Cornella 1

Johnathan Cornella

Mr. Damaso

English II, Period 7

4/1/2009

2nd Source Check Literary Criticism

LITERARY THREAD: Emily Dickinson’s poetry exemplifies her strong desire to embrace death

and fear in the world around her, which is portrayed through graphic imagery, as well as

metaphors.

Poem 1: Because I Could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson

"Because I Could Not Stop for Death." Poetry for Students 2 (1998): 26-38.

Eds. Marie Napierkowski Detroit: Thomson Gale, 1998. Gale Virtual

Reference Library. Gale. Brophy College Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ. Web. 1 April.

2009.

<http://find.galegroup.com>

1. Meaning

• Polite gentleman by the name of Death takes her in a carriage

afternoon ride with immortality. Nature is used to represent

various life stages. They pause at her grave, and then she uses

a hyperbole to show that she understand immortality. (26).

• “Weather death takes the form of an old man, a grim reaper, his

visit is usually never welcome by the poor mortal that finds him

at the door. In the poem the woman welcomes him and is going

on a date with death. She embraces death and wished to marry

him. (Napierkowski 28).

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• People spent much of their lives keeping busy with work or play

so that they do not have to think about their own eminent death.

The character in the poem puts aside her life to journey with

death. (28).

• Death makes her realize the beauty of life. (28).

• In death immortality is found and it transcends time and reality

so that a century appears to be a day. (28).

2. Themes

• Cycle of Life-The structure of the poem is a circular pattern

where the last stanza ties the meaning of the poem back into

the first stanza. Elements of nature represent a cycle of life.

Children playing with rings represents eternity, whereas fields of

grain reminds of the harvest and the repition of daily life. The

setting sun reminds us of the closure period of our lifetime as we

grow old. (28).

• Death-In this poem death is not personified as the grim reaper

but as a gentleman who is responsible for showing courtship. A

chaperon named immortality comes along to insure that they do

not do anything in proper. Death also has taste in woman and

responsibility when he comes to grab souls. Religon had a great

change in Dickinson’s view of death because of her belief in

Calvinist immortality. (30).

• Time-time passes at a different rate during certain

circumstances. Time shows that death is a comfort and is a part

of life. At the end of the poem the speaker looks back on her life
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as if it transcends time and is nothing compared to immortality.

(30).

3. Literary Thread

• Shows that she is willing to reach out and embrace death. She wants to

marry death. Completely backs up and supports my literary thread.

4. Figurative Language

• Hyperbole, metaphor, Irony, Alliteration. Dickinson uses figurative

language to bring menaing to her poetry.

5. Poetic Form

• Six quatrains with four line stanzas. Common meter. Lines are

arranged in iams where one syllable is unstressed, and then a syllable

is stressed. The poetic form is quatrain. (Napierkowski 30).

6. Rhyme

• The rhymes for this poems are not exact rhymes. Dickinson uses words

that sounds similar but tend not to rhyme. The rhyme for the poem is

ABCB. (Napierkowski 30).

7. Meter

• The meter is a combination of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. It

is stressed and unstressed. (Napierkowski 30).

Poem 2: I heard a fly buzz when I died

"I Heard a Fly Buzz—When I Died—." Poetry for Students 5 (1999).Ed. Mary Ruby.

Detroit: Thomson Gale 139-153. Gale Virtual Reference Library. . Brophy

College Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ. Web. 1 April. 2009.

<http://find.galegroup.com>.
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1. Meaning

• A fly seems to take on a great deal of importance while the main

character is on her deathbed. The fly symbolizes that the speaker is

tied to the physical world, and the cruel fate of decomposition after the

body is gone. Death is portrayed as a type of sleep in which the

speaker comes in and out off. (140).

2. Themes

• Death-death draws value to life even as it appears to threaten life. True

and serious sorrow. Death has already taken the speaker in the poem.

Shows the stillness between life and death, and shows us to draw our

joy and happiness from life. (143).

• Public vs. Private Life-the public mourning of the speaker is a public

ceremony that is shared by the speaker’s loved ones. However those

that have gathered do not witness the thought process that is going on

within the speaker’s mind. Death is primarily personal experience.

(143).

3. Literary Thread

• This poem showed that death is a private relationship and the thought

process that occurred during a speaker’s death. It showed the thought

process of immortality which fascinated Dickinson.

4. Figurative Lanuage

• The poem uses an oxymoron to assert the double truth that lies within

death. (142).

5. Poetic Devices
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• “Dickinson used oxymorons to reveal the puritan values of death within

her poetry. (Napierkowoski 142).

