Emily dickinson`s view on death as reflected in her poems ``Because i could not sotp for death``, ``I died for beauty`` and ``I felt a funeral in my brain`` - USD Repository

  

EMILY DICKINSON’S VIEW ON DEATH AS REFLECTED IN

HER POEMS “BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH,”

“I DIED FOR BEAUTY”

AND “I FELT A FUNERAL IN MY BRAIN”

  

A THESIS

  Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  

By

Aloysius Bayu Setiawan

Student Number: 011214155

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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EMILY DICKINSON’S VIEW ON DEATH AS REFLECTED IN

HER POEMS “BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH,”

“I DIED FOR BEAUTY”

AND “I FELT A FUNERAL IN MY BRAIN”

  

A THESIS

  Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  

By

Aloysius Bayu Setiawan

Student Number: 011214155

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

  I honestly declare that this thesis which I wrote does not contain the works or part of the works of other people except those cited in the quotations and bibliography, as a scientific paper should.

  Yogyakarta, September 14, 2007

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ for His love and guidance during my life especially the hard times in doing this thesis.

  He makes my life so beautiful and meaningful. He always gives me the wonderful surprises and blessings.

  I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my major sponsor, Henny

  

Herawati, S.Pd, M.Hum, for her great guidance, encouragement, understanding,

  and advice from the beginning until the end of this thesis writing. I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to my co-sponsor, Christina Lhaksmita

  

Anandari, S.Pd, M .Ed, who willingly spends her time for reading, correcting, and

giving some suggestions and improvement for my thesis.

  My appreciation also goes to Veronica Triprihatmini, S.Pd, M.Hum for her guidance and advice on my thesis. I also express my gratitude to all lecturers at Sanata Dharma University who have taught and given me valuable and great knowledge. I also would like to thank to the secretary staffs for helping me in the administration and the librarian for helping me in searching the references.

  I am sincerely grateful to my beloved parents Bapak Cornelius Kaharsan and Ibu Anastasia Satriani, for their endless love and for their prayer for my success. I also thank my lovely brothers and sisters, Mas Andri, Mas Indra, Mbak Metty and Dik Arie for their support and attention.

  My best gratitude goes to Snow White crew: Bhonz, Nyotz, Noo_Cie, Texex, Bobby, Andre, Rara, Dhee, Ratri, Lintang, Novi, Widi, Della, Lia, Peye,

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  am honored to have such great friends as them. My life will not be the same without knowing them all in my life. I also thank Neti ”NetNot”03 for helping me with the theory of teaching speaking. My gratitude goes to all of my friends at Sanata Dharma University, especially 2001 students of PBI, with whom I have got through the good and bad times during my study.

  I address my acknowledgement to all my friends in Brojowikalpo 1A: Ghowez, Bebe, Ikke, Martha, Vita, Yusta, Dicta, Patrice, Hana, Neti. I thank them for encouraging me to keep trying and never give up. It is great to spend time with them.

  Last but not least, I would like to thank those whose names are not mentioned here for their support and prayer so that I could finish this thesis. May God bless them all.

  Aloysius Bayu S

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... i

PAGES OF APPROVAL ................................................................................. ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY .............................................. iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................... v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. vii

ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... ix

ABSTRAK

  .......................................................................................................... x

  

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study ........................................................................ 1 B. Objectives of the Study .......................................................................... 3 C. Problem Formulation .............................................................................. 4 D. Benefits of the Study .............................................................................. 4 E. Definition of Terms ................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ........................... 6

A. Theoretical Review ................................................................................ 6 1. Literature ........................................................................................... 6 a. Approaches in Literary Analysis ................................................ 6 b. Intrinsic Elements on Poem ....................................................... 8 2. Death .................................................................................................. 10 a. Definition and Types of Death ................................................... 10 b. Various Views of Death ............................................................. 11 c. Fear of Death .............................................................................. 13 B. The Biography of Emily Dickinson ....................................................... 15 1. Emily Dickinson’s Life ..................................................................... 15 C. Criticism ................................................................................................. 18

