Saturday, December 7, 2019
Emily Dickinson Presents Suffering free essay sample
After great pain a formal feeling comesââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËI felt a funeral in my brainââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËThereââ¬â¢s a certain slant of lightââ¬â¢- Throughout Dickinsonââ¬â¢s poem ââ¬ËAfter great pain a formal feeling comesââ¬â¢ she attempts to communicate to the reader the nature of the suffering she is encountering that comes ââ¬Ëafter great painââ¬â¢. This first line is the only abstract statement throughout the poem, to express that this is obviously not a physical pain. She refers to the physical nerves in her body ââ¬Ësit ceremonious like tombsââ¬â¢ a comparison that symbolises the effects of this suffering, a tomb being associated with qualities related to the dead. These qualities are stillness and formality, which reflect the physical numbness she is experiencing as a consequence. This sense of numbness is confirmed throughout the poem when mechanical feet are described abstractly walking in a ââ¬Ëwooden wayââ¬â¢ to reflect that they now have no regard for where they land, while indicating that this path they take is conceptual as it is physical. This comparison between the physical and mental components of suffering is intertwined within Dickinsonââ¬â¢s poem ââ¬ËI felt a funeral in my brainââ¬â¢ when her dramatization of mental anguish, leads to a metaphorical drop. This results in the narratorââ¬â¢s physical form ââ¬Ëfinished knowingââ¬â¢ and sinking into a protective numbness. This concept is also explored within ââ¬ËTheres a certain slant of slightââ¬â¢ which Dickenson used as a metaphor for tuberculosis, in a time in her life when many of the people surrounding her fell victim to the disease, meaning without todays knowledge of germ theory, it would result in death. Dickenson throughout the poem moves from descriptions of ââ¬Ëcathedral tunesââ¬â¢ to ââ¬Ëinternal differenceââ¬â¢ to form a contrast between the external and internal elements surrounding life. This is also to reflect the nature of the illness tuberculosis, in which there were no physical signs of pain but instead metaphorical scarring that changed the victim completely ââ¬Ëinternallyââ¬â¢. Dickenson also explores the theme of suffering as being a complete state of mind throughout ââ¬ËAfter great pain a formal feeling comesââ¬â¢ a poem centred on the feelings within, while lacking persona or ritual seen in her other poems. She reflects this through her personification of various parts of the body such as the ââ¬Ënervesââ¬â¢ ââ¬Ëheartââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëfeetââ¬â¢ a generalisation that allows the reader to assume this pain has to be internal and beyond her physical form. This theme is also within ââ¬ËI felt a funeral in my brainââ¬â¢ when Dickenson describes a ââ¬Ëservice and a ââ¬Ëboxââ¬â¢ to vaguely relate this pain to the actions performed at a funeral. However Dickenson uses the metaphor ââ¬Ëcreak across my soulââ¬â¢ which is not typically associated with this ceremony to reflect the internal trance like state the narrator has entered as a result of this pain. This then causes her to enter a place of ââ¬Ëwrecked, solitaryââ¬â¢ when a ââ¬Ëplank in reason, brokeââ¬â¢ which forces the narrator to become a lifeless form, incapable of perceiving the external factors surrounding her. Dickinson also presents the speaker being an object within ââ¬ËI Felt a funeral in my brainââ¬â¢ while portraying her as submissive to this form of suffering. This is evident when she recalls ââ¬Ëthen I heard them life a box, And creak across my soulââ¬â¢ to indicate a lack of control those surrounding the dying face when entering the numerous stages of suffering once the loved one has passed. This theme is also explored within ââ¬ËTheres a certain slant of lightââ¬â¢ when Dickinson describes a ââ¬ËHeavenly hurt it gives usââ¬â¢ to suggest this affliction is in the form of a religious experience, that is being forced onto the narrator. This reflects Dickinsonââ¬â¢s confusion over her transcendentalist views through her use of the word ââ¬Ëlightââ¬â¢ as a metaphor for tuberculosis, while appearing to blame God for this forceful suffering. In Dickinsonââ¬â¢s poem ââ¬ËI felt a funeral in my brainââ¬â¢ the whole psychological drama is reflected in the form of a funeral service, however the cause of this intense suffering is never revealed throughout any of her poems. In the fourth stanza of this poem the phrase ââ¬Ëbreaking throughââ¬â¢ is used to display mental phenomena, which usually refers to something becoming clear or the narrator may be gaining insight that was hidden to her in the past, which is the outcome of this suffering. The use of repetition when describing the ââ¬Ëtreading, treadingââ¬â¢ of the mourners reinforces this idea, becoming a reflection of the self-turmoil the narrator experienced before reaching this understanding. However the coffin like ââ¬Ëboxââ¬â¢ described by Dickenson symbolises the death of rationality and the narrator entering a state close to madness. This loss of self typically comes when ones relationship with people and nature becomes broken, which could be the cause of Dickinsonââ¬â¢s personal suffering. The poems regular rhythm and iambic meter being opposed by words such as ââ¬Ëbeating- beatingââ¬â¢ also reinforce this idea, adding a rocking quality that could reflect the instability of theà narratorââ¬â¢s sanity. Throughout Dickinsonââ¬â¢s poem ââ¬ËA certain slant of lightââ¬â¢ she also fails to reveal the cause of this suffering consuming her, however she displays the main characteristic of this pain as being oppressive. Her use of words throughout such as ââ¬Ëoppressesââ¬â¢ ââ¬Ëweightââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëhurtââ¬â¢ all display this aspect, while her description of the ââ¬Ëweight of the cathedral tunesââ¬â¢ reflect that her state of mind is causing her to interpret even her external surroundings as oppressive. This communicates to the reader the possibility that this suffering may be Dickinsonââ¬â¢s personal response to the realisation into the fact of death. This idea is reinforced in stanza four when she describes ââ¬ËShadows hold their breathââ¬â¢ which is suggestive of the stillness associated with death, in a time when Dickinsonââ¬â¢s life was centred on the threat of disease caused by the Tuberculosis epidemic that spread throughout Europe.
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