“After great pain, a formal feeling comes: Plot”

Poem begins with the immediate aftermath of a painful event, the nature of which remains unspecified throughout.
Dickinson uses the metaphor of a funeral or “stiff Heart” to describe the numbness that follows intense pain, which can be interpreted as emotional, physical or spiritual pain.
The second stanza describes the uncertain process of recovery.
The third and final stanza suggests the progression of time and the inevitable passage to death, using cold and winter imagery.

“After great pain, a formal feeling comes: Structure & Language Techniques”

The poem follows ABCB rhyme scheme, commonly used by Dickinson, which can often give a hymn-like quality to her poetry.
Regular use of dashes represents a pause or a breath, mirroring the slow, halting progress of recovery.
In the second stanza, the use of anaphora can be seen with the repetition of ‘the’ indicating the mechanistic and robotic movements of someone in pain.
The use of sensory language (especially relating to coldness) in the final stanza create a vivid depiction of the passage of time and the encroachment of death.

Poem explores themes of pain, loss, death and the psychological impacts such experiences can have.
Dickinson’s use of ambiguous language and open-ended metaphors can be compared to other poems such as “I heard a Fly buzz - when I died”, which also explore themes of death and mental struggle.

“A Quartz contentment, like a stone”, uses simile to describe the numbness that can follow intense pain.
“The Hour of Lead – remembered, if outlived,”, references to the passage of time and potential recovery.
“A chilling person, like Snow”, Personification represents the cold, harsh reality of death encroaching.

Dickinson (1830-1886) was known for her intense and cryptic poems, often focusing on death and immortality.
Personal seclusion meant most of her works remained unpublished during her lifetime, with alterations made without her approval in some early posthumous publications.
Dickinson’s personal experience of several losses in her early life (like her father and a close personal friend) may have influenced her exploration of themes like pain, loss, and death.
Dickinson’s specific use of em dashes and capitalized words are characteristic of her style, leading to varied interpretations of her works.