Emily Dickinson I Never Lost As Much But Twice Analysis

“I never lost as much but twice” is a poem by Emily Dickinson which can be called autobiographical. Dickinson talks in this poem about the physical loss of two individuals who were very important in her life. The loss of a relative or a friend can be considered one of the greatest emotional losses in the life of an individual. However, since the loss of a beloved one is of a very personal nature, the author leaves to her audience the choice of remembering those they may have lost as well. Dickinson’s response to this occurrence is almost anti puritan and full of rebellion (“Twice have I stood a beggar, Before the door of God!”). This attitude, and calling herself a beggar, refers to the fact that she has questioned God for the reasoning behind these deaths. The loss of her two friends was a shocking

experience in her life and Dickinson shows her grief in this poem. She talks about how in her entire life she has not lost anyone as important as these two individuals God has taken from her. Her begging to God, and him refusing her request, makes her feel resentment and unconformity. In the second part of the poem it seems like God has answered her prayers, albeit late. While not sparing the lives of her friends, God has sent her instead two angels, as a consolation for the lost. This has been done twice (“Angels, twice descending”), one for each lost friend, which she sees as a reimbursement for the previous events. By the two angels that have been received as reimbursement, Dickinson means two new people who have arrived to her life, to take the place of those who were previously taken away. But rather than thanking God for his gift, she lashes out and mocks his alleged benevolence in bartering the lives of her friends with unrequested blessings. The reader discerns this scorn and defiant attitude in her calling God “Burglar, banker, father.” He is a burglar because he has taken from Dickinson what she most wanted, just as he takes from mankind everything, at will, without giving any notice and without having any consideration to those being affected. Dickinson also calls God a banker because she considers that God, just as bankers, has enough possessions and sometimes reimburses when he unjustly takes things away. Moreover, God is also a father because notwithstanding him taking things from creation, and sometimes giving back other things in exchange, God is supposed to take care of creation and of those who inhabit the world. The rebellion of Dickinson and her aversion to the gifts of angels is seen in the last verse. Here she states that while she has received the two angels in lieu of her lost friends, God has played tricks with her again, as she is “poor once more!” This has happened because God has again taken another person from her life, making her poor again.
The main themes in this work by Dickinson are love, rebellion, and contempt. The author is openly defiant to the power and authority of God, and she challenges his attitude toward mankind. While he is supposed to be a father to his children, that is, to creation, in an ironic way he also humiliates them and abuses them, even though he should be loving and kind. By mocking God she is also mocking the followers of religion. She wants to show them that no matter how faithful one is to God, at the end, just like burglars and bankers, God will come and take everything and everyone one holds dear. What is more, even in those cases when God supposedly reimburses said loss with another individual or item, he will take it as well, at will, no matter how many times one begs for mercy. At the end, one will keep on begging and losing, at the hands of a cruel and treacherous God.

2. These are the days when Birds come back

Being the heir to rural 19th century New England, Emily Dickinson shows in her work many natural scenes and figurative language drawn from her surroundings.

An admirer of romanticism, she fills her work with spirituality, imagery, meaning, and emotion. The reader is also able to see traces of her puritan education and upbringing. Dickinson’s work reflects the belief in the manifestation of God and the divine in all aspects of nature and society. This is echoed in the poem “These are the days when Birds come back.” During her lifetime, the New England countryside was mostly untouched by industrialization, and Dickinson showed a fascination for the changing seasons and how they related to her own emotions and moods. She was an avid observer of the neighboring forests, hills, plants, meadows, and those creatures that inhabited this wild environment. This provided plenty of material suitable to her own visions about life, and made available to her different symbols used by Dickinson to reflect the conflicts and questions she faced. However, her view of nature seems conflicted by her thoughts about life, God, and they all conspire to destroy

mankind.
Dickinson wrote “These are the days when Birds come back” thinking of a rare autumn phenomenon: an Indian summer. While birds do not usually return to the New England area during this time of the year, Dickinson thinks this may be possible by the return of “A very few – a Bird or two.” Here the author states her own reluctance to see the end of the year, which can be seen as unwillingness to accept death. She remains hopeful, nonetheless, due to the sudden rebirth of nature, especially when considering the birds’ backward journey. This section of the poem represents her yearning for the vanished summer and for years that have gone by. The beauty of the summer symbolizes a false hope for the eternal continuation of same, and the idea of the immortality of the soul. But the “old sophistries of June” are nothing but false signs of vitality, which make one forget the reality of what is to come. While resisting the upcoming autumn, that is, middle age, which is to be followed by winter and death, the author recognizes that the year’s cycle continues, just like life does. The religious themes found in the last stanzas show us a hope and a promise for rebirth. Notwithstanding the altered air of autumn, and the timid leaf, both representing Dickinson’s fear of her mortality, the author clings to the hope of life everlasting. The weather is declining, and so does the life of man, yet Dickinson chooses for a moment to remain ambiguous as to her fate, and prefers to avoid what is unavoidable. She asks nature to let her join what is believed to be the celebration of the end of summer (“Oh Last Communion in the Haze – Permit a child to join.”). The Christian analogies toward the end represent an acknowledgement by her of the reality found in the cycle of life, cycle which is mirrored in the seasons. Still, Dickinson’s hope remains firm, as she believes that just as the seasons make their round, she would be able to come back once the winter in her life has come to an end. She therefore indulges in an almost bittersweet comparison about the beauty of the seasons and the way life declines, without being replaced by life.

3. The Soul selects her own Society

“The Soul Selects Her Own Society” is another poem by Emily Dickinson where she reflects her view about friendship and love. This is a work where she describes how one chooses an individual over others, thus selecting someone while rejecting someone else (“The Soul selects her own Society – Then – shuts the Door”). By making this choice, the individual becomes absolute in his ability to choose whom he desires, something imitated by Dickinson herself throughout her life. The right to make these decisions, according to Dickinson, is undeniable and shouldn’t be challenged by anyone. The American belief in the autonomy and independence of the individual is also part of Dickinson’s ideas regarding freedom of choice and liberty of thought. She makes use of this right of self-determination in order to support her own beliefs about privacy and reclusiveness, so characteristic of her life. Her tone in this poem is somehow reserved and quiet, almost ominous, while retaining hints of dignity. Once again Dickinson defies society and its conventionalisms by choosing those companions she feels are fit to her personality and interests. By making an informed selection about those whom she wants close to her, while closing the door to others, Dickinson ensures that her individuality is protected. She compares this decision making process with the one of closing doors, chariots, and to an emperor kneeling imploring entrance to her already closed soul. Her attitude and verdict will not be compromised, nor will she relent once her choices have been made. She compares this to a stone, which symbolizes the strength of her choice and her unwillingness to change. The poem is representative of her own experiences in life, where she has chosen to close herself off from the rest of the world in order to pursue a solitary life, full of inspiration and self-discovery.
This is a poem where one sees the importance of the romantic theme in Dickinson’s works. She remains focused in her style, full of imagery and metaphors, all of which serve to present to the reader her ideas and beliefs. Like in every work by Dickinson, her audience is taken aback by her vivid personifications and the unexpected images she uses to proof her point. However, even though there is a strong message about love and choice, the reader is able to discern the eternal somber disposition found in Dickinson’s works.