This poem by Emily Dickinson is focused about the power of the human brain and its function. She indicates a mass of imagery in her writing and uses dashes to create an emphasis. The brain is a powerful tool for humans and without it we will not exist.

The Brain—is wider than the Sky—

For—put them side by side—

The one the other will contain

With ease—and You—beside—

Dickinson makes a metaphor of the brain and the sky and describes how vast it can mentally be. Every brain is intellectually unique in its own way and people would push the limits to see how much power they can consume. Intelligence can be built over time and eventually it will grow. Although intelligence is not always the reason for a powerful brain but imagination is limitless. The mind is filled with an infinite amount of imaginations wider than a sky. Even the most beautiful sunsets or the aurora borealis cannot compare to the human brain. If you have ever looked at a human brain physically, the organ itself is intricate and delicate but it can control your whole body.

The Brain is deeper than the sea—

For—hold them—Blue to Blue—

The one the other will absorb—

As Sponges—Buckets—do—

“The Brain is deeper than the sea—,” accentuates that it can absorb so much information deeper than the sea. It connects with the title, “The Brain—is wider than the Sky—.” Blue to Blue represents the color of the ocean and the sky. The ocean is dense and filled with many sea creatures in various shapes and sizes. Dickinson compares the brain’s power to absorb information to a sponge. A sponge has the ability to absorb liquid in a full bucket and so does the function of the brain. We can absorb ideas and information to create this dense sea of imaginations and fantasy. As humans we take in new information and relate it to the outside world. We try to understand different meanings and phrases that can relate to life. Reading a poem, quote, or novel can change a person’s perspective of life and that is the power of literature and its connections with the brain.

The Brain is just the weight of God—

For—Heft them—Pound for Pound—

And they will differ—if they do—

As Syllable from Sound—

Dickinson states that, “The Brain is just the weight of God—.” This comparison is strong because she uses the “father and creator of heaven and Earth,” to describe the brain. She does not say the brain is more powerful than God but she mentions that it has equal power. The brain can be similar to God and his creations but do they differ? She states that they differ like “syllable from sound.” A sound can be anything you can imagine such as the sound of nature, rain, or an instrument. A syllable is more configured to a unit of organization of a sequence of words. The brain is structured and precise while God is seen to be of a more spiritual thought of nature. Dickinson was very rebellious over God because in her childhood she was “conflicted and ambivalent over Christian orthodoxy that she resisted Puritan attitudes around her.”

Emily Dickinson is an interesting poet because as she was living, she did not want any of her poems published. She said that, “Publication—is the Auction / Of the Mind of Man.” Being isolated in her own home was more favorable to her than exploring the outside world. She wanted to keep her poems to herself because it intrigued her. The creation of great poetry can satisfy ones mind and so Dickinson cherished every work she did to herself.

449 [I died for Beauty—but was scarce] by Emily Dickinson

In the poem, Emily Dickinson uses a conversation between two dead people to illustrate the theme of death. She is trying to define the meaning of death in a different way. I feel Dickinson was cynical and disappointed by people’s apathy. The last stanza of the poem illustrate her loneliness and grief. Also, there are a lot of words such as “Beauty”, “Truth”, “Room”, “Night” start with capitalized letter in this poem. I think Dickinson is trying to emphasize these words to make the readers think about the meaning behind them.

I died for beauty but was scarce

Adjusted in the Tomb

When One who died for Truth, was lain

In an adjoining Room (line 1-4)

In the first stanza, the poetess was died and laid in the tomb. She met a man who died for truth. I think Dickinson uses the word “scarce” to suggest that she is not satisfied with her current situation. She may still have a lot of things to do for life. However she was died and could not achieve her goals.

He questioned softly “Why I failed”?

“For Beauty”, I replied (line 5-6)

The two characters are died for “Beauty” and “Truth” which are two valuable things they were looking for. The poetess uses “failed” instead of died in line 5. I think the word “fail” shows that both of them are not success in the pursuit of either “Beauty” or “Truth” during their life time.

“And I for Truth Themselves are One

We Brethren, are”, He said (line 6-8)

In these two lines, Dickinson wants to say that beauty and truth are the same. She uses “Brethren” to describe their relationship which means that they have the same belief. Since they are dead for “Beauty” or “Truth”, they believed they both died with honor.

And so, as Kinsmen, met a Night

We talked between the Rooms (line 9-10)

The poetess tries to depict death in a peculiar way.  Dickinson uses the word, “Kinsmen” to show that we have a pleasant talk. In these two lines, “Night” symbolizes death and “Rooms” represent tombs. The word “Rooms” may also stands for different social classes. I think she wants to say that no matter who you are when you were alive, you will be treated equally after you died. Your social status does not mean anything and will not give you any priority.

Until the Moss had reached our lips

And covered up our names (line 11-12)

The phrase “reached our lips” represents that we do not have the ability to express our feelings anymore. “Covered up our names” means that we are disappearing from people’s memory. I believe Dickinson wants to show that as time passed by, we will be forgotten by the others. No one will remember what we did when we were alive.

Overall, Dickinson wants to tell us that no one will remember you after your death. Old things will be replaced by the new things. The poem not only shows her fear of death, but also her fear of being utterly forgotten.

While doing a close reading on the poem After Death by Christina Rossetti, I have came up with many thoughts in order to attempt to capture the message she is conveying.

Based on the first four lines:

The curtains were half drawn, the floor was swept

And strewn with rushes, rosemary and may

Lay thick upon the bed on which I lay

Where thro’ the lattice ivy-shadows crept.

Because of the curtains half drawn, there is not that much light being let in. The floor was swept, therefore everything was neat and tidy. However, there were rushes, rosemary and may all over the bed that the person is laying on. This paints a picture in my head of a sad place like a funeral home. This word may stands out to me because it symbolizes death. The word bed also stands out to me because I believe it symbolizes a casket. Based on these three lines, I can imagine a wake going on at a funeral home, where everything is sad but organized waiting for people to arrive.

Then in the next five lines:

He leaned above me, thinking that I slept

And could not hear him; but I heard him say:

“Poor child, poor child”: and as he turned away

Came a deep silence, and I knew he wept.

I think that this man is one of the people that are attending this wake at a funeral. I believe here the man comes up to the bed on which the person is laying, dead. Because he has a lot of sympathy for this person, and unable to withhold the cries, he cries. Based on this information, I think that this man is of much importance to this person’s life. However, I find the word slept interesting in this context because this person is not sleeping, but is dead, so using this word was quite confusing.

After in the next three lines:

He did not touch the shroud, or raise the fold

That hid my face, or take my hand in his,

Or ruffle the smooth pillows for my head:

Here, I feel like the man is sad because he is feeling sympathetic and upset because this person is laying there dead, in front of his own eyes. However, he does not show his sympathy in any actions. He does cry, but he does not take the person’s hand or touch the shroud, which is a piece of cloth used to wrap the buried person.

In the last three lines:

He did not love me living; but once dead

He pitied me; and very sweet it is

To know he still is warm tho’ I am cold.

I think that the man does not show sympathy, like hold this person’s hand or ruffle the smooth pillows for my head and therefore does not love this person. Only when this person is dead, he pities this person. At the end, this person is dead, but will die with the thought of knowing the man is sweet and warm. I feel like these three lines convey the ultimate message of the poem, which is that you do not know what you have until it is gone. Sometimes, people take things for granted, but when we do not have that thing anymore, we feel bad and want it back. Applying that here, the man did not love this person when alive but when this person died, he cared and even wept at the end when seeing this person dead. Death is a powerful event that breaks people down, but sometimes are able to bring relationships closer. Like in this case, the man was very sad that this person died, and the person felt closer to the man because he or she knew his real feelings. Also, in these last three lines, I think that the person is getting a sense of closure symbolically. This is because this person is laying on his or her death bed, knowing that this man did not love him or her. However, now that this person is dead, and the man has come to the funeral home, crying in front of the person, this person is able to now know that he feels sorry for this person and he is really is nice and does care for him or her. I put symbolically because we are unable to know if the person really did feel his presence by her spirit or if it is just a symbol to show the difference in people before and after death.

In “A Carcass,” Charles Baudelaire manages to include various interesting contrasts in the poem. He begins the poem by recalling with his “love” (line 1) about a “beautiful morning in June” (line 2). As the reader, you start out visualizing a sunny, nice, flowery summer morning. However, as you keep reading, Baudelaire contrasts this beautiful morning with the carcass that was seen. He becomes extremely descriptive about this carcass as we can see in the following excerpt:

“Her legs were spread out like a lecherous whore,

Sweating out the poisonous fumes,

Who opened in slick invitational style

Her stinking and festering womb.” (lines 5-8)

It seems that Baudelaire somewhat personifies this “thing” which is just a dead human, or animal, and is not supposed to have personality. He gives this non-living thing personality by giving it verbs such as “sweating.” Why is it that Baudelaire used the word “sweating” when describing the fumes coming out of the body? He must have wanted to give some sort of life to this dead creature through his words. He also describes the carcass’ legs as “opened” and inviting, like a “lecherous whore.” Again, we see this dead creature coming to life. We see this dead creature as appealing to Baudelaire in a state that does not constitute death. His vulgar contrast of life and death perhaps suggests that he is able to bring life out of this carcass. He is able to see the humanity and liveliness of a still, and dead creature. His words show that this carcass has personality, beyond its death. Perhaps he is suggesting that his words and poem may bring life out of death.

As Baudelaire continues to describe the carcass, he gives the feeling that nature works in harmony to do what it needs o do in order to bring the carcass to the state it needs to be in. We can see this when he says:

“The sun on this rottenness focused its rays

To cook the cadaver till done …(lines 9-10)

…And the sky cast an eye on the marvelous meat… (line 13)”

It is as if the sun, and sky work in harmony in order to prepare the carcass for the next step, or do what nature inclines for. We also see Baudelaire personifying nature here, by giving the sun the verb of focusing, and allowing the sky to “cast an eye.”  It is interesting, however, that in the previous excerpt we saw the carcass being personified as if it had life. However, in this excerpt, as soon as nature is involved, and as soon as Baudelaire begins to personify the sun and sky, he suddenly stops personifying the carcass, by calling it “meat” and taking it away from this ability to have lifelike abilities. Perhaps he does this to show the superiority of nature.