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CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 22

A. Subject Matter ........................................................................................ 22 B. Approach................................................................................................. 24 C. Procedures .............................................................................................. 24

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 26

A. Emily’s view on Death ........................................................................... 26 1. The poem “Because I could not stop for Death” ............................... 27 2. The poem “I Died for Beauty” ........................................................... 30 3. The poem “I Felt A Funeral, in my Brain” ........................................ 32 B. The Reflection of Emily Dickinson’s Life in her Poems ....................... 34

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION .................................. 38

A. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 38 B. Suggestion .............................................................................................. 39 1. Suggestion for future researchers ...................................................... 39 2. The implementation of literature in Language Teaching .................. 40

BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................ 43

APPENDICES .................................................................................................. 46

APPENDIX 1. The poem “Because I could not stop for Death” ............... 47 APPENDIX 2. The poem “I Died for Beauty” .......................................... 48 APPENDIX 3. The poem “I Felt A Funeral in my Brain” ......................... 49 APPENDIX 4. Lesson Plan on Teaching Speaking Class ......................... 50 APPENDIX 5 Material on Teaching Speaking Class ............................... 52

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ABSTRACT

Setiawan, Aloysius Bayu. 2007. Emily Dickinson’s View on Death as Reflected in

Her poems “Because I could not stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt

a Funeral in My Brain.” Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study

Programme, Sanata Dharma University.

  For centuries, there are two general viewpoints of death. For some people death bears a mystery and therefore it is feared. Some other people believe that death is not something terrifying. The forming of a certain point of view toward death depends on many things such as education, belief and culture.

  Emily Dickinson, one of greatest American poets wrote many poems using death as the main theme. Emily Dickinson as a human being also has a point of view on death. She has a special point of view on death. This study tries to reveal Emily Dickinson’s view on death reflected in her poems: “Because I could not

  Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain.”

  There are two problems formulated in this study. They are: (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 a Funeral in My Brain.”? (2) How do the poe ms: “Because I could not Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain” reflect Emily Dickinson’s life?

  This study applies some theoretical review on the intrinsic elements of poems. Then, theory of death is applied to provide better ground in seeing the meaning of death, Christian view of death, and the fears of death. This study also applies Biographical Approach to reveal the reflection of Emily Dickinson’s life in her poems.

  The primary data of this study are the three poems of Emily Dickinson entitle: “Because I could not stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt a Funeral in my Brain.” The secondary data are theories of literature, theories and concepts on death and the biography of Emily Dickinson. It is supported by other theories that are relevant to this study.

  From the result of the analysis, it can be seen that Emily Dickinson has a beautiful perspective on death. She uses simile, metaphor, personification, symbol and irony to show it. She also uses words that do not have a direct correlation with death.

  Although Emily Dickinson has a beautiful perspective on death, as a human being, she still has a fear of death. Being diagnosed with a fatal illness that can bring her to death, it is reasonable that Emily Dickinson has a strong fear of death. Emily Dickinson tries to defeat her fear of death by familiarizing with death. One of the ways is by imagining herself on her own death and funeral. She wrote a lot of poems using death as the main theme. She uses those poems to help her to defeat her fear of death. All the facts of Emily Dickinson’s life are clearly reflected through her poems: “Because I could not Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain.”

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ABSTRAK

Setiawan, Aloysius Bayu. 2007. Emily Dickinson’s View on Death as Reflected in

Her poems “Because I could not stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” and “I Felt

a Funeral in My Brain.” Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris.

  Universitas Sanata Dharma. Yogyakarta.

  Selama berabad-abad ada dua pandangan umum atas kematian. Bagi sebagian orang kematian membawa misteri yang membuatnya menakutkan. Sebagian orang yang lain percaya bahwa kematian bukanlah sesuatu untuk ditakuti. Pembentukan sebuah sudut pandang tertentu akan kematian tergantung pada banyak hal seperti pendidikan, kepercayaan dan budaya.

