A Coffin ---- is a small Domain, is a poem that had Emily Dickenson becoming more

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1 Adrian Harrison April 11th, 2017 English 4188 Aliki Barnstone A Coffin is a small Domain, Yet able to contain A Citizen of Paradise In it diminished Plane. Explication Paper A Grave is a restricted Breadth Yet ampler than the Sun And all the Seas He populates And Lands He looks upon To Him who on its small Repose Bestows a single Friend Circumference without Relief Or Estimate or End A Coffin ---- is a small Domain, is a poem that had Emily Dickenson becoming more afraid of death itself. Emily Dickenson can t seem to take her mind off death. The 1 st stanza reflects on her darkest side of life, explaining her own significance on death. As far as the 2 nd and 3 rd stanzas go, Emily Dickenson interprets her meaning of the afterlife, and how life goes on after people are no longer living on earth. While starting to write this explication paper about this dark, yet interesting poem written by Dickenson, I have researched two critics own thoughts and opinions about precise metaphors such as visualizing the meaning of a coffin being a small domain, and her ability to focus more about eternal life. It s one of those major things that Emily Dickenson had an astonishing passion for, in poetry and it was impressive. So, there are a

2 few questions is, why does she write about the afterlife and death? Is it because she genuinely feared death? Is the afterlife her own sanctuary of peace? A Coffin is a small Domain, Yet able to contain The 1 st and 2 nd line caught my attention and it was only the beginning of the poem. It s pretty much saying that wherever the living dead rests, despite death, the soul will begin to live on forever. I don t mean it as the soul becoming physical as it is highly unlikely as the person is already deceased. There are many ways for the soul to live on in a spiritual way because Emily Dickenson understood the meaning of death and why death is more than just a physical process. Emily Dickenson believed that a soul can be so powerful that even death can t put it to rest. That is the meaning of a coffin being a small domain because the soul, whether alive or deceased, is a part of the human body, which is your own temple of peace. To look into more opinions and thoughts about this poem, there were two critics/scholars that I have researched named Ashley Morrise and Isaac Johnson who read Emily Dickenson s poem and it was my opportunity to understand their difference of opinion. 1 In regards to the first two lines of the poem, I agree with both Ashley Morrise and Isaac Johnson as they ve explained what Emily Dickenson meant by the first line of the first stanza, A Coffin ----is a small Domain. A coffin is simply just living in your precious soul and experiencing paradise all by yourself. I have agreed on the fact that God was primarily the focus in this piece because even though Emily Dickenson talks about 1 Morrise, Ashley. Johnson, Isaac. 2012, October 13. English 3A. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from

3 death, the poem itself brings light to shine based on how Emily Dickenson was affected by the afterlife in her spare time, becoming amused by death. A Citizen of Paradise In it diminished Plane. A Grave is a restricted Breadth Yet ampler than the Sun Something tells me that Emily Dickenson couldn t stop for death, only because she was seriously believing in the afterlife. Obviously, she was still mourning the loss of many people and was unsure if death would be easier to bear if she thought she would be reunited with her deceased loved ones someday. 2 From this stanza, Ashley Morrise thought that it was Emily s belief on how life should end for her, and that is finding a peaceful resting place. Heaven. The only thing Emily Dickenson has ever feared in life was a grave, a dark setting surrounded by death. I actually agree with Ashley Morrise s statement on Emily s desire to seek after the afterlife because it demonstrates such feelings that she deeply holds in. 3 From Isaac s point of view, I mostly agree with his view because when he discussed about the 3 rd and 4 th line, he has stated and I quote, The grave is a small setting for a coffin to be laid to rest and it shows that the home of the soul after death-paradise- is the largest of all. That tells you something about the fear of life and death, Emily would ve thought that a coffin could hold a deceased soul and because of 2 Morrise, Ashley. 2012, October 13. And all the Seas He populates. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from 3 Johnson, Isaac. 2012, October 3 rd. And all the Seas He populates. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from

