"I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Emily Dickinson writes of death in the poem "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died", choosing her words like a painter would chose his/her colors. It looks at how every word has meaning and how every line signifies a breath and thought of pure philosophy.

From the Paper:

""The stillness in the room" represents the awkward instance of death. When death happens the "stillness" is felt by all. We all become aware we are of life when we experience death. "The stillness in the room" is compared with the "stillness in the air". To Dickinson the in death the air become still for the person who can no longer take a breath into their lungs. This stillness becomes death, air no longer exists and life is a memory possessed by those who look on with wonder. The emotion in this poem is great. The second stanza describes the onlookers. This must be the exact time of death, because the group begins to cry and breath "firm". While chests become tight with the onslaught of tears the eyes fix on the death in the room, but she who is dying fix on the small insect in the room. She thinks of all that life has brought and what parts of her are able to be left behind. She has "signed away" the physical world and has entered the final phase of the spiritual."

More papers on "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died":

• Persuasive Essay # 146961 : "Emily Dickinson and Puritanism"
• Analytical Essay # 52668 : "The Poetry of Emily Dickinson"
• Analytical Essay # 60860 : "Theme of Death in Literature"

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