I used to -- when a Boy --

Transcription

1 There's Been a Death in the Opposite House by Emily Dickinson There's been a Death, in the Opposite House, As lately as Today -- I know it, by the numb look Such Houses have -- alway -- The Neighbors rustle in and out -- The Doctor -- drives away -- A Window opens like a Pod -- Abrupt -- mechanically -- Somebody flings a Mattress out -- The Children hurry by -- They wonder if it died -- on that -- I used to -- when a Boy -- The Minister -- goes stiffly in -- As if the House were His -- And He owned all the Mourners -- now -- And little Boys -- besides -- And then the Milliner -- and the Man Of the Appalling Trade -- To take the measure of the House -- There'll be that Dark Parade -- Of Tassels -- and of Coaches -- soon -- It's easy as a Sign -- The Intuition of the News -- In just a Country Town --

2 .-. There's been a death in the opposite house: Commentary Every individual views and handles death in his or her own unique way. As illustrated in Emily Dickinson's There's been a dcath in the opposite house,a person visiting a small, country town intuits from the actions of a ireighboring house that a death has occurred. Not only does this persorl the speaker ofthe poen, recognize the loss of a life, but he is also able to predict the Ir events that will follow. Though the speaker describes the events surrounding death with a sense of detachment and experience, his disgusttowards those who profit on loss reveals his solemnness for death. opening three stirnzas of the poem, the speaker's distance is the first, most dominant impression that the relder develops. In the title and firs line of the poem, "There's b.eerr a death in the opposite house," the speaker's choice of "a" to describe the death and o'opposite" to describe the house imply separation and,impersonality. It is just a dqath of someone in a house on the other side of the street. If he had known who had died, it is likely that the speaker woua;uve used more poignant diction to describe the death of someone he knew. Instead, the speaker distances himself with his indifference. This sense of detachment is continued in the second and third,; where he simply lists the events surrounding the death. Rather than use more descriptive and emotional words to describe what is happening, the speaker repeats the simple sentence structure of subject then verb. "The neighbors rustle in and out," "The doctor drives away," "A window opens," "somebody flings a mathess ouf" *The children hurry bn" and "They wonder if it died on that" are mundane sentences absent of any feeling by the speaker. Continuing the idea of impersonality, the simpiicity of these sentences supports

3 how the speaker is acting only as an obseryer, indifferently listinj what he sees. His diction in these sentences also continues the speaker's physical distance from the death. The people are not described with any relation to him. They are "the neighbors", "the doctort', "the children", and even just "somebody," They hold no significance or attachment to the speaker, and it can be infened that the reverse is tle as well. The speaker is not emotionally or physically close to the death or the evenjs sur,rounding the dearfhe is merely an observer. Though detached and indifferent, the speaker's farniliarity with death in general is also depicted in the opening tbree stanzas of the poem, The intuitive observation in the beginning a stanz-ais the first sign of his famitiarity. Stating "I know it by the numb look zuch houses have alway," the speaker shows his understanding that the numbness of others is a sign of death, others representing the personification of house as the people affected by the passing. His use of "alway,'l or "always,' at th end of this statement signifies that the speaker has seen this t;pe of numbness before. It also implies that there is an extent to which the reactions to death are predictable. If something always happens, then it will most likely continue to happen in the t?"" way. The speaker's familiarity is also signified by his list-like sfucture in the second and l third stanzas. By listing the events as an indifferent observer, tle speaker continues the idea that suoh events always happen in that order. Emphasized by the adjectives "Abnupt" and "mechanicalln'o it is implied that these events follow a system and are apart ofa routine. The speaker's reference to himself at the end of the third stanza, o'i used to when a boy,r reinforce how these events have happaned before and csntinue to happen in the same way. Thus, through his familiarity, the speaker irtrplies that ttre events surrounding death are predictable. Throughout the remaining stanzas, the speaker exposes his repugnance for those who profit from death. The minister, the milliner, and the L'man of the appalling tf,ade," for exarnple,

4 are people who make a living offof the deceased, and consequentlyn the diction that surrounds them is negative, porfiaying the speaker's tone of disgust. The minister, though normally perceived as a comforting individual during times of deattr" is depicted as a manipulator rather than a saint. When he entered the house, he acted as "if [it] were his, and he owned all the moumers... and little boys besides." Herg the minister's possession of everyone connected to the deceased illustrates a capitalization being made by the minister. The speaker's description of him in this way signifies his disapproval of the minister and his contempt for those who profit I from death. Furthermore, the *milliner and the man of the appalling trade," are more strongly described in this negative light. The speaker's use of "appalling" in describing the man directly reveals his true attitude towards these profiteers and their jofthey disgusthim. However, the speakgr does more than state his opinion of the milliner and the man. He states that they were 'to take measure of the.house'o mtler than of the deceased- This signifies that not only does their job dishonoi the dead, but that it also dishonors those who were emotionaliy attached. The speaker's choice to describe theirjob in this way reinforces his disapproving tone of these profiteers. The build up of this revulsion is concluded in the shift to the future tense from lines twentyto the end of the poem. Predicting that "There'll bsthat dark parade of tassels and of coaches sooq" the speaker ends his repulsed tone with the final event of the reactions to death, a funeral. However, instead of calling it a firneral, he refers to it as "a dark parade of tassels and of coaches.o' The use of "dark parade" seems to mock the purpose of a firneral, which is to honor the person who has died. '?arade" invokes images of parfying and fiul even though funerals are generally about bereavement and moving on, and the usage of "dark" coincides with the negative diction from the fourth and fifth stanzas, reflecting the speaker's melancholy tone and negative

5 connotations of gloom. The speaker's addition of "tassels" and "coaches" to this already depressing attitude sums up his disapproval of capitalizing on death. Through describing the funeral as anevent of objects rather than of people, he criticizes the profiteers for focusing this occasion on the people sun'ounding death instead of on those who have actually died. Moreover, for such ridicule of the dead to be "easy''to intuit and to predicg the speaker expresses that there exists a vicious cycle. The speaker's criticism of those who capitalize on loss and ofthis deleterious cycle expresses his tnre attitude towards death. There is a sincere amotnt of respect that'the dead deseni'e, and the speaker is disgusted to see such respect lost in apredictable cicle of dishonor. Thus, by d.efending the need to honor loss and by disparaging those who ridicule the deceased and the emotionally attached, he exemplifies his belief in the solemnness of death. The speaker, though beginning the poem with a separated reaction towards death, successfully poreays his belief in the seriousness of.loss by describing his disgustedness for those who capitalize on death. Uniting the predictable nature ofthe reactions that systematically occur after one has died with his belief in the importance of honoring the deceased he conveys to the reader his criticism ofthe reactions towards death. He condemns'the vicious cycle that the holse-the peopl+must go through