that gradually came to be cherished by lovers of poetry everywhere” Guth and Rico 795.
I would like to know how Emily Dickinson sees death through her works. In order to do so, it would be helpful to see her life background. Emily Dickinson
withdrew herself and lived in a big house. Understandably she became a solitary person. However, this way of life enabled her to focus on her works more deeply.
When one hears about ‘death’ he will always think about something that is not alive or it is the end of everything. However, Dickinson sees death in a
different way. She seemed to be fascinated with death. Many of Emily Dickinson’s 1775 poems deal with her belief concerning the process of death, the rituals
surrounding death and the questions of immortality. In fact she often uses death as the theme for her poems. It is because of her
experiences of her life that happened during her lifetime. These experiences let her write poems about death. Pickard in Emily Dickinson: An Introduction and
Interpretation says that “Certainly one of Emily Dickinson’s unique contributions
to America literature is her poetic insight into her nature of death. Closely related to her knowledge of pain and longing for eternal life, this understanding of death
was demonstrate d in more than five hundred lyrics” 101.
B. Objectives of the Study
The first objective is to analyze the reflection of Emily Dickinson’s point of view toward death in her poems; “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” “I Died
for Beauty” and “I Felt Funeral in my Brain.” The second objective of the study is to reveal how the three poems of Emily Dickinson reflect her life.
C. Problem Formulation
1. How does Emily Dickinson express her view on death through her poems:
“Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt Funeral in my Brain”?
2. How do the poems: “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” “I Died for
Beauty” and “I Felt Funeral in my Brain” reflect Emily Dickinson’s life?
D. Benefits of the Study
The result of this study can be used as an alternative material in teaching poetry in school and university. It also can be used as a reference for the students
in getting more information about the life of Emily Dickinson and her view on death and also the reflection of it in her poems. Emily Dickinson’s life and view
on death contribute a great influence on her poems. This study also gives benefit for the future learners who are really
interested in Emily Dickinson’s poems to explore anything related to death. By reading this study they will obtain some information needed for their study such as
Emily’s view on death and the reflection of it in her poems and the life of Emily Dickinson and its contribution on her art-works.
Through this study, I hope the readers, especially the art-workers, know that Emily Dickinson’s view on death takes part in influencing her work of art, so
when the readers of the art-workers want to perform her poem, they will not only memorize the lines on the text but also understand the background of Emily’s
writing.
E. Definition of Terms 1 .
Death
Aiken states that death is “the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.” He also states that,
“this definition is closest in meaning to biological de ath, the irreversible breakdown of respiration in an organism and the consequent loss of the ability to
use oxygen” Aiken 6. In this study, I try to reveal how Emily Dickinson sees death and how she
reflects her view on death in her poems. Therefore, death in this study means the state of being dead. In other word, dead is an end of life.
2 . View
It is stated in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary written by Hornby. A. S, view is “personal opinion or attitude; thought or observation on a subject.”
Another definition of view in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is “way of understanding or interpreting a subject, series of events, etc; mental
impression.” In this study I try to reveal the reflection of personal view of Emily
Dickinson toward death in her poems. Therefore, in this study view means personal opinion or attitude on a subject.
6
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
