Example of a poem deconstruction essay

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

By Emily Dickinson

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 -
Deconstruction Guide Questions
1. What is the relationship of the title to the rest of the work?

2. What words need to be defined?

-

3. What relationships or patterns do you see among any words in the text?
-

4. What are the various connotative meanings words in the text may have?

5. What allusions, if any, are in the text?

6. What symbols, images, and figures of speech are used?

- Funeral

7. What elements of prosody can you note and discuss?

8. What is the tone of the work and from what point of view is it being told?

9. What tensions, ambiguities, or paradoxes arise within the text?

-At the end of the poem, the speaker says “And Finished knowing - then -
“

10. How do all the elements of the text support and develop the overall theme?
 A Deconstructive analysis of: I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, by Emily Dickinson

The poem, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson describes the mind and its fragility in
the face of mental distress. It's filled with themes of mental exhaustion, frustration, and
hopelessness. The tone of the poem is frantic, with its fast paced wording to tell a narrative. In
the poem, the author used a lot of literary devices, from clever rhymes and somber metaphors.
In the title, "Funeral" in this case, could mean that the narrator feels that a part of her—could be
referring more to her mental state, rather than something physical—has parted from her.

In the first stanza, the narrator describes her feelings as “funeral” in her head. Instead of
a literal funeral, it symbolizes the writer's state of mind. The mention of “mourners that keep
treading” can be interpreted as “mourners” being a metaphor for intrusive thoughts permeating
her mind. “Sense was breaking through” could imply the narrator’s approach to a nervous mental
breakdown as her grip of the sensory world starts slipping; giving readers a strong sense of fear
of what will inevitably occur.

The second stanza mentions “mourners all seated”, this could mean that the narrator
feels preoccupied with her own mind as her thoughts fill her head. She compares her thoughts
“like a drum”; loud and overwhelming. This evokes a feeling of disorientation and frustration.

In the third stanza, the funeral procession begins, and the mourners lift the coffin as they
walk across the speaker's soul; a hyperbole of how it affects the narrator's psyche. "Boots of
Lead," the sound of heavy boots strain the narrator’'s mind, adding the word “again” means she's
tired of the familiar sound. "Then Space - began to toll," it’s as if space itself is ringing like a bell.
It is said that the tolling of bells can signify someone’s death.

In the fourth stanza, the author's rationality continues to deteriorate. The first two lines
portray that the sky rings like a bell, and people exist only to listen to the world's ringing. The
third line describes that she doesn't hear the world's ringing anymore as her mind has been
reduced to numb silence. As she does not hear the sound, she feels she does not belong, feeling
alienated. Finally, the line assessed her condition; a wrecked human being.

In the last stanza, you can see the author’s situation escalate further and when it finally
has reached its point, the author’s “plank of reason” has snapped in two, symbolizing her
crossing the line beyond sanity. The last line, ending on an ambiguous note, leaves the readers
to interpret what really happened to the author at the end of the poem.

The poem concluded that the worst that can happen to anyone is to live but die inside. It
depicts the psychological torment of a helpless victim that proceeds to collapse into a numb
state. It is a distressing poem for the author and reader, as we also experience the narrator’s
descent into madness.