I+Heard+a+Fly+Buzz+when+I+Died

= **I Heard a Fly Buzz when I Died** =

I heard a Fly buzz – when I died – The Stillness in the Room Was like the Stillness in the Air – Between the Heaves of Storm –

The Eyes around – had wrung them dry – And Breaths were gathering firm For that last Onset – when the King <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Be witnessed – in the Room –

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">I willed my Keepsakes – Signed away <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What portions of me be <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Assignable – and then it was <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">There interposed a Fly –

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz – <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Between the light – and me – <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">And then the Windows failed – and then <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">I could not see to see –

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15393

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<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">[]

<span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The 1st stanza of this poem indicates that the room that she’s in is so inaudible that she is able to hear a fly buzzing through the midst of it all, despite all the people that have gathered around her coffin. As they are witnessing her death, the narrator depicts a strong storm outside of the room or the coffin so to speak. This strong storm could symbolize an immense devastation or loss to her family and friends. The feeling of devastation could symbolize that strong storm, while the droplets of water could mean the tears of the spectators paying their respects to her and merely seeing her face one last time before she is placed within the earth. That central image of the fly could most likely be connected with death and decay, an example being from the novel Lord of the Flies, where the pig head was decaying due to the flies that had been lured by the smell of decay. <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In the second stanza, in the beginning the mourners sobbed so much that they had no more tears to come. During the sobbing period they were hyper ventilating. In the second line of the second stanza “And breaths were gathering sure” means that’s they were collecting their breaths after the sobbing period. When it says “For that last onset, the king” symbolizes the last time the world will see her before she is buried. In this line there is an oxymoron because onset means the beginning or start. For a spiritual sense the king described witnessing these events was probably god. Or in a biographical standpoint it would have been the man she loved. <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In the third stanza, the speaker describes herself signing away her belongings to her loved ones but only what she was able to give away. In the last line of the third stanza when it says there interposed a fly, interposed means to come into between therefore she passed away before she was able to sign her belongings away. The imagery represents death because the image of a corpse has a fly buzzing around it. Also in a spiritual sense the keepsakes could represent her own physical body being taken away to keep the natural order in balance. <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In the fourth stanza, first line, when it refers to the color of blue it could be another form of the saying “out of the blue” which means out of nowhere. Emily Dickinson could possibly be stating that the fly came from nowhere. In the second line of the stanza she refers to light which could be the so called “light” that is described when a person’s soul is embarking to heaven, but the fly is what keeps her soul from leaving. Additionally, the failing windows are symbolic of her eyes beginning to shut. This may mean that she passes away.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In line 12 "There interposed a Fly –" the fly is focused on a lot here. The image of the fly is in the peaceful scene of the deathbed. The fly interupts everything and starts buzzing around everywhere. <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In line 13 "With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz –" the buzz is uncertain and stumbling. It gives us a greater image of the movements that go with the annoying buzzing sound of the fly. Emily Dickinson didn't have to be specific and say that there was a blue fly that landed everywhere, she says that short line and we automatically have it pictured. <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> In the first line " I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –" the I and fly have assonance rhyme along with stillness and in, in both the second and third line " The Stillness in the Room Was like the Stillness in the Air –". <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> In the fifth line "The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –" the and dry have consonance rhyme along with blue and buzz in the thirteenth line " With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz -".