"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain"

“I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson

                Imagery is a primary literary technique in this poem by Emily Dickinson. Even in the title, the use of the word felt projects that this poem contains imagery. Dickinson uses imagery to describe how her mind is feeling and to describe a funeral service. “Kept beating—beating—till I thought my mind was going numb,” (Dickinson). This excerpt from the poem is an example of Dickinson using imagery to describe her brain and not the funeral. Many times when we are in deep thought our brain will seem those same Boots of Lead,” (Dickinson). In this excerpt, Dickinson employs imagery to describe the funeral and not her brain. The imagery describes the sounds of lifting the box and marching it out of the service. The point of view is from what the person inside the coffin would hear because the speaker mentions heavens and things being solitary. For example, “And I dropped down, and down,” (Dickinson). This line could describe the body being buried down into the earth.