6. Poetic Form

• Lyric Poem composed in four quatrains or four line stanzas. The lines

alternate. (Napierkowoski 143).

7. Rhyme

• The Ryhme for this poetry shows that words do not exactly rhyme but

have similar syllables. The tonal harmony stands to create the rhymes.

The scheme of rhyme is ABCB. (143).

Poem 3: I felt a funeral, in my brain.

"I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain." Poetry for Students 13 (2001): 135-149.Ed. Anne

Hacht. Detroit: Thomson Gale. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Brophy College

Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ. Web. 1 April. 2009.

<http://find.galegroup.com>.

1. Meaning

• Explores the working of the human minds under stress and attempts to

replicate the stages of mental breakdown through the overall

metaphor of a funeral. The common rituals of a funeral are used to

show the stages of mental collapse. (135).

• The ‘Funeral” represents an asult by an idea that threatens to destroy

all of his/her assumptions. (135).

• Losing one’s reason is like a funeral: the final intent and burial of

rational thought. (135).

2. Themes
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• Madness and Sanity-the impending mental collapse of the

speaker is revealed due to her insanity. The speaker is rocked by

mental collapses, and begins to loose her grip on her sanity and

reality. This form of death is not pleasant. The beating and

throbbing of drums in her brain gives her pain and drives her

mad. As the poem goes on the mental regression progress, until

she is eventually carried to her grave. (139)

• Doubt and Uncertanity-the poem can be read as a depiction of

an individual’s complete loss of religious faith. The cause of this

loss of faith are deveastating to her sanity. Words in the poem

like “serve”, “soul”, and “heavens” suggest a system of beliefs.

(139).

3. Literary Thread

• This poem conflicts with my underlying message by showing

that Dickinson may view death in a painfull reality if it happens

with a loss of faith or sanity.

4. Figurative Lanuage

• Poem relies on hyperboloes and metaphors for emphasis on the

insanity of the person before death. (140).

5. Poetic Form

• The poem is a lyrical poem composed of four quatrains and

stanzas. (140).

6. Rhyme
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• Words in the poem follow a direct rhyme scheme of ABCB that is

common in her poetry. (140).

7. Meter

• The meter of the poetry is iambic pentrameter and iambic

trimeter. The lines alternate and this is Emily Dickinson’s

primary poetic form. (140).

Poem #4: The Bustle in a House by Dickinson

"The Bustle in a House." Poetry for Students 10 (2001): 61-72. Ed. Elizabeth

Thomason. Detroit: Thomson Gale. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Brophy

College Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ. Web. 1 April. 2009.

<http://find.galegroup.com>.

1. Meaning

• Dickinson writes about a brief, busy, and suspended period of

time that follows the death of a loved one. It is during this time

that the mourning must busy themselves with oridinary tasks in

order to prevent emotional grief and collapse. Cleaning a house

is necessary because it allows an atmosphere of cleanliness for

people to come and pay their last respects. People must work to

live the rest of their life without their loved one. (61).

2. Themes
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• Death-Death is a theme that is common throughout Dickinson’s

poetry. As a descendeant of a Calvinist Dickinson grew up in a

culture that viewed mortal life as temporary before death. Death

was also common in Dickinson’s life she lost three young friends

growing up and was affected by their deaths. (63).

• In “The Bustle in the House” Dickinson depicts the state of a

house after someone has died. The pairing of death and

domesticity seems common in Dickinson’s poems. It talks of the

cleaning of the house, and the fixing up of one’s possessions.

(63).

• Domestic Sphere-Dickinson lived a majority of her life within the

confounds of her home. Her poems reveal her domestic style

and how she spent a majority of her life indoors, caring and

during chores within her house. (64).

3. Literary Thread

• This poem shows that Dickinson interpreatation of Calvinistic

principles on which she based her understanding of death. It

also shows her domestic attitude toward death.

4. Figurative Language

• The poet uses metaphors that relate to the home as well as

hyperbolas throughout the poetry. (64).

5. Poetic Devices

• “Dickinson capitalizes in order to place emphasis on certain

words. Her poetry is a celebration of the exact and perfect

words. Her dash divides the poem into certain topics. (64).
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6. Poetic Form

• The poetic form for this poetry common form with four

quatrains. This particular poem has eight lines and two stanzas.

(64).

7. Ryhme

• The rhyme of this poem is iambic pentameter. It has an ABCB

rhyme. (65).

8. Meter

• The poem is written in iambic trimeter and tertrameter. The two

types of meter alternate throughout the stanzas of the poetry.

(65).