I Heard A Fly Buzz Analysis

Death is the hardest part of living. The fear and uncertainty of what happens after life can drive one insane. Death is commonly referred to as the final destination of life or if one believes in an afterlife he or she believes they will ultimately go to heaven or hell. Regardless of one’s beliefs on life after death, death remains on the far end of the spectrum of what anyone wants to experience. Although our intuition about death is based off our imagination, children are constantly taught to fear death, taught to avoid it, and taught not to speak on it; even with these rules instilled within us it is almost impossible to avoid thinking about the feeling and day we must go as well. On the contrary, during the nineteenth century most people …show more content…
In “Because I could not stop for Death -” and “I heard a Fly buzz -” Dickinson attempts to portray death as less frightening by characterizing it as an insignificant event, personifying death as a gentle companion, and using figurative language to explain death is not the end of life. The first way Dickinson claims death is not as frightening as it is illustrated to be is through characterizing death as being insignificant in “I heard a Fly buzz -.” In the beginning, Dickinson helps the reader relate to death and gives the most common description people would imagine of grief when she says “The Stillness in the Room / Was like the Stillness in the Air -” (lines 2-3). The repetition of the word “stillness” is strengthened as she continues to describe how calm her loved ones start to get as she is slowly dying when she says “The Eyes around – had wrung them dry - / And Breaths were gathering firm” (5-6). Dickinson dramatizes her deathbed experience in the beginning, but through her abrupt introduction of the fly during her description of dying is one way Dickinson attempts to explain how distracting one situation can be to this important event. The appearance of a fly