Example research essay topic: Perception Of Death Emily Dickinson - 1,109 words

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Since the dawn of time, death has been one of the greatest mysteries known to humankind. It has been anticipated, mourned, feared, welcomed, loathed, induced, and, through the poetry of Emily Dickinson, death has almost been explained. Dickinson's death-related poetic compositions reflect a metamorphosis of style and thought that distinguish her earlier work from that of her two later periods, and provide a means of understanding the mindset of the quasi-necrophobia poet, as well as an insight to the nature of death. Dickinson's dynamic utilization of personification, metaphor, and euphemism is a key element in fully comprehending both her maturing poetic influences on the human perception of death, and her fear of relinquishing her life to an unknown eternity.

Critics have extensively categorized the poetry of Emily Dickinson since her work was first published post-mortem in 1890, but the categorizations of her compositions, especially those describing death, differ significantly among the literary minds responsible for creating the distinctions. Both the chronological and stylistic divisions of Dickinson's death poetry serve as guidelines to mapping the evolution of her psyche, which is necessary to understanding her varied views of death. In general, her death poems are divided into time periods or by subject description, with some categories containing subdivisions of the primary theme. Of these groupings, the one that is most vital to understanding the maturation of Dickinson's thought in respect to the human perception of death, is the time period division. The chronological category consists of three time periods, each of which contain poems that exhibit certain common characteristics of Dickinson's particular style.

The first interval of death poetry consists of Dickinson's 215 works composed prior to 1861. The work of this period has often been labeled more of a reflection in verse than it is a presentation of ideas through concrete images, and has lacked the intensity and sense of urgency that is so characteristic of her later work (Ford 69). Additionally, Thomas W. Ford has noted that the poetry before 1861, by comparison with that which she wrote later in life, is somewhat conventional and sentimental (Ford 68). However, the sentimentality expressed in these poems triumphantly escapes the weak maudlin ism that prevailed during the period, elevating her poetry to a level that transcended the work of other authors. Despite the underlying sentiment of the work of this period, Dickinson formulated the basic ideas that she would continue to use in her study of death, especially through her varied perspectives of the many aspects of dying (Ford 69).

Dickinson's divisions of perspective within the time period comprise four major subcategories of her early death poetry: poems dealing with death and immortality, poems dealing mainly with the physical aspects of death, poems that personify death, and elegiac poems (Ford 73). The first subcategory, poems dealing with death and immortality, is the largest of the four groups. Dickinson's primary interest in death in these poems [is] its intimate relation to immortality, which is one of the major fascinations of her later years. This interest can be observed in nearly all of the poems of this subcategory, especially this 1860 work: I shall know why when Time is over Christ will explain each separate anguish In the fair schoolroom of the sky He will tell me what Peter promised That scalds me now that scalds me now! (193) The relation between death and immortality in this poem is ironic, for Dickinson was not a woman of sound faith in God, however, her trust in the belief that the faithful departed find a new home in Heaven when life expires is quite obvious.

Peters promise is a Biblical allusion to Peters Pentecostal sermon in the second chapter of the book of Acts, and confirms the prospect of immortality through eternal life. When asked what to do to receive the spirit of Christ, Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call (ACTS 2: 38 - 39).

The promise of the Holy Spirit is an acknowledgement of the promise of eternal life for all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, which is a direct link to the intimate relation of death and immortality that so intrigued Dickinson. The second subcategory consists of poems that grapple with the physical aspects of death. Dickinson's primary source of inspiration here was the observation of the dying, the dead, and the effects or aftermath of death as seen in burials, funerals, and household activities (Ford 79). Through observing these facets of death, Dickinson gains a closer insight to what death must be like physically. This excerpt reflects the image of the mannequin-like corpse, devoid of warmth and spirit: How many times these low feet staggered Only the soldered mouth can tell Try can you stir the awful rivet Try can you lift the hasps of steel! Stroke the cool forehead hot so often Lift if you care the listless hair Never a thimble more shall wear (187) The adjectives used to describe the parts of the corpse convey an image of a cold and rigid object, which implies that death is representative of these same characteristics.

The images of a soldered mouth and adamantine fingers strongly imply the notion that rigor mortis has undoubtedly set in, and the cool forehead indicates that all warmth has left the body. These semi-euphemistic descriptions of the dead body soften the dramatic blow that usually accompanies the sight of a corpse, as well as Dickinson's qualms about the physical aspects of death. For Dickinson, watching how a death [happened removed] both the suspense and the fear of it that existed in imagined versions of death (Ferlazzo 46). Dickinson's recognition of this fact led her to write in the poem Tis so appalling it Exhilarates that Looking at Death, is Dying, which is the basis of an important technique relied upon heavily in the periods of her later death poetry. And because Looking at Death, is Dying, the chief work of her quest becomes a comprehensive perceptual involvement with death (Johnson 155). Dickinson's third subcategory is comprised of poems that personify death, and contains the least number of poems in the four divisions.

By picturing death as a human, Dickinson could come closer to understanding its purpose. By attributing human characteristics to the non-human entity that is death, she found an avenue for expressing the abstract in terms of the concrete (Ford...

Research essay sample on Perception Of Death Emily Dickinson