  Emily Dickinson, salah satu pengarang terbesar Amerika, menulis banyak puisi menggunakan kematian sebagai tema utamanya. Sebagai manusia Emily Dickinson juga mempunyai sebuah sudut pandang atas kematian. Dia mempunyai sudut pandang yang istimewa. Studi ini mencoba mengungkap sudut pandang Emily Dickinson atas kematian seperti yang terefleksikan dalam puisi-puisinya. “Because I could not stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” dan “I Felt a Funeral

  in My Brain.”

  Ada dua masalah yang dirumuskan dalam studi ini, yaitu (1) Bagaimana Emily Dickinson mengungkapkan pandangannya atas kematian melalui puisi- puisinya: “Because I could not Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” dan “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain.”? (2) Bagaimana puisi-puisi: “Because I could not Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” dan “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain.” merefleksikan hidup Emily Dickinson?

  Studi ini menerapkan teori atas elemen-elemen intrinsik dari puisi. Kemudian, teori tentang kematian digunakan untuk memberi landasan yang baik untuk melihat makna kematian, pandangan Kristiani atas kematian dan ketakutan atas kematian. Studi ini juga menerapkan Biographical Approach untuk mengungkap perefleksian hidup Emily Dickinson dalam puisi-puisinya.

  Data primer dari studi ini adalah ketiga puisi Emily Dickinson berjudul: “Because I could not stop for Death ,” “I Died for Beauty” dan “I Felt a Funeral in

  

my Brain .” data sekunder dari studi ini adalah teori literature, teori dan konsep

  akan kematian dan biografi Emily Dickinson. Itu didukung oleh teori-eteori lain yang relevan.

  Dari hasil analisa dapat dilihat bahwa, Emily Dickinson mempunyai pandangan yang bagus atas kematian. Dia menggunakan simile, metafora, personifikasi, symbol dan ironi untuk menunjukkannya. Dia juga menggunakan kata-kata yang tidak berhubungan langsung dengan kematian.

  Meskipun Emily Dickinson mempunyai pandangan yang bagus akan kematian, sebagai manusia, dia masih mempunyai rasa takut akan kematian. Didiagnosa menderita penyakit yang fatal yang bisa membawanya ke kematian, sangatlah beralasan jika Emily Dickinson mempunyai ketakutan yang besar akan kematian. Emily Dickinson berusaha untuk mengalahkan ketakutannya akan kematian dengan mengakrabkan dirinya dengan kematian. Salah ssatu caranya adalah dengan membayangkan dirinya berada dalam kematian dan pemakamannya sendiri. Dia menulis banyak puisi menggunakan kematian sebagai tema utamanya.

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  Dia menggunakan puisi-puisi itu untuk membantunya mengalahkan ketakutannya akan kematian. Semua fakta dari hidup Emily Dickinson tersebut terefleksikan dengan jelas melalui puisi-puisinya: “Because I could not Stop for Death,” “I Died for Beauty” dan “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain.”?

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter provides some information about background of the study,

  problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study and definition of terms. In the background of the study, I explain about the necessity of analyzing the topic and the reason for choosing the topic. Objectives of the study explain the aim of this study. The problems that will be analyzed in this thesis are stated in the problem formulation. Benefits of the study explain to whom this study will be beneficial. The last part of this chapter is the definition of some terms related to this topic.

A. Background of the Study

  Death is a common thing in human life. Sooner or later everyone will be dead. For some people death bears dark mystery and therefore is feared. People are still in big question on what happen to them after they die. The most obvious thing is that death will do them apart from the world they lived on, or from people they loved. On the other hand, many believe that death is not something to be terrified. Furthermore, it is viewed as a part of natural cycle and an unavoidable phenomenon to all living beings.

  These two points of view are developed in all human beings around the world. People who belong to certain group might see death as something

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  The forming of this point of view depends on many things such as education, religion or beliefs, situation in the family and social relationship.

  Emily Dickinson as a human being also has a point of view on death. She has a special point of view on death. It is reflected on her poems which most of them use death as the main theme. As we know that the forming of a point of view depends on many things. The forming of Emily’s point of view on death is influenced by many things that she has experienced.

