An Annotation of Emily Dickinson's The Last Night that She Lived

979 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The theme of death in Dickinson poems

An Annotation of Emily Dickinson's The Last Night that She Lived

Dickinson's The Last Night that She Lived presents a meditation on the reaction of the speaker and those with her while they are confronted with the death of a female friend. Strangely, in dealing with the subject of death, Dickinson steers away from the metaphysical aspect of such a heavy situation and remains firmly anchored in the tangible world. The speaker makes no references to God or the afterlife, and her allusions to nature are fleeting. The poem is anything but an attempted justification of the death of her friend, rather it is resembles a catalogue of the human responses of those who remain in the earthly realm after the death of a loved one.

The Last Night that She Lived

by Emily Dickinson

The last Night that She Lived

It was a Common Night

Except the Dying--this to Us

Made Nature different

We noticed smallest things--

Things overlooked before

By this great light upon our Minds

Italicized--as 'twere.

As We went out and in

Between Her final Room

And Rooms were Those to be alive

Tomorrow were, a Blame

That Others could exist

While She must finish quite

A Jealousy for Her arose

So nearly infinite--

We waited while She passes--

It was a narrow time--

Too jostled were Our Souls to speak

At length the notice came.

She mentioned, and forgot--

Then lightly as a Reed

Bent to the Water, struggled scarce--

Consented, and was dead--

And We-We placed the Hair--

And drew the Head erect--

And then an awful leisure was

Belief to regulate--

It is noted immediately that nothing spectacular is taking place within the speaker's natural surroundings in response to the situation. The universe has not paused for the departing soul of a woman, or those left behind. It is clear from the first lines that the Dickinson will make no leaps to paint nature as an intelligible or responsive force.

The speaker is all too aware that it is the confrontation with the death of a loved one that causes "Those to be alive" to view their surroundings with a different slant. The event of death has jarred them into a state of heightened awareness. Previously inevident things; "smallest things" have been brought into focus. It is not the world that has changed, but their perception of it.

It is also important to note that the speaker refers to "Us". For the remainder of the poem she will only refer to herself as part of a collective. The word "I" is absent from the poem.

Show More
Related

  • Is Aristotelian Virtue Ethics a Successful Moral Theory?

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... individuals interpret human experience in different ways and thus interpret virtues in different ways. This means that virtue ethics cannot be an objective and universal theory. This, consequently, causes Aristotelian virtue ethics to be an unpractical and unsuccessful moral theory in reality. This is because there cannot be an agreed consensus of what is the actual mean, the virtue, between the vices of deficiency and excess.

    Read More

  • Conflict within Belonging in Dickinson´s This is My Letter to the World and The Saddest Noise, The Sweetest Noise

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    Emily Dickinson portrays the intrinsic nature of belonging as conflict and tension arise through the understanding of one’s identity whilst conforming to society in This Is My Letter To The World. The emphatic title of this poem acts as a conflict in itself, with a “letter” acting as a symbol of intimacy yet it’s being proclaimed “to the world” as a hyperbole which is incongruent with the usual representation of a letter. The congenial address with reference to “my letter” evokes the speaker’s marginalised literary voice in context of women’s position and role in her society. The “world” is personified as it “never wrote to me” also connotes with her not belonging as it could be a matter of “the simple news” that outlines her bare truth in understanding the complexities of life as a profound implication of natures’ teachings. The final line of the first stanza expresses embracing nature as majestic with connotations of grace and dignity whilst it is qualified by the adjective “tender” implying th...

    Read More

  • Understanding Kant's Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, Kant begins by discussing two types of imperatives: hypothetical imperatives, which are means to an unrelated ends, and categorical imperatives, which are objectively necessary and ends in and of themselves. Hypothetical imperatives include rules of skill and counsels of prudence. Rules of skill are rules that state something must be done to achieve something else. For example, a person must practice the piano to become good at playing it. Counsels of prudence are rules that provide means to happiness. They operate under the assumption that everyone wants happiness. Counsels of prudence must be empirical because everyone has different ways of achieving happiness and those can only be found

    Read More

  • Aristotelian versus Kantian Ethics

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aristotle's and Kant's ideas of the means and ends of moral ethics are in sharp contrast. Both have strengths and weaknesses in their arguments, but Aristotle's is superior to Kant's because it is more realistic. I will first give the basis of both philosophies, Aristotle first, Kant second. Next, I will expand and question points of both philosophies, Aristotle's end, and Kant's means. Lastly, I will explain the reasoning behind why I favor Aristotle's ethics over Kant's. Both philosophies appeals to reason, but they come to different conclusions.

