The last Night that She lived

1. Uh Oh! Here we go again! She’s back on her favourite topic! The last Night that She lived I see dead people… and write poems about them. 12th March 2014

2. The last Night that She livedIt was a Common NightExcept the Dying—this to UsMade Nature differentWe noticed smallest things—Things overlooked beforeBy this great light upon our MindsItalicized—as 'twere. As We went out and inBetween Her final RoomAnd Rooms where Those to be aliveTomorrow were, a BlameThat Others could existWhile She must finish quiteA Jealousy for Her aroseSo nearly infinite— We waited while She passed—It was a narrow time—Too jostled were Our Souls to speakAt length the notice came.She mentioned, and forgot—Then lightly as a ReedBent to the Water, struggled scarce—Consented, and was dead—And We—We placed the Hair—And drew the Head erect—And then an awful leisure wasBelief to regulate— 

3. Consider this reading… • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2EGUuf943U There is another one in sign language but life’s too short…

4. Dickinson never tells us who this ‘She’ is. It is clearly someone who had many friends. The night of her death has nothing to make it stand out. The last Night that She livedIt was a Common NightExcept the Dying—this to UsMade Nature different It is the fact that the woman is dying that makes the night different. In fact… …it doesn’t just change the night, it changes nature. The presence of death changes everything.

5. The presence of death throws things into sharp relief – it makes trivial things stand out. These ‘overlooked’ things could be trivialities about the room or could be memories connected with the dying person. We noticed smallest things—Things overlooked beforeBy this great light upon our MindsItalicized—as 'twere. What is this ‘great light’? Is it the focus that comes with facing death? Is it a religious image? What a great image! Not only does Dickinson say that things ‘stand out’, they are in fact ‘italicized’ – in italics.

6. There is little sense of purpose here – people just seem to be moving in and out of the room. Note the contrast between the movement of the people and the passivity of the dying woman. Note the way Dickinson refers to the people in the poem – the dying woman is simply she or her. Those with her are just ‘we’. As We went out and inBetween Her final RoomAnd Rooms where Those to be aliveTomorrow were, a Blame Again, note the twisted syntax. There is the dying woman’s room and then there is the room where the others – who will be alive tomorrow – wait. Note the enjambment here. Dickinson doesn’t pause here but moves us straight on to stanza 4, perhaps reflecting the movement of the people.

7. Interesting use of the word ‘finish’. It does not suggest much of a feeling of an afterlife. Rather it has the sense of an ending. Those who are left are split between some who are angry that she is dying whilst others (less deserving?) live on. That Others could existWhile She must finish quiteA Jealousy for Her aroseSo nearly infinite— The other feeling amongst those watching is a jealousy that she is dying whilst they have to continue to suffer life. This jealousy is very strong so the reader almost envies the dying woman rather than those left behind. Maybe this reintroduces a feeling of an afterlife.

8. This verse really ‘holds us’ – there is a lot of language that seems designed to keep us waiting just like the people in the poem. The dashes here add to the suspense as we wait for the woman to die. We waited while She passed—It was a narrow time—Too jostled were Our Souls to speakAt length the notice came. A ‘narrow time’ really gives the sense of quiet and a holding of breath. This is reinforced by the sense that even their souls have been shaken by this moment. Finally they hear that she has reached her final moments – both they and the reader feels a sense of release/relief.

9. The simile links the woman to a reed. Why does Dickinson use this image? What might we expect of a reed? This verse returns to the dying woman. There is a sense of her dying words or sound that comes with her last breath. She mentioned, and forgot—Then lightly as a ReedBent to the Water, struggled scarce—Consented, and was dead— There is a sense that the woman welcomes death – she barely struggles and… …consents to it. Is that because she is too weak to fight or because she sees it as a release? The dash at the end emphasis the emptiness that comes after death.

10. As for those left behind, the repetition of ‘We’ suggests that they don’t really know what to do with themselves at first. There is also the use of anaphora at the start of the first three lines suggesting a mechanical response to the tasks now the woman has died. There are more mechanical responses to the death here as they arrange the body. And We—We placed the Hair—And drew the Head erect—And then an awful leisure wasBelief to regulate—  What is left for the people left behind? That idea of ‘an awful leisure’ suggests that they just have time to reflect on things such as… …their religious beliefs. They are trying to reconcile their beliefs with the fact that the woman has been allowed to die.

11. Summary • This too seems to be a narrative poem. • Consider the narrative voice – do we assume it is Dickinson? • What is the mood of the poem? It seems very placid but critics have suggested it reflects controlled hysteria. • There is an anonymity to the poem – we don’t know the dying woman or the others. What does that add to the poem? • It’s a very different vision of death from some of the other poems.

12. THEMES How can you link this poem to others? Things to consider: Death Tone/Mood