Vision Of Death In Emily Dickinson's Poetry

The Vision of Death in Emily Dickinson’s poems “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—” and “Because I could not stop for Death—”

In the poems “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—”and “Because I could not stop for Death---” poet Emily Dickinson depicts two beliefs (views?) regarding her vision of death and dying. She also expresses her view of life by looking through the lens of death. In Emily Dickinson’s poems, she portrays two different views on life. In “I heard a Fly buzz---when I died---” she uses a fly as a metaphor for humans and their journey through life. When the poet says “With Blue – uncertain – stumbling Buzz-” (13) she is stating that humans are insignificant, just like the fly. We are unsure of what our reason (or motive?) for existing …show more content…
-We aren’t that important
-We’re constrained by time – death is loss of that time constraint
-starts with an image- a fly buzzing Emily Dickinson also portrays two different perspectives as to what happens at the time of death. When she is dying in “I heard a Fly buzz---when I died---” she refers to dying as being a window that failed. The window is a metaphor for life and when it fails her life is finished.
In “Because I could not stop for Death---” the poet believes that death is an end to the passage of time during life. Dickinson begins by saying “Because I could not stop for death- he kindly stopped for me.” (1,2) In life, we schedule everything around time. We plan everything except the one thing we can’t plan which is when we die. Dickinson also uses personification when she says “We passed the setting sun- or rather- he passed us.” (12,13) She is saying that life is short and one day we will die and when that happens the sun won’t stop for us.

-Window that fails
-Death comes to you-can’t prepare for …show more content…
In “I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died” all her friends and loved ones were assembled around her. As they gathered their breaths they waited for “when the king be witnessed in the room-” (7,8) Everyone was hoping that God would come take care of Dickinson in the afterlife but he never came (did?). Instead, she only saw was a fly. The people gathered around her were clearly Christians as they had the same beliefs which Jesus stated about death in John 14:1-6 which says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14, v 1-6) Dickinson does not appear to believe in God and does not believe death to be exciting, unlike many Christians do. At the time of her death, Jesus never arrives to take her to heaven and all she observes is an insignificant fly. Dickinson sees no afterlife or God in this poem. In contrast to “I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died-”, Dickinson incorporates her interpretation that an afterlife exists in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death-”. The poet includes her view of what an afterlife would be although, it is rather dark and depressing. Throughout