A Textual Analysis Of Emily Dickinson’s Idea About Death In Her Selected Poems
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Background of the Study
Death is a natural thing. It is a mysterious truth which also very sensitive
topic to be discussed with others. Every living creatures will die. Even the death is
natural thing, people still consider it as a cruel and unkind phenomenon. In general,
the death of families, relatives, or friends will cause great pain for everyone.
Everyone knows the price of every life is death, but most of us can not face it
normally when death takes someone’s life.
For some people, death is intimidating. Death is considered as inevitable
ending that will bring sorrow after. People try so hard to stay alive, they pay lot of
money to get a healthy life and escape death. Unfortunately, death also happens to
healthy people. Death is unavoidable, undeniable and unmanageable.
For some people, who believe in certain religion, death will bring profit.
Instead of considering death as the end of everything, they believe death is only the
beginning of new stage of life. In Christianity, people who believe in the sacrifice of
Jesus for willing to die at the cross to redeem people’s sin, will live eternally with
God in Heaven. They believe in heaven and the idea of afterlife.
People may have seen death, have talked about death, have read about death
or even have came close to death but actually no one have ever really died. People
are always curious and questioning death; they try to understand the purpose of
1
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death. In case of understanding, people show their thought through their attitude
towards it. Some people show the negative attitude while others express more
positive attitude.
Literature is the art of work, like any other art works, the creator expresses
their thought on their work. Since the nature of literature is language and language is
the tools of communication, literary works are also considered as the instrument that
can be used to express creator’s feeling, idea or attitude toward everything. The topic
of death has long been portrayed in literary works. Writers use novel, fiction or short
story as the instrument to present their idea toward death. The topic of death has also
been discussed repeatedly in poetry. Poetry is known as the most personal work of
literature. The poet only chooses few words that represent his thought and the readers
use their own personal experiences and knowledges to figure out the poem’s
meaning. It makes each reader will have different interpretation even from the same
poem.
There are many poets who engage death as their main theme. They have their
own idea and perspective about death. Emily Dickinson, one of American greatest
poet, has unique ideas about death. Dickinson’s idea can be so cynical sometimes
when the other time it can be so optimistic. She engages many themes in her writing,
such as life, love, hope, friendship, social issue, religion and death, but the most
notable theme is death. She is so unpredictable for personifying death as a gentleman
and the other time using simile to picture death as a cruel insect. The tone of every
poem is so unique. Some poems reflect joy while others point out the dreariness.
2
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This phenomenon encourages the writer to analyze Dickinson’s idea about death in
some poems which engage death as the main theme.
People’s attitude towards everything is developing during their life time.
Every moment in our life may change our attitude time after time. Literary work is
basically the writing about the author’s respond to phenomena that happen around
them. Dickinson has through many things in her life. Her ideas about death are
absolutely influenced by her life experiences. She has been experiencing death since
she was a little girl. The lost of family member or close friend really affects her way
of living and writing. Death becomes an obsession because she can not stop thinking
about it. In her latest life, she is living a solitude life in her house in Amherst. She
only uses her poems and letters to contact with outer world. Even she lives in puritan
era, where people are turning back to Christian tradition; she decides to stop
attending Sunday Service. She becomes non-religious person, however she still
believed in the existence of God and all the doctrine.
All of this phenomenon encourages the writer to write a thesis entitle “A
Textual Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s Idea about Death in Her Selected Poems”
1.2.
Problems of the Study
Based on the background of the study, the problem is:
1. What are Emily Dickinson’s ideas about death in her selected poems?
3
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1.3 Objective of the Study
The objective of analysis is the statements about the objects that are going to
be found based on the problem of analysis. Based on the problem, the objective is:
1. To find out Emily Dickinson’s ideas about death in her selected poems.
1.4.
Scope of the Study
Emily Dickinson writes thousand poems during her lifetime. She writes about
everything, such as life, death, pain, social issue, and many more. In this paper, the
writer wants to analyze Dickinson’s ideas about death which are reflected on her
selected poems. The writer chooses fifteen poems which engage death as the main
theme and discusses each of them to analyze the idea she portrays in it. The poems
will be discussed chronologically to see the development of her idea time after time.
The selected poems are :
1.
CLX Just lost, when I was saved! (1860)
2.
CCLXXVIII A Clock stopped – (1861)
3.
MDCCXVI Death is like the insect (1862)
4.
DXLVIII Death is potential to that Man (1862)
5.
DCCXLIX All but Death, can be Adjusted – (1863)
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1.5.
6.
DCCXII Because I could not stop for Death – (1863)
7.
CMXLIX Under the Light, yet under, (1864)
8.
MXXXIX I heard, as if I had no Ear (1865)
9.
MCXLVII After a hundred years (1869)
10.
MCCLXXII So proud she was to die (1873)
11.
MCCLVI Not any higher stand the Grave (1873)
12.
MCCCXCIX Perhaps they do not go so far (1877)
13.
XCLXXVI Death is a dialogue between (1882)
14.
MDLI Those-dying then (1882)
15.
MDCV Each that we lose takes part of us (1884)
Significance of the Study
The significance of this analysis contains theory and practical intention. The
theory intention is to enrich the reader knowledge about poems which engage death
as the main theme. The practical intention is to help the reader to be able to analyze
poems and to encourage the reader to be able to portray their idea by writing poem.
The author hopes this analysis can bring new understanding to the poem that talk
about death, especially which is written by Emily Dickinson.
