Emily Dickinson's life and literary legacy

Dickenson

First of all, I appreciated the introduction to the post providing a brief biographical background. The information was helpful in providing an image of how Dickenson actually worked. I have always wondered what the actual work of a poet is like, since it seems strange to spend one's life writing thousands of poems like Dickenson did. What is really remarkable is when you say, "Dickenson understood the mere act of speaking or writing is an affirmation of the will and the call of the poet." This is a profound statement, revealing a deep understanding of what motivates poets. Poets, as we all know, were not motivated by money but by something much deeper -- that something is the need to express oneself fully and honestly.

Your affection for "I Felt A Funeral In My Brain" is understandable. This is one of Dickenson's most powerful poems and I resonate with it as well. The dichotomous imagery of being in the funeral, but also watching it as a detached observer, is one of its most poignant elements. However, you took the analysis a step further and observed something that I would never have noticed on my own. You state that there is irony in the fact that the funeral represents law and order because it is a formal ritual designated by the community. This formality and control is juxtaposed with the speaker's obvious lack of control in terms of the mind and emotions. Chaos reigns in the brain of the speaker, who also sees herself as being from some "strange Race." She actually feels as if no one can understand her, and that she is isolated from her fellow human beings. Do you think the speaker is Emily herself, for she experienced so many different funerals in her life? Do you also think that Emily would have felt this isolated from other human beings if she had not experienced death and trauma -- or perhaps that was just part of her personality and character?