I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain Analysis
Morgan Russell
Shaw
English 200
6 November 2012
Essay Two – I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
1. Part One
Solitary: Deprived of the company of others; the state of being alone; a reference to solitary confinement (solitary). The use of the word solitary in line 16 illustrates how although people have been described as taking part in the funeral, they do not relate or understand her. Although there are others around her, there is no communication between them. She is described as wrecked in the same line that “solitary” is used, showing the reader that her state of isolation is due to her being damaged – her state of being insane. Although the use of other words, such as the use of the non-inclusive words they and them, give hint to her isolation, “solitary” is the only concrete illustration of isolation. The idea of solitariness is central to the poem because it is an important aspect of the transition to insanity and of insanity itself. This is because in this transition, no one can relate or understand what one is going through. In the poem, others cannot communicate or relate to her feelings of despair towards her transition to insanity. Solitary can also be taken to be a reference to solitary confinement, which is commonly used in asylums. She is now insane and unable to communicate effectively, as can be seen in lines 13-15, so she has now been put in solitary confinement. In reality, solitary confinement often makes patients of asylums go more insane, which Dickinson does as well in the poem.
Reason: The power of the mind to think and form valid judgments by a process of logic; the guiding principle of the mind in the process of thinking (reason). The use of the word “reason,” as opposed to another word, is important because reason is distinct from words such as mind, sense, soul, etc. in that it is based partially on the idea of judgment and not just thought or intellect. This line is not saying the speaker is no longer able to think or feel, it is
Shaw
English 200
6 November 2012
Essay Two – I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
1. Part One
Solitary: Deprived of the company of others; the state of being alone; a reference to solitary confinement (solitary). The use of the word solitary in line 16 illustrates how although people have been described as taking part in the funeral, they do not relate or understand her. Although there are others around her, there is no communication between them. She is described as wrecked in the same line that “solitary” is used, showing the reader that her state of isolation is due to her being damaged – her state of being insane. Although the use of other words, such as the use of the non-inclusive words they and them, give hint to her isolation, “solitary” is the only concrete illustration of isolation. The idea of solitariness is central to the poem because it is an important aspect of the transition to insanity and of insanity itself. This is because in this transition, no one can relate or understand what one is going through. In the poem, others cannot communicate or relate to her feelings of despair towards her transition to insanity. Solitary can also be taken to be a reference to solitary confinement, which is commonly used in asylums. She is now insane and unable to communicate effectively, as can be seen in lines 13-15, so she has now been put in solitary confinement. In reality, solitary confinement often makes patients of asylums go more insane, which Dickinson does as well in the poem.
Reason: The power of the mind to think and form valid judgments by a process of logic; the guiding principle of the mind in the process of thinking (reason). The use of the word “reason,” as opposed to another word, is important because reason is distinct from words such as mind, sense, soul, etc. in that it is based partially on the idea of judgment and not just thought or intellect. This line is not saying the speaker is no longer able to think or feel, it is
Cited: “world, n.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 “break, v.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 “reason, v.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 “plank, n.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 “solitary, adj.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 “brain, n.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 “Funeral, adj. and n.” The Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 7 November 2012 Dickinson, Emily. “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” Poetry Foundation. Web. 7 November 2012. de la Sierra, Joaquin. “The Copper Boot (Torture).” Medievality. N.p. 29 November 2008. Web. 7 November 2012. “Notifications of Death” Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2012. Web. 7 November 2012.