Poetry Analysis

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I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

Original Poetry

Translation

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

I felt a funeral happening in my head, and people moving back and forth

Emily Dickinson

They kept walking back and forth until it seemed like understanding was breaking through

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, And Mourners to and fro

And when they all sat down, a service like a drum

Kept treading - treading - till it seemed That Sense was breaking through -

Kept beating until I thought

And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum -

My mind was going numb

Kept beating - beating - till I thought

Then I heard them lift a box and it creaked across my soul

My mind was going numb -

With those same heavy boots again

And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my Soul

Then space began to ring

With those same Boots of Lead, again,

As if all the heavens were a bell, and existence was just an ear

Then Space - began to toll,

And I, along with silence, were some strange race, wrecked and alone here

As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear,

Then a plank in my mind broke, and I fell down and down

And I, and Silence, some strange Race, Wrecked, solitary, here -

And hit a new world with every fall, and then I stopped knowing anything

And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down - And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing - then -

Explanation

Emily Dickinson's poem 'I felt a Funeral, in my Brain' uses the metaphor of a funeral to explore the speaker's descent into madness. The poem begins with the sensation of a funeral occurring within the speaker's mind, with mourners moving back and forth, symbolizing the repetitive and overwhelming thoughts. The 'Service, like a Drum' suggests a relentless pounding that numbs the mind. As the poem progresses, the lifting of a 'Box' and the 'Boots of Lead' evoke the weight of despair and the soul's burden. The imagery of 'Space' tolling and 'Heavens' as a 'Bell' creates a sense of cosmic disorientation, where the speaker feels isolated and disconnected from reality. The breaking of a 'Plank in Reason' signifies a complete collapse of rational thought, leading to a freefall into an unknown abyss. The poem captures the terrifying experience of losing one's grip on sanity, with each 'plunge' into a new world representing a deeper level of confusion and loss of understanding.

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
Mourners	people grieving	people attending a funeral to express sorrow	morn-ers
treading	walking	walking repeatedly or heavily	tred-ing
numb	without feeling	unable to feel anything	num
creak	make a squeaky sound	produce a harsh, high-pitched noise	kreek
toll	ring slowly	sound of a bell ringing slowly	tohl
solitary	alone	being alone or isolated	sol-i-tair-ee
plank	flat piece of wood	a long, flat piece of timber	plangk
plunge	fall suddenly	to fall or drop suddenly	plunj
wrecked	destroyed	ruined or destroyed	rekt
sense	understanding	ability to perceive or understand	sens
reason	logical thinking	the power of the mind to think and understand	ree-zon
service	ceremony	a formal religious ceremony	sur-vis
heavens	sky or universe	the sky or universe as a whole	hev-ens
being	existence	the state of existing	bee-ing
funeral	ceremony for the dead	a ceremony to honor and bury the dead	fyoo-ner-al

Poet & Context

PoetEmily Dickinson

Era19th century

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830 – 1886) was an American poet known for her innovative use of form and syntax. Although largely unpublished during her lifetime, her work is now considered groundbreaking and canonical. Her poetry often explores themes of nature and mortality.

View on Wikipedia

WhenAround 1861

WhyEmily Dickinson wrote 'I felt a Funeral, in my Brain' during a period of intense creativity. The poem explores themes of madness, despair, and the irrational nature of the universe, reflecting Dickinson's introspective and often somber view of the human condition.

FormLyric poem

Themes & More

Themes

madnessisolationdespairmortality

Literary devices

metaphor: The entire poem is an extended metaphor comparing a mental breakdown to a funeral.imagery: Vivid descriptions of the funeral, the drum, and the tolling bell create a sensory experience.alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds, such as 'treading - treading' and 'beating - beating'.personification: Concepts like 'Space' and 'Reason' are given human-like qualities.symbolism: The 'Box' and 'Boots of Lead' symbolize the weight of despair and mental burden.

Poetry Analysis

Back to poet

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

Original Poetry

Translation

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

I felt a funeral happening in my head, and people moving back and forth

Emily Dickinson

They kept walking back and forth until it seemed like understanding was breaking through

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, And Mourners to and fro

And when they all sat down, a service like a drum

Kept treading - treading - till it seemed That Sense was breaking through -

Kept beating until I thought

And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum -

My mind was going numb

Kept beating - beating - till I thought

Then I heard them lift a box and it creaked across my soul

My mind was going numb -

With those same heavy boots again

And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my Soul

Then space began to ring

With those same Boots of Lead, again,

As if all the heavens were a bell, and existence was just an ear

Then Space - began to toll,

And I, along with silence, were some strange race, wrecked and alone here

As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear,

Then a plank in my mind broke, and I fell down and down

And I, and Silence, some strange Race, Wrecked, solitary, here -

And hit a new world with every fall, and then I stopped knowing anything

And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down - And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing - then -

Explanation

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
Mourners	people grieving	people attending a funeral to express sorrow	morn-ers
treading	walking	walking repeatedly or heavily	tred-ing
numb	without feeling	unable to feel anything	num
creak	make a squeaky sound	produce a harsh, high-pitched noise	kreek
toll	ring slowly	sound of a bell ringing slowly	tohl
solitary	alone	being alone or isolated	sol-i-tair-ee
plank	flat piece of wood	a long, flat piece of timber	plangk
plunge	fall suddenly	to fall or drop suddenly	plunj
wrecked	destroyed	ruined or destroyed	rekt
sense	understanding	ability to perceive or understand	sens
reason	logical thinking	the power of the mind to think and understand	ree-zon
service	ceremony	a formal religious ceremony	sur-vis
heavens	sky or universe	the sky or universe as a whole	hev-ens
being	existence	the state of existing	bee-ing
funeral	ceremony for the dead	a ceremony to honor and bury the dead	fyoo-ner-al

Poet & Context

PoetEmily Dickinson

Era19th century

View on Wikipedia

WhenAround 1861

FormLyric poem

Themes & More

Themes

madnessisolationdespairmortality

Literary devices