I Felt A Funeral In My Brain Analysis

“Then a Plank in Reason, broke” Emily Dickinson’s poem “I felt a funeral in My Brain” is about a funeral service taking place in the speakers imagination. Throughout the poem the reader is left to think that the funeral is the speakers own funeral. The tone of the poem comes across as depressing and lonely. The ending of the poem is left as an open thought for the readers. “And Finished knowing –then-.” (20). Most of Dickinson’s endings in poems are frequently left open ended (Poetry Foundation). Dickinson wrote a poem dated to 1875, “Escape is such a thankful World.” In, fact her references to “escape” occur primarily in reference to the soul (Poetry Foundation). This poem relates to “I felt a Funeral in my Brain” because of the sense of escaping from something referenced to the soul. Dickinson relies on contrasting imagery, symbolism, and sound to convey the lonely feelings of sadness also know as depression. Depression is defined as a mood disorder causing a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.
The image of a large group of people gathering to be seated around a casket took place in her mind. Dickinson uses metaphor to convey the image of the weight depression placed on her. She writes the line “And then a plank in Reason ,broke,/ And I dropped down, and down”(17-18). This image demonstrates how the speaker is falling apart and being beat down till finally she hits rock bottom. Many images in the poem are used to portray the speakers mind. Dickinson also uses simile to demonstrate the powerful overwhelming thoughts going through the speakers mind. “A service, like a Drum -/Kept beating – beating – till I thought/ My mind was going numb”(6-7). You can tell that the speakers mind is pounding with thoughts till finally her brain goes numb and doesn’t have any