Poetry Research Overview...

Poetry Research Overview

Emily Dickinson 's "I Heard a fly buzz

Emily Dickinson is a 19th century American poet . Her poetry is influenced by Catholic background and romantic style . The poem selected for analysis is "I Heard a fly buzz . This poem presents a unique vision of death and transition period between life and death

M . Zapedowska analyzes literary heritage and biographical facts examining the role and impact of religion on Emily Dickinson 's poetry The researcher states that the images of a dead or mutilated God prevail in her poems

which show atheism and inaccessibility of the religion and its dogmas . Dickinson defies the Calvinist image of God in poems framed as sentimental complaint . his sovereign detachment and disrespect for human dignity (Zapedowska 2006 . In the poetry , Emily Dickinson describes relations of human beings with God , but these relations differ from traditional Catholic and Calvinist interpretation

Following Bachinger 's analysis of the poem (1985 , stillness supports the theme of death that is always connected with motionlessness and quietness . The first line introduces the main symbol of the poem , a fly A person cannot hear being dead by the hero of the poem hears a fly buzz . It means that the person has not got over to the beyond . Many symbols (like onset ) are used in figurative meaning underling that death is just the beginning of eternal existence of a human soul . The use of rhetorical questions and stylistics devices shows uncertainty and fear of the hero before unknown world . The last line returns readers to reality underlining , through the symbol of the fly , that death is inevitable

This research helps me to understand the role of religion in life of Dickinson and its impact on themes and symbols used in the poem Philosophical and theological ideas prevail in this poem unveiling that our life is temporary and death is just a state between physical life and eternity

References

Bachinger , K (1985 . I Heard a Fly Buzz . The Explicator , 43 (3 , 15

Dickinson , Emily . I Heard a fly buzz . Retrieved from www .levity .com /digaland /celestial /dickinson /fly .html

Zapedowska , M (2006 . Wrestling with Silence : Emily Dickinson 's Calvinist God . ATQ (The American Transcendental Quarterly , 20 (1 , 376

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Poetry Research Overview...