  Emily Dickinson used poems to communicate her thoughts to her friends. Of course in communicating her thoughts Emily Dickinson used her own language which may be different from other poets. Guth and Rico say that “Poetry can be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone. Sometimes with poetry we even can have communication. Poems demand our attention. They use a language richer in meaning than ordinary talk. As we read and study poems, we become more sensitive to the poet’s language” (472)

  The poet’s experience of life and the way point of view influence their works of art. “As we read, we are already attuned to the poet’s way of looking at the world”(Guth and Rico 793). Therefore, experience held an important role for the poets because through experience the poets want to share their opinion or communicate their feelings.

  “Reading a poet like Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, or Gwendolyn Brooks, we treasure the poet’s personal voice. We recognize it with pleasure, the way we welcome a cherished faced” (Guth and Rico 793).

  “Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is an outstanding example of a poet with a

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  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

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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.

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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.

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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter contains some theories which are relevant to the analysis of

  the poems. There are four main sections in this chapter that can provide us with relevant information. They are theoretical review, the biography of Emily Dickinson, Criticism and theoretical framework. Theoretical review covers the theories that are relevant to the study. The biography of the poet talks about the life of the poet and the relation with the art-works. Criticism contains experts’ critics and commentary on the poems of Emily Dickinson. Theoretical framework presents how the relevant theories are applied to the analysis.

A. Theoretical Review

  This part presents some theories that are relevant to the study including approaches in analyzing the poems, intrinsic elements of the poems, theory of death and some beliefs of death.

  1 . Literature

  This study deals with literature, therefore, I believe that it is important to have some theoretical ground of poetry as part of literature. These theories are relevant to this study.

  a.

  Approaches in Literary Analysis There are some theories about the approaches in interpreting the poems. I

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  are five approaches that can be used to judge a literary work. They are Formalist approach, Biographical approach, Sociocultural-historical approach, Mythopoeic approach, and Psychological appr oach (Rohberger and Woods 6).

  The first approach is the “Formalist Approach.” This approach analyzes the work of art only. In other words, this approach does not need any reference from other resources, like the author’s life, the social condition at the time the author’s live, etc. In short, the approach is mainly focusing on the work only.

  The second approach is the “Biographical Approach.” This approach proposes the idea that the only way to understand literature is by asserting the necessity and appreciation of ideas and personality of the author.

  The next approach is an approach that examines the work of art in reference to the civilization. Then the attitude and the actions of specific group of people become the subject matter. This approach is called “Sociocultural- Historical Approach.”

  “Mythopoeic Approach” is the fourth approach. This approach tries to discover certain universality and recurrent patterns of human thoughts in the works of art which are believed to have expression in the works.

  The last approach is “Psychological Approach.” Critics that involve the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns of human psychology in the works of art.

  This study will apply the Biographical approach in the analysis. Biographical approach is the most appropriate approach to apply in analyzing the life of Emily Dickinson and its reflection in her poems. Based on the Biographical

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  should learn as much as possible about the life and development of the author in order to understand his or her writings (Rohberger and Woods 8).

  b.

  Intrinsic Elements of the Poem Guth and Rico say that poetry can be enjoyed and appreciated by everyone.

  Sometimes with poetry we even can have communication. Poems demand our attention. They use a language richer in meaning than ordinary talk. As we read and study poems, we become more sensitive to the poet’s language (472).

  Poem has some meanings that are usually different from the literal mea ning of the words. Abcarian and Klotz says, “Words have dictionary or denotative meaning as well as associative or connotative meanings; they also have histories and relationship with other words” (1099).

  Poems must first be read for their literal meaning. Then after we grasped the literal meaning of a poem, we can proceed to its figurative language. “The implicit, often hidden, reality that the poem is trying to suggest” (Parini, 9). To give the poem a close reading, take as much as you can be open to whatever the poem has to offer” (Guth and Rico 482)

  It is important to understand the use of figurative language in this study. In order to have one relevant information for the discussion, I believe it is necessary to present a brief discussion on figurative language. Barnet, Bermon, and Bruto state, “Words have their literal meaning, but they can also be used so that something other than literal meaning is implied” (768).

