Emily Dickinson's ideas about death as seen in her eight poems about death

Dewi, Mayasari (2001) Emily Dickinson's ideas about death as seen in her eight poems about death. Bachelor thesis, Petra Christian University.

Abstract

The thesis writer chooses to analyze the ideas of death because death happens in everyday life, and although there are many studies and beliefs about death, still there are questions left unanswered. The writer is curious to know Emily Dickinson?s ideas about death by analyzing eight of her poems about death. To analyze, the writer uses literary approach and literary devices such as allusion, diction, tone and the figures of speech. Among the figures of speech, the writer uses metaphor, simile, personification, synecdoche, metonymy, symbol, paradox and irony. The thesis discusses the ideas about death in Emily Dickinson?s poems "Dying! Dying in the night!", "Tie the Strings to my Life, My Lord", "I heard a fly buzz when I died", "Because I could not stop for Death", "This quiet Dust was Gentlemen and Ladies", "Death is the supple suitor", "As from the earth the light balloon" and "Death is like the insect". Each poem is assumed to have some ideas about death. These ideas could be general or new. Based on the analysis, the writer finds that the general idea about death in Emily Dickinson?s poems is that death changes everything into dust. After that, all have no activities. Besides, for the Christians, death is the time to go to the Father?s mansion that Jesus has prepared and it also means immortality. For doubting people, death is terrifying. For them, life after death is mysterious. Also, death itself can be simply the end of life, when human beings become quiet dust and go through everlasting coldness. Meanwhile, one of the new ideas about death which Emily Dickinson shares in eight of her poems about death is, death is kind and civil as a gentleman, and he personally goes toward everybody in a romantic and gentle way as a man courting a woman. Besides, death is also seen as a joyful releasement from life. With a strong faith in God, death is not frightening. It can be seen as a leisurely journey.

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