An Analysis of Dickinson’s I Felt a Funeral in My Brain

An Analysis of Dickinson’s "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain"

Emily Dickinson was a poet who used many different devices to develop her poetry, which made her style quite unique. A glance at one of her poems may lead one to believe that she was quite a simple poet, although a closer examination of her verse would uncover the complexity it contains.

Dickinson’s poem " I felt a Funeral, in my Brain", is a prime example of complicity embodied by simple style and language. In this piece, Dickinson chronicles psychic fall. The use of many different devices such as sound, repetition, and metaphors, all help to develop the theme of the poem.

Perhaps the best way for the reader to uncover the meaning of the poem at hand is to have a glance into the world of the poet. Emily Dickinson lived alone (emotionally) in a world she filled with her poetry and letters. Dickinson rejected her upbringing and religious background which, in turn, acted to sever her ties with the other people in her society. Much of her poetry served her as a type of therapy in which she could record and sort her thoughts and feelings. She did not write for an audience. This is an important fact to know when one reads her intimate poetry and tries to make sense of it. It could be implied that she did not feel the world was in any way constant, and it is as if her poetry was a reflection of this. Much of her poetry is about a reaction to a certain situation, and there is a great deal of contradiction in her work. Dickinson’s poem "I Felt a Funeral in my Brain" records an intimate battle within herself.

The first stanza of the poem serves as an introduction to the reader. It tells of how the poet invisions her men...

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...iety in which she lived, and her rejection of it had consequences. Poems such as the one at hand illustrate the occurrence of church in all aspects of life, and even though she chose not to accept it, it was still a part of her. Her outward resentment towards the church left a void in her life which, one could assume, acted as a catalyst for the mental breakdown that she depicts in this poem.

Emily Dickinson was a poet that was very different from other poets of her time. The fact that she withdrew herself from society and that she was a woman made her poetry quite unique. Because she had no contact with other poets of her time, her style was quite original. Because she was not writing for an audience, many of her poems are deeply personal. It is up to the readers of Dickinson’s poetry to remove themselves from reality, and escape into the many corners of her mind.