  In analyzing the poems I used the intrinsic elements of the poems that are included in the figurative language. Since Emily Dickinson uses a lot of figurative

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  simile, metaphor, personification, and symbol. The following is explication of some intrinsic elements of the poems discussed in this thesis.

  Simile is a comparison of two things, indicated by some connectives, usually like, as, than or a verb such as resembles. A simile usually compares two things that initially seem unlike but are shown to have a significant resemblance. “Cool as cucumber” and “My love is like a red, red rose” are examples of similes. “Simile, items from different classes are explicitly compared by connective such as like, as, or than, or by a verb such as appears or seems” (Kennedy and Gioia 678).

  The second intrinsic element is metaphor. Metaphor is a statement that one thing is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not. By asserting that a thing is something else, metaphor creates a close association between the two entities and usually underscores some important similarity between them. An example of a metaphor is “Richard is a pig”. A metaphor asserts the identity, without a connective such as like or a verb such appears, of terms that are literally incompatible (Kennedy and Gioia 674).

  Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an animal, or an abstract term is endowed with human characteristics. Personification allows an author to dramatize the nonhuman world in tangibly human terms. “Personification is a metaphor or simile that treats something non-human as if it were human” (Kennedy and Gioia 676)

  Symbol can be defined as a person, place, or thing in a narrative that suggest meanings beyond its literal sense. Symbol is related to allegory, but it

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  significance. By contrast, a symbol usually contains multiple meanings and association. “A symbol is something that you can see but that taken on a meaning beyond itself” (Guth and Rico 561).

  Irony is a literary device in which a discrepancy of meaning is marked beneath the surface of the language. Irony is present when a writer says one thing but means something quite the opposite. “Irony is defined as saying one thing and meaning to another” (Parini 50)

  2 . Death

  Most of Emily Dickinson’s poems have death as their main theme. In analyzing her poems it is important to have enough knowledge on death. This section presents some definition, types and perception about death.

  a.

  Definition and Types of Death As stated in the Definition of Term section, death refers to an end of life, a state where the being’s organs are not functioned to support the life system.

  According to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, death is “the art of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital function of an organism. “This definition is the closest in meaning to biological death, the irreversible breakdown of respiration in an organism and the consequent loss of the ability to use oxygen (Aiken 6).

  Many medical authorities came to define death as the cessation of cerebral function (brain waves) as well as of respiratory and circulatory function. It was recognized that in some cases, such as when the brain is destroyed as a result of

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  awareness, or responsive to stimuli and may be considered dead even though the heart continues to function.

  There are several types of death. Physiological death occurs when all physical processes that sustain life cease. Brain death is defined as total absence of brain activity for at least ten minutes. Cerebral death means cessation of activity in the cerebral cortex, and Social death refers to a process through which other people relinquish their relationships with the deceased (Baron 366).

  b.

  Various Views on Death Death might bear meaning beyond the end of life. It can have different significance upon each person related to his or her cultures and beliefs. Death is viewed by primitive people as involving a separation of breath from the earth, a separation regarded as a fundamentally reversible process. Among primitive people the death of a human being is generally regarded as an unnatural process and, if it does not occur as a result of an overt circumstance such as accident, it is usually attributed to hostile magic of enemies or to the activity of demons (533).

  People in many primitive cultures appear to be unaware of the naturalness and inevitability of death. Living in culture in which people usually die of accidents or diseases rather than old age, it is understandable how death could come to be viewed as an unnatural consequence of something gone wrong (Aiken, 176).

  For many centuries death bears dark mystery for all living human beings and therefore is feared. People are still in big question on what happen to them after they die. The most obvious thing is that death will separate them from the

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  reasons of the fear of death. The oldest of it is the beliefs that death is painful and that the soul may survive to experience pain and torture in an afterlife. But then people know death is fearful because they are unwilling to lose consciousness permanently (Edwards(ed) 308).

