Journal 28

 The author of the poem was ready for death. He or she had already made the preparations that come with dying and was ready to go. The speaker says, "Be witnessed in his power" and "I willed my keepsakes, signed away." I would imagine that preparing for death isn't an easy process. I'm sure it would depend on the age of the victim and their life experience. When you finally gets past the denial and bargaining, the acceptance of death is the next step. I would imagine that one who has accepted death is in a calm state. The speaker in Emily Dickinson's "I Heard a Fly Buzz" describes the feeling as a "stillness in the air". Said stillness was interrupted by a bumble bee. When I'm outside and being active, a bee is easy to detect when it's close to my face. The sound of the buzzing stills you. I find that standing still is the most effective way to avoid getting stung by a bee. The speaker of the poem most likely heard the bee coming from far away considering the still, silent state that he or she was in. The silent converstaion that the speaker had with the bee was the last they ever had. A connection of somesort that symbolized the pure freedom that the speaker's sole will soon partake in. The light and window described at the end of the poem is an example of imagery. The reader can picture what it would be like to see the light through a window then all of a sudden have that window closed, bringing darkness into the room. I think it was a great comparison to what death would be like. Since no living person knows what it is truly like to kick the bucket, one can only be creative when describing it. Dickinson's clever description and great explanation of the speaker's emotions allow the reader to grasp not only the poem but also the process of death.