attitude, one way to interpret it would be to say that since it doesn’t really matter if one dies considering that things will continue on the same, this is all the more reason to make the best of whatever awaits a person after death. Of course, people need to remember that everyone that survives them will also eventually join them in death: “But this sort, grieved myself,/ And so, I thought the other way,/ How just this time, some perfect year —/ Themself, should come to me—“ (21-24). As the speaker is already dead, it is obvious that the act of coming to them could only take place their the other characters’ deaths. Since they would all be eventually rejoined, this is yet another way that death can be viewed in a positive manner. The poem “Afraid! Of whom am I afraid” mentions death within its first stanza. Again, though the typical view of death is of something of which to fear, this poem proclaims that there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of death: “Afraid! Of whom am I afraid?/ Not Death — for who is He?/ The Porter of my Fathers Lodge/ As much abasheth me!” (1-4). The father in this poem is obviously referring to god, and since death is that which brings a person directly to god, then death could not possibly be viewed in a negative manner. The poem states that, since of course people should want to be with their father/god, death should merely be considered as the means by which that act can be accomplished. Without a doubt the poem is stating that there could not possibly be any other interpretation of death. The last poem that will be examined doesn’t directly mention death, but it is obvious that that is what the poem is about. In “Tie the Strings to my Life, My Lord,” the speaker is stating that she is ready to be with her Lord in Heaven: “Tie the Strings to my Life, My Lord,/ Then, I am ready to go” (1-2). Stating that she is ready to go, when in reference to her Lord, is obviously meant to mean that she is ready to die. There is not any direct mention of being unhappy in her life, so it must be assumed that their is any particular aspect of her life that is making her wanting to not be alive any more; it is not that she wants to join her Lord because she is suicidal or anything at all along those lines, but merely because she just wishes after having lived this much of her life so far to be with her Lord. If that had been the case then the poem wouldn’t seem as triumphant, but the last stanza can only be viewed as such: “Goodbye to the Life I used to live —/ And the World I used to know —/ And kiss the Hills, for me, just once —/ Then — I am ready to go!” (13-16). The use of the exclamation mark is important in making the lines seem triumphant because it necessitates this idea; if there hadn’t been an exclamation point, then the speaker probably would have seemed more unsure about the endeavor, but as it is, there is no room left for any other interpretations to be made. This is obviously something that the speaker is looking forward to. Not all of the fascicles have such a strong theme running through them, and often times some critics have made some serious stretches in attempting to make connections between various poems. This can be one difficulty in the study of a manuscript: “Manuscript study is, at best, a rough terrain over which textual editors, like caterpillars, pick their careful way” (Dickie 320). Of course, considering how strong the theme of death as a positive experience runs through fascicle 16, it is extremely difficult to attempt to prove that is anything otherwise. Works Cited Dickie, Margaret, “Dickinson in Context.” American Literature History, vol. 7, no. 2 (Summ 95) pp. 320-33. Dickinson, Emily, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. New York, Little, Brown and Company, 1960. Domhnall, Mitchell, “Revisiting the Script: Emily’s Dickinson’s Manuscripts.” American Literature, vol. 20, no. 4 (Dec. 1998) pp. 705-737. Read More