Emily Dickinson's Poem They Dropped Like Flakes

Emily Dickinson’s poem “They dropped like Flakes – ” seems at first glance to be a simple depiction of the deaths of Civil War soldiers. Upon further analysis, however, we can read into her poem an allusion to the death of Jesus Christ. Using this interpretation, we can see that the speaker of the poem views deceased Civil War soldiers as saviors whose noble sacrifices are comparable to that of the Messiah. The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is a relatively simple one: Jesus carries his cross up to the top of a hill, where two other criminals are also being crucified that day. He hangs from his cross for many hours in the sun, while onlookers fling insults. Eventually Jesus cries out to God and asks, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” A short while later, Jesus dies. Then an earthquake occurs, shocking and frightening the people who had been gathered there. Jesus is buried in a tomb that is covered with a heavy stone, but three days later, when Mary Magdalene and the
The repetition at the beginning “They dropped like Flakes - / They dropped like Stars - / Like Petals from a Rose – ” (1-3) gives us a trinity of images, reflecting the trinity of men hanging on the crosses that day. The first two items, “Flakes” and “Stars,” are nonliving things, which are juxtaposed with the living “Rose” in line three. Additionally, the image of “Petals from a Rose” (3) —smaller parts descended from a larger whole—evokes Jesus’ relationship to God. The reiteration of the word “like” makes it sound as though the speaker is grappling for words, as though no comparison could be fitting enough to describe the sacrifice made by the soldiers, and by Jesus. The reference to “a wind with fingers” rushing “across the June” (4-5) suggests both the destruction wrought on the battlefield, where bullets zip through the warm Southern wind, and the natural disaster that occurred when Jesus finally died on that hot summer