The State of Human Frailty in “I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain”

The human condition can be defined as the characteristics, situations and key events that compose the essentials of human existence. For example, our capacity for good and evil, the root of conflict and our state of human frailty. These human conditions have become the foundation of many texts in English literature. One such example would be the poems written by Emily Dickinson. By utilising both her external influences and internal conflicts, Dickinson has portrayed her perception of the state of human frailty in her poem “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain”. Human frailty can range from a lack of physical and mental strength, to moral weakness. This reference to the human condition is demonstrated throughout most of Dickinson’s work. 

Dickinson was a talented poet that creatively sculpted phrases and important human ideals. After her death, she left behind a large collection of poems that has greatly transformed the genre. In the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson was born on the 10th December 1830. She spent her whole life in her family home and eventually died on the 15th May 1886. She is also renowned for her eccentric lifestyle as she lived a life of simplicity and seclusion. Dickinson's work has a prominent concept of suffering and death. Owing to the reason that her last decades were plagued with health problems and constant loss. She utilized this in her construction of human frailty. In the early 1860s, she suffered eye pain, where she was told to stop writing. Dickinson’s father died in 1874. Following this, her mother had a stroke, where she would remain bedridden until her death in 1882. Her nephew and a close friend also died in the following years. While these events were possibly the sole reason for Dickinson's seclusion, she was also shunned for her religious beliefs. A controversial issue of the time was religion. There was a revival of Calvinism within her community. This approach to religion held the ideals that men were inherently sinful, and most humans were condemned to hell. In society, there was heavy pressure for people to declare themselves to Christ. Only adherent who proclaim their faith in Christ will be saved. However, Dickinson challenged societal norms and never proclaimed her faith. Dickinson retained an independent view of the subject of religion. As a result, she led a life of seclusion, creating several poems that depict the human condition of frailty.

All of Dickinson’s external influences have taken a heavy toll on her wellbeing. This can be seen throughout her work, as the state of human frailty is prominent in several poems. An example of one of these poems is I felt a Funeral, in my Brain. By making herself the subject matter, she effectively communicates her thoughts and feelings. The funeral occurring in her brain is a sustained metaphor for her mental breakdown, which creates the theme of suffering. For example, a simile describes the impact of her loss. This can be found in stanza 2, “A Service, like a Drum – Kept beating – beating – till I thought My Mind was going numb -,”. She compares the pain of her suffering to a drum as it pulsates in her mind, making it go numb. Furthermore, throughout the poem, Dickinson creates a clear image of a funeral. From the mourners taking a seat to the lowering of a casket, she amplifies her distress and evokes emotions of sympathy from the readers. I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, represents Dickinson’s mental decline following her traumatic events. She describes how it feels mentally and physically to have a funeral occur inside of her. Dickinson captures the theme of suffering, which communicates how frail an individual can be after experiencing loss.

Although Dickinson’s poems were published in the late 1800s, many of her poems still hold relevance within contemporary audiences. Dickinson presents uniform views of human frailty in many of her works. She portrays humans to be delicate and quite susceptible to severe mental decline. Her ideologies are still relevant to a contemporary audience as many adolescents share similar experiences. Due to technological advances, there are a rising number of causes for mental decline. For instance, social media has negatively impacted teens by allowing the issues of cyber-bullying and body image. In terms of cyber-bullying, teenagers can be attacked anywhere and at any time. Furthermore, they don’t believe they live up to the high expectations of body image presented on social media. This results in the development of many illnesses such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. In Australia, one in seven young Australians suffers from a mental illness. This translates into adulthood as one million Australian adults experience illnesses such as depression. Many people still experience a mental decline, just as Dickinson did. Allowing them to associate with her poems, this shows that her representation of human frailty still holds relevance in contemporary society.

By drawing inspiration from her external influences and internal conflicts, Dickinson has portrayed her interpretations of human frailty in her works. This can be seen in I felt a Funeral, in my Brain. Dickinson’s melancholic poem exhibiting her perceptions of suffering, uncertainty and death effectively exemplify the state of human frailty. This is evident as her work still regards her as one of the greatest poets in America.