dicknson

The poetry of Emily Dickenson is extremely popular and it is renowned for its unique manner. Her poetry is strikingly original as she highlights themes that are always related to the poet’s personal experience, such as mental anguish, nature, religion, love and hope. From my reading of a selection of her poems I have noticed that she uses them as a means to understand her extreme states of mind. I believe her exploration of her own mental highs and dark lows, make her instantly recognisable. Fresh use of her unusual imagery and unconventional punctuation are the hallmarks of her popular and distinctive work. She bares her diverse emotional landscape to her readers which is why I believe she is so popular.
“I felt a Funeral in my Brian”
A perfect example of Dickinson’s distinctive style is her popular work, “I felt a Funeral in my Brian”. Her distinctive use of capital letters in the title for the nouns “Funeral” and “Brain” creates an emphasis and provides an ominous message about the poem’s grave subject matter.
• Funeral : metaphor for her declining sanity – mention her brother’s censorship of her
• A frightening concept- being conscious on the cusp of losing your reason, logic and sanity. Also being conscious in a coffin
• Poem is dominated by funeral imagery
• Capitalisation highlights the essence of the experience :’Funeral …..Brian…..Mourners….Drum…..
• The poem concludes in an unsurprisingly ambiguous manner ( – ) . Mention the effect.
“I could bring You Jewels”
In sharp contrast to “I felt a Funeral in my Brian” which in dark and explores mental auguish “I could bring You Jewels” is wonderfully upbeat.
• Theme is beauty and unsurpassable value of a meadow flower.
• It is optimistic in tone.
• The most memorable image in the poem is that of a wild flower: “this little Blaze/ Flickering to itself-”
• Rich in imagery “Never a Fellow matched this Topaz—
And his Emerald Swing—“ to describe the meadow flower.
• Use of a rhetorical question at the close of the poem is particularity effective
“I heard a Fly buzz”
I believe her darker poetry is her most famous which has made the biggest impact on people. Her compelling interest in death is highlighted in “I heard a Fly buzz- when I died”.
• Repetition of ‘I’ underscores the deeply personal nature of this poem.
• The poem vividly depicts a death-bed scenario with the speaker about to make the critical transition from the world of life to that of death.
• The fly may be symbolic of death and decomposition.
• The term ‘light’ may be interpreted in a variety of ways – it may refer to the natural light from the windows or, possibly to the light of understanding.
• The closing lines indicate that the speaker has acquired no knowledge of the reality of death, while also conveying no belief in a spiritual afterlife beyond death.
• Use of dash – , comment on stream of consciousness.
The poem concludes with a sense of confusion, darkness and despair. “And then the windows failed – and the/ I could not see to see- “. This is not the easiest of poems to interpret which is one of the reasons I consider the poem to be so popular.
“ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers”
Much like the state of Dickinson’s mental state, her poetry swings from extreme highs to introspective dismal lows. In “ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers” , we witness Dickinson on a soaring spiritual high. Key theme is the enduring power of hope.
• The abstract concept of hope is given physical shape in the metaphor of “the little bird”. Hope is not tangible.
• The bird is depicted as a spiritual thing that “perches in the soul”.
• The seemingly frail little bird is paradoxically strong and resilient.
• While Dickinson associates fear with coldness in other poems, hope, in contrast, is linked with a sense of warmth. (“chillest lands”…)
• Hope generously reassured the poet in the extreme circumstances, without looking for anything in return.
• The tone of the poem is highly optimistic throughout.
Conclusion
Dickinson’s poetry has proven to be popular, not only in her native America but all over the world. Her poetry is intensely personal, but has an unquestionable universal appeal, mainly because of her reoccurring themes. Her unique style often challenges the reader, heightening the appeal of her verse.