  On the other hand, there are some beliefs and religions that have some different perception about death. For Hindus, death represents a spiritual opportunity to attain oneness with God and a component of the natural life cycle – life, death and rebirth-, or we call it reincarnation. According to Buddhism, at death both the mind and the body disintegrate. Only the character disposition, not a permanent soul, remains to be reborn in another living being. This cycle will continue until the nirvana is attained. Unlike these beliefs, Christianity underlies the resurrection of the body after death comes. It is when Jesus comes for the second time to redeem their sins (Aiken 182).

  Death can also be seen in the Holy Bible. We know and understand about life and afterlife through Bible. The Bible also reveals about death and what happens after death. The Old and New Testaments of Bible do not much to say about, but the attitude toward death expressed in the books of Job, Proverbs, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes is one of resignation. From the time of Job to that of Ezekiel and Daniel. The resigned attitude toward death gradually changed to one of hope that the dead are merely sleeping and will awaken someday (Aiken 151).

  Bermejo says, “the above offers us an inkling into what our own death will be like, for the death of the Christian is necessarily patterned on the death of the Christ (Bermejo 23). The Christian now should have no fear of death, for Jesus in

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  die, there is no need to be afraid of it.

  Moreover, many philosophers view death not as something that should be avoided or worried. They see it as something natural. Some examples are the well- known philosophers as follows. Socrates and Epicurus see death as the release of the soul from the body and is personal extinction. Spinoza adds that a free man meditates on life rather than death. Hegel sees death as the reconciliation of the spirit with itself and a reuniting of the individual with cosmic matter (Aiken 183).

  c.

  Fear of Death Death eventually comes to everyone -poet and peasant, saint and sinner, the wise and the foolish. It is a fate that human being share not only with each other but also with all living things. The inevitability of death and the shortness of life have been expressed frequently in literature and art. Sooner or later, each person must face his or her own vulnerability and inevitability of death. Distraction and denial may postpone the realization and acceptance of the inevitable, but they eliminate it (Aiken 3).

  The fact that death is terrifying has existed for centuries. Fear of death has become a common thing in human life. All of human being who is still alive has a fear of death. The only thing that makes them different is the intensity of each person toward it. Whatever the reason may be, elderly people are usually not as afraid of dying as younger and middle age people (Aiken 266).

  The fear usually is not so much on the fear of death itself but rather a fear of what death represents or connotes – personal extinction, separation from loved ones and things, the great unknown, the supernatural, uncertainty going to heaven

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  than being a generalized fear of everything associated with death, the person may be afraid of the process of dying because of the pain associated with it. The fear of death may also be related to specific situations or objects, such as funerals, chur ches or anything religious, spirits or anything supernatural, stories or dramas in which someone dies, illness, injuries, hospitals, operations, or disabled, disfigured, or handicapped person (Aiken 271).

  Fears of death can be particularly intense in the people who are living enjoyable, personally meaningful lives, but then they are suddenly suffering seriously ill. Fears of death may be quite strong in elderly people who are in poor physical or mental health or who have a disable spouse, dependent children, or important goals that they still expect to attain.

  As with any phobia, an extreme fear of death (thanaphobia) can be treated to decrease its intensity. A program for treating the fear may then be designed, which may include techniques such as systematic desensitization, self-monitoring, and modeling. Systematic desensitization combined with progressive relaxation and counterconditioning, has proven effective in the treatment of many phobias. The patient is exposed to the hierarchically arranged stimuli or situations in order from least feared to most feared. When the patient has learned to tolerate the first feared stimulus, the next one in the hierarchy is presented, and so on until desensitization hierarchy has occurred. One possible hierarchy for the systematic desensitization of an extreme fear of death is: 1.

  Reading a book in which someone dies.

2. Looking at a painting of a deathbed or other dying scene.

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  4. Walking through cemetery and looking at the tombstones.