4 death, it could be one s sacred heaven. Dickinson feels that she is surrounded by a heaven that she cannot reach, which is another one of her important poems that I have researched. And all the Seas He populates And Lands He looks upon To Him who on its small Repose Emily Dickenson shows how death is important to her, even if death was one of the most disturbing cause. It appears to be that she expresses her loneliness on certain things in life such as pain, anxiety, stress, and once again, death. 4 Ashley Morrise s point of view on this stanza was very intriguing to the poem s purpose about life and death. It was because she believes that Emily Dickenson was talking about the light that shines through heaven and who s in control of life for all eternity and it sums up the entire stanza. Emily Dickenson is speaking about God. Her poems are very mysterious because we wouldn t know if she was talking about God personally or another higher power greater than her. Bestows a single Friend Circumference without Relief Or Estimate or End Could God be Emily Dickenson s guardian angel? Throughout most of her poems, God is the only hope that could comfort her and the way she speaks about life is centered around God. Or maybe, Dickenson is mourning the death of a close friend or family member, and trying her 4 Morrise, Ashley. 2012, October 13. Bestows a single Friend. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from

5 hardest to understand how nothing can be relieved in death. As mentioned before, she couldn t stop thinking about her deepest concerns about living in a coffin which seals the fate for all people who are no longer living. It was the purpose for Emily Dickenson imagining her living in a grave because sometimes, life doesn t come crawling back for you to plead for a second chance. 5 Ashley Morrise believed it to be a place that Emily would call home, same goes for Isaac, and I actually agree with the both of them because even though she couldn t stop death, the paradise she wanted to live to visualize with her own eyes, kept her sane. Emily wanted to keep the peace and speak about how life spins in rotation and understanding how death couldn t be left alone. Every time there is a poem from Emily Dickenson to comprehend her desire about many different things, it just sparks your attention. In the poem A Coffin ---- is a small Domain, death played a major part in Dickenson s life and how it would build up so many emotions about interesting topics such as her relationship with God and deceased loved ones and proving a point on why death waits for no one. A small coffin and a dark grave were such powerful images because it sets a tone on people living in their final resting place and driven to the point that there is no turning back. This poem is a perfect example because Emily Dickenson has the heart and dedication to ensure that the afterlife is the safest bet to convey on what surrounds the concept between life and death. I also ensure that this poem is expected to continue because every time a poem is on her mind, death is involved within the bigger picture and in each one, she always seem to be setting up her own grave. She felt that death reflected her conscious and with her 5 Morrise, Ashley. 2012, October 13. Circumference without Relief. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from

6 feeling like she didn t deserve to be around the afterlife. Come to think about it, I have always wondered what has that really taught her? 6 Johnson, Isaac. 2012, October 3 rd. Bestows a single Friend. Prezi Inc. Retrieved from

7 Emily Dickinson s Obsession with Death. Why is it Necessary? Emily Dickenson s poems were very precise because they seek to predict the meaning of death. Since Emily Dickenson experienced death whether she writes about it or witnessed it happen to her loved ones, it ranges from blissful feelings to disappointment based on reaching towards their dreams to horrifying emptiness. My own interpretation on death is that when someone dies, it feels so unsettling but peaceful. In her poems, Emily Dickinson is communicating from beyond the grave as she describes her struggles within death. Like someone may have died but they are finally laid to rest. Death can be precious and beautiful, but it is very grueling towards the end of someone s life. Dickinson uses the central image of a paradox, describing how death could be defined as a defeated enemy. It shows that in most of her poems, Dickinson explains how death relates to the living and when someone is suffering from death, the same feeling happens to us as well. Of course, I agree with Emily Dickinson s perspective on death. While reading Emily Dickenson s poems about death, the afterlife is shrouded in deep mystery and is generally trapped by fear and consternation. Once Dickinson writes about death, she tries to fill herself in the shoes of people who have experienced death at a certain point in their life. Whether the character in the poem could be herself or one of her family members, she fits herself in the picture moving on from one topic to another. I would never believe that she would even try to mock death because death is a serious aspect to handle and she cannot control it. Nobody can. When Emily Dickinson writes about death, she believes that once somebody has passed away, life goes on. The key word is Life. Because with other people left behind, they will have the opportunity to continue life. I have founded at least one Emily Dickenson poem that serves as an example surrounding death and predicting the afterlife.

