I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading – treading – till it seemed
That Sense was breaking through –And when they all were seated,
A Service, like a Drum –
Kept beating – beating – till I thought
My mind was going numb –And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again,
Then Space – began to toll,As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race,
Wrecked, solitary, here –And then a Plank in Reason, broke,
And I dropped down, and down –
And hit a World, at every plunge,
And Finished knowing – then –
Summary of I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- Popularity of “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain”: Published in 1896, the poem “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain” by Emily Dickinson, a great American woman poet and writer, speaks volumes about her ability to write on diverse and strange themes. The poem, however, was stated to be written way back in 1861. It deals with the funeral that the poet states held in her brain and caused ripples in her thoughts. The popularity of the poem lies in its subject matter dealt with such ease and comfort by the poet.
- “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain” As a Representative of Reality of Death and Despair: The speaker, who is likely the poet herself, states that funeral service after her death is going on in her brain. She fears that her head or skull may break due to the presence and walking of the mourners. She adds that she can hear the noise of the service and her mind goes numb. When the service ends, she feels them carrying her coffin and moving with heavy boots, after which she only hears the bells tolling. It is likely from the outside world, including heaven, but suddenly, she feels silence taking over her when she hears the creaking of a plank. This plank is of her thinking power and not the real, and then she stops knowing what is happening anymore. The voice of the speaker makes up the major theme of the poem, which is depression and despondency about shutting one’s thought process.
- Major Themes in “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain”: Mystical madness, despair, and irrational thoughts are the major themes of the poem. Interestingly, the religious background and persona of the poet cast a deep shadow on the poem itself, showing that it could be a religious experience of the poet in which she figures out her funeral procession in her own mind, so much so that she even hears the mourners and their chants. She seems to have been absorbed much in this activity until something breaks her thought process, and she immediately comes to the reality at which she thinks that her thinking process has stopped working. This is the height of her despair over breaking this process at which she feels that it is perhaps the return of her reasoning mind which she calls a plank. Although this does not happen in real life, it seems irrational thoughts have taken hold of her, which could be just a thematic idea.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
Emily Dickinson used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of her poem. Some of the major literary devices used in this poem are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Kept treading – treading – till it seemed” and the sound of /o/ in “With those same Boots of Lead, again.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /s/ in “some strange” and /d/ in “dropped down.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Kept beating – beating – till I thought” and the sound of /s/ in “And I, and Silence, some strange Race.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
Kept beating – beating – till I thought
My mind was going numb –
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The poet has used irony when stating that she and silence are wrecked together and yet solitary as they are two and not one.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Emily Dickinson used imagery in this poem such as “And then I heard them lift a Box”, “And all the Heavens were a Bell” and “And then a Plank in Reason, broke.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used the metaphor of a funeral for his likely death of thinking.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols like mourners, drums, bells, and boxes to show her despair and disappointment.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Repetition: It is to repeat some words or phrases to stress an idea. The poem shows the repetition of “treading” in the first stanza and “down” in the last stanza with “beating” in the second stanza.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABCB rhyme scheme followed in all stanzas until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about some mystical experience.
And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again,
Then Space – began to toll
