Juniorettes

The Wondering Soul

Emily Dickinson’s poem, "I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain,” exploits the

physical aspects of death and grieving, as well as the mental anguish

involved. In her short but densely meaningful poem, Dickinson analyses

both death and the funeral process, forcing the reader to contemplate and

bringing to the surface many controversial questions. Dickinson’s

work takes us step by step through the physical processes of death and

mourning. She stresses these aspects above all others, emphasizing many of

the physical elements through capitalization, thus centring the attention on

these developments. The poem progresses chronologically through a

funeral: beginning with the seating, followed by the eulogy, the exit of the

coffin, the burial, and finally the goodbye. It seems as though, throughout

the entirety of this work, Dickinson is reaching out for help, for she feels as

if she is going insane. She uses organic...