    Read More

  • Aristotle: Ethics and the Virtues

    2252 Words  | 5 Pages

    Aristotle's ethics consist of a form of virtue ethics, in which the ethical action is that which properly complies with virtue(s) by finding the mean within each particular one. Aristotle outlines two types of virtues: moral/character virtues and intellectual virtues. Though similar to, and inspired by, Plato and Socrates’ ethics, Aristotle's ethical account differs in some areas.

    Read More

  • Kantian vs. Virtue Ethics

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Kantian and virtue ethicists have differing views about what it takes to be a good person. Kantian ethicists believe that being a good person is strictly a matter of them having a “good will.” On the other hand, virtue ethicists believe that being a good person is a matter of having a good character, or being naturally inclined to do the right thing. Both sides provide valid arguments as to what is the most important when it comes to determining what a person good. My purpose in writing this paper is to distinguish between Kantian ethics and virtue ethics, and to then, show which theory is most accurate.

    Read More

  • Emily Dickinson and Her Poetry

    3199 Words  | 7 Pages

    Emily Dickinson is one of the great visionary poets of nineteenth century America. In her lifetime, she composed more poems than most modern Americans will even read in their lifetimes. Dickinson is still praised today, and she continues to be taught in schools, read for pleasure, and studied for research and criticism. Since she stayed inside her house for most of her life, and many of her poems were not discovered until after her death, Dickinson was uninvolved in the publication process of her poetry. This means that every Dickinson poem in print today is just a guess—an assumption of what the author wanted on the page. As a result, Dickinson maintains an aura of mystery as a writer. However, this mystery is often overshadowed by a more prevalent notion of Dickinson as an eccentric recluse or a madwoman. Of course, it is difficult to give one label to Dickinson and expect that label to summarize her entire life. Certainly she was a complex woman who could not accurately be described with one sentence or phrase. Her poems are unique and quite interestingly composed—just looking at them on the page is pleasurable—and it may very well prove useful to examine the author when reading her poems. Understanding Dickinson may lead to a better interpretation of the poems, a better appreciation of her life’s work. What is not useful, however, is reading her poems while looking back at the one sentence summary of Dickinson’s life.

    Read More

  • Utilitarianism vs. Kantianism

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethics can be defined as "the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs with the aim of improving, extending or refining those beliefs in some way." (Dodds, Lecture 2) Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism are two theories that attempt to answer the ethical nature of human beings. This paper will attempt to explain how and why Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism differ as well as discuss why I believe Kant's theory provides a more plausible account of ethics.

    Read More

  • Kantianism Theory versus Eudaimonia Theory

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...count the good of an activity. If the activity can be applied unanimously to all men, then the activity would clearly be deemed as good. I think Kant would compare the hypothetical and categorical imperatives to Aristotles theory that doing virtuous acts continually leads to the greatest good, eudaimonia.

    Read More

  • The Last Night That She Lived

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    The speaker’s language towards the woman’s death in “The Last Night that she lived” portrays a yearning attitude that leads to disappointment; which reiterates human discontent with the imperfections of life. The description of woman’s death creates an image of tranquility that causes the speaker to aspire towards death. Her death compares to a reed floating in water without any struggle. The simile paradoxically juxtaposes nature and death because nature’s connotation living things, while death refers to dead things, but death becomes a part of nature. She consents to death, so she quietly dies while those around her refuse to accept her imminent death. The speaker’s description of death sounds like a peaceful experience, like going to sleep, but for eternity. These lines describe her tranquil death, “We waited while She passed—It was a narrow time—Too jostled were Our Souls to speak. At length the notice came. She mentioned, and forgot—Then lightly as a Reed Bent to the water, struggled scarce- Consented, and was dead-“ .Alliteration in “We waited”, emphasizes their impatience of the arrival of her death because of their curiosity about death. The woman’s suffering will be over soon. This is exhibited through the employment of dashes figuratively that form a narrow sentence to show the narrowing time remaining in her life, which creates suspense for the speaker, and also foreshadows that she dies quickly. The line also includes a pun because “notice” refers to the information of her death, and also announcement, which parallels to the soul’s inability to speak. “She mentioned, and forgot—“, refers to her attempt to announce her farewell to everyone, which connects to the previous line’s announcement. The dashes fig...