  5. Writing a will and making other plans for my death.

  6. Attending the funeral of someone whom I know well.

  7. Imagining my funeral and wondering what will happen to me when I’m dead.

  8. Getting sick and not being able to get well.

  9. Discovering that I have a potentially fatal illness.

  10. Being admitted to the critical ward of a hospital.

  11. Being told that I have only a short time to live.

  12. Hearing that I am expected to die in the next day or so.

  The result of this systematic desensitization might be various. It depends on the intens ity of fears of death and a personal history of the patient.

B. The Biography of Emily Dickinson

  Since this study deals with Emily Dickinson’s perception toward death, it would be better if we knew her life better. The reason is because there is a close rela tionship between the life of the poet with the poems. The biography is taken from American Poetry and Prose, The Norton Anthology of American Literature, and “Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) written by Paul Crumbley.

  1 . Emily Dickinson’s Life

  Emily Elizabeth Dickinson is one of America’s famous poets. She was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. She is the second daughter of Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson. In 1840 she attended Amherst

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  Dickinson realized that her father had been a great influence to her life, while her mother was a simple person who had dedicated her life to her family.

  In 1847 – 1848 Emily Dickinson attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary at South Hadley, Massachusetts. She left the seminary after only one year. During that period she had never been healthy enough. Actually, the real reason of her departure from the seminary was that the students were asked to join the church, and Dickinson did not want to take part in it.

  Emily Dickinson began writing in 1850s and was inspired by the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily (one of the Bronte sisters). Her formal education was limited but somehow her writings were well versed. There were some short visits to Boston and Philadelphia. Visiting her father, Dickinson and her sister stopped off at Philadelphia where she met reverend Charles Wadsworth.

  Wadsworth was married and also a father. This relationship is the focus of her love those years. She also made connection with Samuel Bowels, the editor of

  Springfield Republican who published her 1,852 poems.

  In 1858 she began gathering her poems in packets which she called “fascicles” which was bound in string. Fifty poems were written in 1858, 100 in the follow ing year, sixty five in 1860, eighty in 1861 and 366 in 1862. In 1860 she found out that Bowles derided her poetry as unhealthy and the product of a lonely woman. Since then she began to withdraw herself from the world. However, she still corresponded with a great number of friends and relatives. Also in the same time Wadsworth informed her that he would move to the West. However, it was assumed that Dickinson suffered an emotional trauma at this time. Her poetry

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  Christ. Dickinson’s removal from the world gave her enough time in revising and refining poems which she knew would never read by others. She also began to dress in white. To neighbours in her hometown, Dickinson was an eccentric figure, a spinster who after her early thirties never ventured beyond her family home or garden.

  Emily Dickinson was encouraged by an article about an advice to prospective poet written by Higginson. Higginson’s rejection of her poetry drove Dickinson further into her private world. In 1860s she made a new “touch” to her poems. Inspired by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, she used quatrain with three iambic feet. Language and imaginary was heavily inspired by the King James version of bible and Shakespeare. However, she created her own poetic language to express her own unique message. She began employing slant or off-rhymes, as well as slant rhythms.

  The year of civil war coincided with Emily Dickinson’s greatest output, 800 poems. The war did not inspire her. The death of Emily Dickinson’s father in 1874 was a shock to her, and from that time on she never left her house in Amherst. The following year, her mother had a stroke and paralyzed. Therefore, Dickinson took care of her mother. She had her routine activities: household tasks during the day and then her writing and collection of fascicles at night. However, this routine was broken by her relationship with Judge Otis Lord, a friend of her father. This relationship was the closest thing she had to satisfying love.

  Emily Dickinson’s final years were filled with the death of loved ones: her mother died in 1882, a favorite nephew in 1883, and Lord in 1884. Dickinson

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  diagnosed and suffered a bright disease (kidney disorder), and die in May 15, 1886.

  There were only ten poems which were published during her life times. After her death, her sister Lavinia discovered the fascicles containing some 1,800 poems and she wanted to publish it. Lavinia are astonished to discover that the poems were written in odd and even paper-the back of envelopes and discarded letters, bits of wrapping paper, and the edges of newspaper. With the help of Mable Loomis Todd, she asked Higginson to publish Emily Dickinson’s poems.