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Theme:

The theme of the poem, “I Heard a Fly buzz-when I Died,” by Emily Dickinson, is a story incident that had involved the narrator facing death as a fly buzzed around ceaselessly. In the poem, Dickinson says, “There interposed a Fly-”. As the narrator is lying on their deathbed, the somber tone of the story becomes unserious. The author is showing that death may confusing because the moment is meant to be a serious, final moment of life, however, the buzzing of a fly is so minuscule, yet such an annoyance. In addition, the poem began, “Between the Heaves of Storm-”.

Heaves of Storm is a reference of a long sigh during the stillness in the air.

This introduction allows the reader to understand that the narrator is on their deathbed and about to experience their last drops of life. Until a fly came intruding the peacefulness. Dickinson writes this poem to convey her thoughts on death and how life is uncertain just like that buzzing.

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Symbols:

The symbols in the poem appear as sight and a King. In the poem, Dickinson mentions, “For that last Onset-when the King. Be witnessed-in the Room.”The narrator had set a serious tone that death was just upon their arrival. The King was a reference to God reaching out their hand and gracing them towards heaven. However, a sudden buzzing ruined the moment. A fly buzzing in the room prevents that glorious moment from occurring. In addition, the last line had referred to death, “I could not see to see-”.The narrator meets their moments upon hearing the buzzing sound of the fly. As they observe their surroundings using sight, hearing, and feeling, and their perception of things, their ‘sight disappears’ and the place is a dark and cold environment of which they can no longer comprehend life. The sight had been a significant part of Dickinson’s poems. Sight is a power; witness to understand all sorts of information. Without the ability of sight, there is no ownership of the body, meaning that one is dead. Dickinson provides a deeper meaning of life and death representing the complications of facing such grief.

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The connotative language that is used is when the speaker compares their death to the impending death of a King. "...Onset--when the King be witnessed in the Room". This quote compares an onset, a planned attack, on the King to death planning its "attack" on the speaker. The idea of an onset is to plan an attack against an enemy. The word King usually means someone who is above or someone who is very powerful. In the poem however, the speaker puts it in a way that the King is made out to be someone who is weak instead of someone who is powerful and commanding. The author did this possibly to describe the feeling of weakness a person feels before they die. "And then the Windows failed--and then I could not see to see--". This quote is relating the ability to see, to being alive. Since the speaker is describing the windows "failing" and them not being able to see, it means that the speaker has finally died. The author compares death to not being able to see because she sees the eyes as the window to life, and if you no longer can see, you've died. The connotative language that is used in the poem is used to describe the feeling of death, which are the feeling of weakness and not being able to "see" or experience life anymore.

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The speaker's tone in this poem is somber. Since the poem is taking place at a funeral or death bed, they describe the atmosphere and describe the things that they hear in their final moments. "The Stillness in the Room/Was like the Stillness in the air". The speaker is describing the tension in the room due to the overwhelming emotions of the people in the room. The author sets the setting and the feelings that were present in the room to really set in the feeling of death. "The Eyes around--had wrung them dry". The speaker is describing how they supposedly made the people around them cry so much that they no longer were able to shed any tears. The author describes the scene of people no longer being able to cry to show the sorrowful and somber feeling of watching someone you know and love die. The overall tone of this poem is very somber because this poem is the perspective of someone who is about to die, and they describe a very depressing and sad scene.

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Emily Dickinson is a 19th-century American writer who likes to create descriptive paradoxical poems relating to life, death, and fate. In many of her poems, the ability of sight represents more than just being able to see. In her works, sight represents ownership of the body. Without sight, one is considered dead. In addition, her poems can sound musical like hymns. Overall, Dickinson is a passionate and strong-willed woman, who is hopeful for love and discusses unique topics.

Viviana Do