Discuss ways in which Dickinson presents loss in 'The last Night that she lived'

(Taken from AS Level poetry section)

Dickinson presents the idea of death and loss to be something that is not unusual in her life. By using the word 'common' to describe the night, it suggests death is a frequent event. This idea is also show in 'Because I could not stop for Death', where the speaker is taken away in a 'carriage', which normalises this journey towards death as it wasn't unnatural to travel in a carriage in everyday life. This reoccurring theme could be due to the high mortality rate in Dickinson's time, as there was less understanding and acknowledgement of proper hygiene, which lead to rapid spread of diseases.

Throughout this poem, there is a suggestion of fascination as to what happens after death. The idea that the person in the poem may become 'infinite', suggesting there is life after death, makes the speaker and others in the room 'jealous', while there is a hint of anticipation as they 'waited'. This could suggest they are jealous that she can now experience the after life. This idea is also seen in 'I heard a Fly buzz – when I died' as there is a sense of tension with the repetion of the word 'stillness'. The atmosphere, is this poem, is tense and overwhelming as they await the arrival of 'the King' – God. However, when only an 'uncertain stumbling Buzz' of a fly appears, the speaker dies. Both these ideas could be in reference to the idea that, in Dickinson's time, people were predestined and pre chosen to whether they would be sent to heaven or not. Dickinson often bashed these beliefs while exploring religion. The idea of apprehension could be them waiting to see whether the person they are losing has been chosen to go to heaven and the after life, or not.

Once the person has passed away, the language used by the speaker becomes quite formal. The way they 'waited while She passed' creates an idea of trying to speed up the process in order to carry on with life, or to advance to the next stage of mourning. The only reference to the person passing away is when the speaker says 'consented, and was dead' which appears rushed and formal, like signing a piece of paper. This theme is repeated throughout the poem 'After great pain, a formal feeling comes' in which the idea of mandatory feelings of grieving are a necessity after someone has died. The language in this poem compare with the language in 'The last Night that She lived' as it is very formal and cold. The funeral is described as 'mechanical', suggesting there is a removal of feelings or emotion from the speaker, a long with 'lead', 'wooden' and 'stone' which all present imagery materials and connotations with cold and numb feelings. This could be in reference to the idea of stages of mourning and that it may feel like an obligation to carry out these stages while grieving.

In conclusion, Dickinson draws upon experiences in her life surrounded by death to present a normalised, and structured view towards a person passing away. This is because, for Dickinson, loss was something that occurred frequently due to poor hygiene maintenance in her time. The idea of a 'formal feeling' reflects the fact she may be used to losing the people around her.