8 We pray to Heaven - We prate -of Heaven - Relate when Neighbors die At what o clock to Heaven they fled Who saw them Wherefore fly? Is Heaven a Place a Sky a Tree? Location s narrow way is for Ourselves Unto the Dead There s no Geography But State Endowal Focus Where Omnipresence fly? Both poems which are A Coffin is a small Domain and We pray to Heaven - have represented the same sense on living in a final resting place, also known as the afterlife. But with A Coffin is a small Domain, Emily Dickinson believes that she doesn t know where people will end up but it doesn t change the importance on how much we will miss our loved ones. We pray to Heaven doesn t take up on what the previous poem meant because Emily Dickinson is proving that death can be a devious low blow to others who had experienced it. She is trying to prove that people don t even know what they are talking about when they talk about heaven. In other words, people are in denial. I have looked at a source that speaks about heaven being well known as an eternity for souls to fly off to in the sunset. Susan Kornfield, for whom is a scholarly critic explains her argument on Emily Dickenson s poem. Susan Kornfield believes that Dickenson writes her poems in a narrow way for living people and what I mean by that, is that Dickenson wants anyone affiliated with creative writing to work for meanings in anything they write. I agree with the statement that Susan had made because anytime I come across an Emily Dickenson poem, I picture it as an opportunity to understand what it means. It is obvious that death is something nobody can run away from and people are very powerless to prevent or

9 overcome something like death. While researching Susan s argument, I have quoted an excerpt on her opinion regarding Dickenson s thoughts about heaven. We require places where our bodies can meet, survive and thrive; somewhere to put down a coffee cup. Susan Kornfield s argument was organized but decent. This poem written and published by Emily Dickinson was interesting to a certain extent but there were a couple of things that I was confused about. Like trying to conclude an assumption about the source of all eternity and how it could possibly hold the keys to death. It gives people a chance to take advantage of death and trying to find a solution on the nature of death. 6 I find Susan s argument very interesting but confusing in most parts, only because I have come to terms with a different perspective on the poem. I have agreed with everything that Susan was saying such as Emily Dickenson living in a state that empowers her focus and her opinion on line 9; There s no Geography. Because of Line 9, Susan says without the body, what s the point of living on Earth? Without any food? Without any water? Without any place to rest? So many questions that I could think of that relates to the 9 th line of this poem. Now onto my critical opinion, the excerpt that is in quotation marks was in a good start from the beginning explaining how people should require places where their bodies should meet at because Emily Dickenson writes about the importance of death. When death comes, it comes. Unless it is not very severe, nobody can survive from death. Emily Dickinson focuses on death a whole lot because it is a grand mystery that nobody can solve. How does death fade away? It doesn t because it is a part of life. It s very important for people to find the tools that they need to survive and thrive within their own needs, even when it is temporary. Nevertheless, we have to come to terms with that. 6 Kornfield, Susan. 2013, July 19 th. Blogging all the poems of Emily Dickinson. The Prowling Bee. Retrieved from

10 The only thing that threw me off a little bit was the end of her argument where she believes that finding a resting place is something like putting down a coffee cup. I understand where Susan is coming from but I really don t quite get what she means by that statement. But if I stand correctly, I think she means that the coffee cup is a representation of the body being laid in heaven, I m not sure if my guess by what she means makes any sense but that is just my critical opinion on this argument. Or maybe, Emily Dickinson sees death as something without material reality. Is there a such thing as death? I believe that Emily Dickinson is developing a sense that people may experience a continual rebirth. Was Emily Dickinson trying to overcome death? Was she trying to be born again?