I felt a Funeral, in my Brain: Key Quotes

“I felt a Funeral, in my Brain: Key Quotes”

While thoroughly reviewing Emily Dickinson’s poignant poem, it is crucial to take particular note of certain quotes that stand out in terms of illuminating the underlying themes and emotions. Here are some key quotes and their corresponding implications:

Sense of Overwhelming Burden

• “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” - The opening line of the poem itself succinctly encapsulates the central image of the poem, which is the overwhelmingly burdensome mental state weighing on the speaker, akin to the oppressive atmosphere of a funeral.

Progressive Descent Into Madness or Oblivion

• “And Mourners to and fro / Kept treading - treading - till it seemed / That Sense was breaking through” - This reflects the sense of constant, relentless pressure that the speaker feels on ‘Sense’, which can be interpreted as the speaker’s grip on reality or consciousness.
• “And when they all were seated, / A Service, like a Drum - / Kept beating - beating - till I thought / My mind was going numb” - The onslaught continues as the speaker feels a percussive, numbing beat that makes the speaker feel increasingly detached from reality.

Breakdown vs Enlightenment

• “And then a Plank in Reason, broke, / And I dropped down, and down - / And hit a World, at every plunge, / And Finished knowing - then -“ - The ‘break’ can be interpreted as a breakdown, the slide into madness, trauma or even death. However, the ‘Finished knowing’ may also be interpreted as a moment of enlightenment or transcendence, as the burdensome funeral and subsequent falling may have led to a purging of the torturous mental state.

Remember, the ultimate interpretation depends on how you align the quotes with the overall themes and emotions you discern in the poem. The poem’s profound beauty lies in its vast interpretive capacity, making it a subject of rich analysis and discussion.