5
Universitas Sumatera Utara
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Background of the Study
Death is a natural thing. It is a mysterious truth which also very sensitive
topic to be discussed with others. Every living creatures will die. Even the death is
natural thing, people still consider it as a cruel and unkind phenomenon. In general,
the death of families, relatives, or friends will cause great pain for everyone.
Everyone knows the price of every life is death, but most of us can not face it
normally when death takes someone’s life.
For some people, death is intimidating. Death is considered as inevitable
ending that will bring sorrow after. People try so hard to stay alive, they pay lot of
money to get a healthy life and escape death. Unfortunately, death also happens to
healthy people. Death is unavoidable, undeniable and unmanageable.
For some people, who believe in certain religion, death will bring profit.
Instead of considering death as the end of everything, they believe death is only the
beginning of new stage of life. In Christianity, people who believe in the sacrifice of
Jesus for willing to die at the cross to redeem people’s sin, will live eternally with
God in Heaven. They believe in heaven and the idea of afterlife.
People may have seen death, have talked about death, have read about death
or even have came close to death but actually no one have ever really died. People
are always curious and questioning death; they try to understand the purpose of
1
Universitas Sumatera Utara
death. In case of understanding, people show their thought through their attitude
towards it. Some people show the negative attitude while others express more
positive attitude.
Literature is the art of work, like any other art works, the creator expresses
their thought on their work. Since the nature of literature is language and language is
the tools of communication, literary works are also considered as the instrument that
can be used to express creator’s feeling, idea or attitude toward everything. The topic
of death has long been portrayed in literary works. Writers use novel, fiction or short
story as the instrument to present their idea toward death. The topic of death has also
been discussed repeatedly in poetry. Poetry is known as the most personal work of
literature. The poet only chooses few words that represent his thought and the readers
use their own personal experiences and knowledges to figure out the poem’s
meaning. It makes each reader will have different interpretation even from the same
poem.
There are many poets who engage death as their main theme. They have their
own idea and perspective about death. Emily Dickinson, one of American greatest
poet, has unique ideas about death. Dickinson’s idea can be so cynical sometimes
when the other time it can be so optimistic. She engages many themes in her writing,
such as life, love, hope, friendship, social issue, religion and death, but the most
notable theme is death. She is so unpredictable for personifying death as a gentleman
and the other time using simile to picture death as a cruel insect. The tone of every
poem is so unique. Some poems reflect joy while others point out the dreariness.
2
Universitas Sumatera Utara
This phenomenon encourages the writer to analyze Dickinson’s idea about death in
some poems which engage death as the main theme.
People’s attitude towards everything is developing during their life time.
Every moment in our life may change our attitude time after time. Literary work is
basically the writing about the author’s respond to phenomena that happen around
them. Dickinson has through many things in her life. Her ideas about death are
absolutely influenced by her life experiences. She has been experiencing death since
she was a little girl. The lost of family member or close friend really affects her way
of living and writing. Death becomes an obsession because she can not stop thinking
about it. In her latest life, she is living a solitude life in her house in Amherst. She
only uses her poems and letters to contact with outer world. Even she lives in puritan
era, where people are turning back to Christian tradition; she decides to stop
attending Sunday Service. She becomes non-religious person, however she still
believed in the existence of God and all the doctrine.
All of this phenomenon encourages the writer to write a thesis entitle “A
Textual Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s Idea about Death in Her Selected Poems”
1.2.
Problems of the Study
Based on the background of the study, the problem is:
1. What are Emily Dickinson’s ideas about death in her selected poems?
3
Universitas Sumatera Utara
1.3 Objective of the Study
The objective of analysis is the statements about the objects that are going to
be found based on the problem of analysis. Based on the problem, the objective is:
1. To find out Emily Dickinson’s ideas about death in her selected poems.
1.4.
Scope of the Study
Emily Dickinson writes thousand poems during her lifetime. She writes about
everything, such as life, death, pain, social issue, and many more. In this paper, the
writer wants to analyze Dickinson’s ideas about death which are reflected on her
selected poems. The writer chooses fifteen poems which engage death as the main
theme and discusses each of them to analyze the idea she portrays in it. The poems
will be discussed chronologically to see the development of her idea time after time.
The selected poems are :
1.
CLX Just lost, when I was saved! (1860)
2.
CCLXXVIII A Clock stopped – (1861)
3.
MDCCXVI Death is like the insect (1862)
4.
DXLVIII Death is potential to that Man (1862)
5.
DCCXLIX All but Death, can be Adjusted – (1863)
4
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1.5.
6.
DCCXII Because I could not stop for Death – (1863)
7.
CMXLIX Under the Light, yet under, (1864)
8.
MXXXIX I heard, as if I had no Ear (1865)
9.
MCXLVII After a hundred years (1869)
10.
MCCLXXII So proud she was to die (1873)
11.
MCCLVI Not any higher stand the Grave (1873)
12.
MCCCXCIX Perhaps they do not go so far (1877)
13.
XCLXXVI Death is a dialogue between (1882)
14.
MDLI Those-dying then (1882)
15.
MDCV Each that we lose takes part of us (1884)
Significance of the Study
The significance of this analysis contains theory and practical intention. The
theory intention is to enrich the reader knowledge about poems which engage death
as the main theme. The practical intention is to help the reader to be able to analyze
poems and to encourage the reader to be able to portray their idea by writing poem.
The author hopes this analysis can bring new understanding to the poem that talk
about death, especially which is written by Emily Dickinson.
5
Universitas Sumatera Utara