Here’s a full analysis of the poem ‘I heard a Fly buzz, when I died’ by Emily Dickinson, tailored towards A-Level students but also suitable for those studying at a higher level. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback if you found it useful!
Includes:
POEM
VOCABULARY
STORY / SUMMARY
S...
I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -
Emily Dickinson
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
Be witnessed - in the Room -
I willed my Keepsakes - Signed away
What portion of me be
Assignable - and then it was
There interposed a Fly -
With Blue - uncertain - stumbling Buzz -
Between the light - and me -
And then the Windows failed - and then
I could not see to see -
VOCABULARY
Heaves - sighs
To wring dry - to squeeze water out of something
Onset - a rush or wave of something happening - often something unpleasant or
difficult
To will something - to want something to happen, also a pun on the idea of a ‘will’ -
a document that a person writes about their assets; dictating who will own their
money and possessions after their death
, Keepsakes - objects that a person keeps because of their emotional and sentimental
value
Assignable - able to be given to something or assigned to a particular task or
function - in this case, Dickinson finds it curious that there are parts of her life that
must be portioned off or ‘assigned’ to people after her death
Interpose - to insert something in between two other things
Uncertain - not sure
STORY/SUMMARY
Stanza 1: I heard a fly buzz when I died - the sense of stillness in the room was like the
stillness between the sighs of a storm -
Stanza 2: The eyes around me had been worn dry from crying too much, and people
were gathering their breaths strongly for that last moment of a storm - when the King
(God) is seen in the room.
Stanza 3: I wanted all of my precious things signed away in a will to other people -
whatever part of my could be assigned - and then at this point a fly interrupted my
thoughts-
Stanza 4: The fly interrupted with a blue - uncertain - stumbling buzzing noise - it
came between the light and me - and then the Windows went dark - and then I
couldn’t see anything at all.
SPEAKER/VOICE
The opening line of the poem is shocking, as the speaker states “when I died”, leading
us to consider whether she is a ghost or spirit speaking to us from beyond the grave.
Another possible interpretation is that she is thinking about the hypothetical situation
of her future death, imagining what would happen at the point where she dies. At this
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