    Read More

  • Identity and Ideology Beyond Death in Emily Dickinson's Poem “I Died for Beauty”

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    Emily Dickinson had a fascination with death and mortality throughout her life as a writer. She wrote many poems that discussed what it means not only to die, but to be dead. According to personal letters, Dickinson seems to have remained agnostic about the existence of life after death. In a letter written to Mrs. J. G. Holland, Emily implied that the presence of death alone is what makes people feel the need for heaven: “If roses had not faded, and frosts had never come, and one had not fallen here and there whom I could not waken, there were no need of other Heaven than the one below.” (Bianchi 83). Even though she was not particularly religious, she was still drawn to the mystery of the afterlife. Her poetry is often contemplative of the effect or tone that death creates, such as the silence, decay, and feeling of hopelessness. In the poem “I died for beauty,” Dickinson expresses the effect that death has on one's identity and ability to impact the world for his or her ideals.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis of Emily Dickinson's Poetry

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    and?A Swelling of the Ground? i.e. 14, 18). In both of these lines, Dickinson has the reader conjure up subtle images of death. The?quivering chill?

    Read More

  • Emily Dickinson's Obsession with Death

    2687 Words  | 6 Pages

    Emily Dickinson became legendary for her preoccupation with death. All her poems contain stanzas focusing on loss or loneliness, but the most striking ones talk particularly about death, specifically her own death and her own afterlife. Her fascination with the morose gives her poems a rare quality, and gives us insight into a mind we know very little about. What we do know is that Dickinson’s father left her a small amount of money when she was young. This allowed her to spend her time writing and lamenting, instead of seeking out a husband or a profession. Eventually, she limited her outside activities to going to church. In her early twenties, she began prayed and worshipped on her own. This final step to total seclusion clearly fueled her obsession with death, and with investigating the idea of an afterlife. In “Because I could not stop for Death”, Dickinson rides in a carriage with the personification of Death, showing the constant presence of death in her life. Because it has become so familiar, death is no longer a frightening presence, but a comforting companion. Despite this, Dickinson is still not above fear, showing that nothing is static and even the most resolute person is truly sure of anything. This point is further proven in “I heard a Fly buzz”, where a fly disrupts the last moment of Dickinson’s life. The fly is a symbol of death, and of uncertainty, because though it represents something certain—her impending death—it flies around unsure with a “stumbling buzz”. This again illustrates the changing nature of life, and even death. “This World is not Conclusion” is Dickinson’s swan song on the subject of afterlife. She confirms all her previous statements, but in a more r...

    Read More

  • Ethics And Virtue Ethics

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aristotle believed that to be a good person you had to have intellectual and moral virtues and that good people learned goodness from the people they interacted with. Also Aristotle believed that all beings has an inherent goal that they try to reach; for humans it is complete development of talents and morals. One problem with virtue ethics is that there is no way to morally make decisions in complex situation; the best way to handle a difficult decision is to ask one’s self what one’s idol would

    Read More

  • Tragic Fate of Doctor Faustus

    1702 Words  | 4 Pages

    Doctor Faustus act of sin is very similar to what human being faces everyday in our lives. We all want to learn and want to gain knowledge and while achieving what we want, we make mistakes and fall but we continue with our path and we also know how not to make same mistakes twice. Faustus’s act of selling his soul was all because of him being ambitious to gain power that he never had, and he exchanges the twenty-four years of power with his soul. Faustus wanting to gain power and wanting to have knowledge of something that he never had is very similar to what we want in our lives. Humans always seek for something new and something to achieve. We have curiosity and jealousy that makes us going forward rather than staying still in one place. So when I was reading this play, I felt the connection with Faustus and felt the ending was such tragedy. I felt sympathy when Doctor Faustus said, “O soul, be changed to little water drops and fall into the ocean. Ne-re be found. My God, my God, look not so fierce on me!” (Scene 13. 108-110) This phrase was very emotional because it shows Faustus’s ...

    Read More

More about An Annotation of Emily Dickinson's The Last Night that She Lived

Open Document