Presentation of States of Mind in Emily Dickinson's Poems

How does Emily Dickinson present states of mind in ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ and two other poems?

Emily Dickinson presents the state of mind in various ways, to portray inner turmoil for her lack of understanding, and of confusion towards her psychological state, in ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’, ‘It was not Death, for I stood up’ and ‘One need not be a Chamber- to be haunted’. All poems present the speakers state of mind to the same effect; a descent into insanity with seemingly no hope of recovery.
A reoccurring technique used by Dickinson to present states of mind in each of these poems, is through the use of metaphorical imagery. She begins in the first line of the first stanza, by using a ‘funeral’ as a metaphorical comparison to her psychological state in ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’. A procedure held after death, a funeral typically follows an order and structure, which contrasts with the lack of control and rationality that threaten the speaker. Similarly, a funeral signifies the end of life and the indisputable reality of death, much as the speaker’s state of mind is shifting from a state of mental stability to insanity which to the speaker has become seemingly inevitable. In the fifth stanza of the poem, Dickinson uses the metaphor ‘And hit a World, at every plunge,’ to portray the rapid deterioration of her mental state. The ‘world’ denotes reality, and as the speaker’s state of mind deteriorates into state of irrationality we become aware that she is becoming consumed by her psychological condition and that she is no longer in control of herself. In the same way, the poem ‘It was not Death, for I stood up’ uses similar imagery to present the speakers state of mind. Relating her condition to a funeral in the first poem, she too uses the term ‘Burial’ to signify how her previously stable state of mind has now worsened to a mental condition that too, feels like death internally. The final stanza of this poem provides a metaphorical comparison between her state of mind and a shipwreck which in turn, illustrates how her mind is being destroyed by her undefined psychological condition. Dickinson begins this comparison by using the word ‘spar’, a typically large wooden or metal pole used to support sails and rigging, as well as ‘chance’ and a ‘report of land’, which are all things hoped for by those caught in a shipwreck and wanting to survive. By using the semantic field of a shipwreck, Dickinson is comparing her mental state to that of an unescapable disaster that will too result in a downward spiral that will ultimately destroy her. ‘One need not be a Chamber – to be Haunted’, also uses comparative metaphors to illustrate how her state of mind coincides with that of an associate of danger. Dickinson compares the internal horrors she faces with that of external horrors, however suggests that the horrors she faces internally far surpass those in the external world. The first stanza begins with the comparison of her state of mind to a haunted house. She begins with the metaphor ‘The Brain has Corridors – surpassing Material Place-’ to allow readers to visualise how complex her psychological condition is and how, like being in a haunted house, the speaker is constantly fearful for her safety. The noun ‘corridors’ often creates imagery of something never ending. Paired with the theme of the poem being state of mind, Dickinson portrays the speaker’s mental condition as being something she is unable to see the end of; hope for stability and normality seems inconceivable. Similarly, the adjective ‘haunted’ and noun ‘house’, used is the same stanza, have opposing connotations which when used together create a metaphor for the speakers state of mind. A ‘house’ has positive connotations of comfort and safety, whereas ‘haunted’ connotes danger and fear. Used metaphorically to mirror the speaker’s internal horrors, Dickinson shows how the state of mind of the speaker means that, where she should feel most safe, her psychological state instead makes herself the most frightening and dangerous of all.
A poetic device used similarly in each of the three poems, is that of repetition. Throughout the poem ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’, Dickinson uses repetition of the word ‘and’ in each stanza to create a sense of anticipation for the reader who expects, as a result, for the speaker to reach a conclusion about her mental state at the end of the poem. However, the poem instead, finishes without a justification; alternatively ending with a hyphen which suggests that the speaker too is unable reach an explanation of what it is that consumes her, highlighting the possibility of the speaker’s madness. To a similar effect, Dickinson uses repetition in the first and second stanza of ‘It was not Death, for I stood up’. The phrase ‘it was not’ is repeated to emphasise the confusion the speaker faces towards her mental condition. Eliminating what it is not as opposed to establishing what it is, the speaker tries to define her condition in order to be able to see its cause. The final line of the poem, ‘To justify – Despair’ illustrates that, had her condition have been any of the possibilities listed previously in the poem, there may have been hope or possibility of change. But as the speaker eliminated these possibilities, she has instead reached the radical conclusion that there will be no end to her psychological disorder and internal suffering. In the same way, ‘Far safer’ is repeated in the second and third stanza in ‘One need not be a Chamber – to be Haunted’ to emphasise the extent to which the speaker feels unsafe and in danger of herself, as a result of her state of mind.
The verse form in ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ shows that it has been written in an a-b-c-b rhyming scheme throughout the poem until the final stanza. This rhyme scheme mirrors the speaker’s state of mind and how her psychological state has rapidly deteriorated and will continue to do so. Following an order and a structure in the first four stanzas, the lack of regularity in the fifth stanza reflects that lack of stability and normality the speaker faces psychologically. To a similar effect, ‘One need not be a Chamber – to be Haunted’ too follows a regular a-b-c-b rhyming scheme, however this carries on throughout the entirety of the poem to demonstrate that regardless of her mental condition, the speaker tries to appear normal to those around her. Alternatively, ‘It was not Death, for I stood up’ follows an irregular rhyming scheme from the beginning of the poem and throughout. The irregularity highlights and creates disruption in the way in which the poem is read. The inconsistency in the rhyming scheme reflects the speaker’s state of mind and the internal struggles she faces. Despite the disrupted rhyming scheme, Dickinson uses alliteration throughout the poem as an attempt to regain order and structure, as the speaker tries to regain normality and sanity mentally, but despite her best efforts, her psychological condition remains.