Baudelaire goes on to say:

“The shapes wore away, as if only a dream

Like a sketch that is left on the page

Which the artist forgot and can only complete

On the canvas, with memory’s aid (lines 29-32)”

I feel that again, Baudelaire, is trying to show how he, as the artist is able to bring color to this “sketch” that has lost itself. He, as the artist is able to tell what something is that other people cannot see, such as this carcass. He sees the life past the death of this carcass. He sees more than just a dead thing, and I think that he is trying to say that through his art, or poems in this case, he can bring life to this dead thing and show people what it actually is beyond death. I feel this concept again in this last excerpt:

“Ah then, oh my beauty, explain to the worms

Who cherish your body so fine,

That I am the keeper for corpses of love

Of the form, and the essence divine! (lines 45-48)”

Again, I feel that Baudelaire is saying that he will keep the memories of the “form,” or souls of the bodies. He will allow them to be immortal through his art, and poems.

*Please note that everything that is in bold are my notes and thoughts! I do have a paragraph at the end that brings in some of my back ground on Poe so if some of my notes sound like they can’t be backed up, maybe they can make more sense after the last paragraph is read!

Eldorado

by Edgar Allan Poe

(published 1849)

GAILY bedight,

Bedight is defined as adorned.

A gallant knight,

In sunshine and in shadow,

Had journeyed long,

Singing a song,

In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old —

This knight so bold —

And o’er his heart a shadow

Fell as he found

No spot of ground

That looked like Eldorado.

The shadow that is spoken of here could elude to a darkness that came over the knight as many of Edgar Allen Poe’s characters have gone mad searching for something or keeping something hidden or at bay (as can be seen in the short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Masque of the Read Death”).

And, as his strength

Failed him at length,

He met a pilgrim shadow —

“Shadow,” said he,

“Where can it be —

This land of Eldorado?”

So, here, I think the shadow is not a person that he can’t see, but a phantom of some sort, as Edgar Allen Poe always has phantom, ghosts, etc. in his works as well.

“Over the Mountains

Of the Moon,

(Impossible)

Down the Valley of the Shadow,

(I think this eludes to the Valley of the Shadow of Death)

Ride, boldly ride,”

The shade replied, —

“If you seek for Eldorado!”

(So, I think that this pretty much means that you have to be dead in order to find El Dorado which makes a lot of sense. El Dorado is always seen as a symbolism of Heaven (we saw that in Candide). It is also a place that can’t be found which makes sense as to why 1) the knight hasn’t found it in all his searching and why 2) no one knows where it is. Also, as you can see, the knight is already dying. This is why the Shadow is being really encouraging to “Ride, Boldly Ride”… I saw this as a way for the Shadow to say “don’t be afraid of death”.)

This is where I found the poem:

http://poestories.com/read/eldorado

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Annabel Lee

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

“Many and many a year ago” obviously implies that the woman is dead. This is not surprising because Edgar Allen Poe often writes about dead women, women dying, or women who are resurrected.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me.

…So the angels wanted the kind of love they had?…

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So she got sick and died… like his mom… and wife in real life…****

So that her highborn kinsmen came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

A sepulcher (the word was misspelled… or was it written like that on purpose?…) is defined as: a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,

Went envying her and me—

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

Okay, rude. So the angles “kill” her… or at least that’s what he’s blaming it on…

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we—

Of many far wiser than we—

And neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

In her sepulchre there by the sea—

In her tomb by the sounding sea.

I thought the dreams alluded to him seeing her ghost… which is totally possible if he’s sleeping next to her tomb every night… very concerning…

I got this poem on:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174151

****To bring some back story to Edgar Allen Poe, his life, and how it influenced his writing, he grew up without a father really present in his life. His mother was an actress and every night Edgar Allen Poe would watch his mom die. (She acted as Juliet in the play… Romeo and Juliet…). This was very traumatizing for him when he was younger but he eventually saw this so many times that he began to believe that every time his mother would die, she would come back to life. So, when his mother really did die (he was a big kid, not yet a teen, I don’t think) of tuberculosis, he was traumatized that she didn’t come back to life. To make matters worse, his wife (who was also closely related to him by the way) died of the same illness that took his mother. They both died very young (both in our standards and the standards of the 1800s.) The death of the two most important women in his life has greatly influenced his writing. He always writes about women dying or being dead and he writes about death in general. There were other things that influenced his writing of course (like the fact that he was an alcoholic, served in the military, and that he lived in the south for some time), but his mother and wife were instrumental to the writings that we know about today. Another is The Masque of the Read Death. This is a short story that personifies death and so many people who tried to be cautious were the ones to die. This is seen in the short story where they lock every important person in the castle grounds but death finds everyone any way.