“I heard a fly buzz when I died”, by Emily Dickinson, is a poem that describes what a woman is hearing and seeing as she dies. Emily Dickinson uses imagery, similes, and metaphors to convey her theme; death is mysterious and no one knows for sure what happens in the afterlife. In the first stanza the speaker uses imagery when she states “I heard a fly buzz when I died; The stillness in the air” (lines 1-2). The speaker creates an image of a woman dying. The room she is dying in is so quiet that even a fly can be heard buzzing. The speaker continues to describe her surroundings, stating “The eyes beside had wrung them dry” (line 5). The line creates an image of family and friends gathered around the speakers deathbed. However, the family and
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In the first stanza the speaker states “The stillness round my form Was like the stillness in the air Between the heaves of storm” (lines 2-4). A heave of a storm is when there is a sudden moment of silence during a big storm. These moments of silence are usually only eerie pauses in the middle of the storm. The speaker is stating that the silence around her is similar to a heave of a storm, eerie and only a pause before what comes after death. The speaker uses a metaphor when she states “And breaths were gathering sure For the last onset, when the king Be witnessed in his power” (lines 6-8). The king is a metaphor for God. The speaker’s breaths are become more even as she believes she will soon see God, whom is very powerful. The speaker describes how she gave away her possessions when she states “I willed my keepsakes, signed away What portion of me I Could make assignable” (lines 9-11). The speaker gave away all of her belongings to her loved ones. However, she could only give away a portion of herself. Her other portion that is unassignable is a metaphor for her soul. Many religious people believe that to get into heaven you must believe and confess your faith in God, giving your soul to him. The speaker is thinking about her soul when all of a sudden the fly interrupts her thoughts. The speaker states “There interposed a fly, With blue, uncertain stumbling buzz,
In the first stanza the speaker states “The stillness round my form Was like the stillness in the air Between the heaves of storm” (lines 2-4). A heave of a storm is when there is a sudden moment of silence during a big storm. These moments of silence are usually only eerie pauses in the middle of the storm. The speaker is stating that the silence around her is similar to a heave of a storm, eerie and only a pause before what comes after death. The speaker uses a metaphor when she states “And breaths were gathering sure For the last onset, when the king Be witnessed in his power” (lines 6-8). The king is a metaphor for God. The speaker’s breaths are become more even as she believes she will soon see God, whom is very powerful. The speaker describes how she gave away her possessions when she states “I willed my keepsakes, signed away What portion of me I Could make assignable” (lines 9-11). The speaker gave away all of her belongings to her loved ones. However, she could only give away a portion of herself. Her other portion that is unassignable is a metaphor for her soul. Many religious people believe that to get into heaven you must believe and confess your faith in God, giving your soul to him. The speaker is thinking about her soul when all of a sudden the fly interrupts her thoughts. The speaker states “There interposed a fly, With blue, uncertain stumbling buzz,