“My life closed twice before its close—” -Emily Dickinson Sofia Antonova, Sam Barge, Marie Rapoport

My life closed twice before its close; It yet remains to see If Immortality unveil A third event to me, So huge, so hopeless to conceive, As these that twice befell. Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell.

My life closed twice before its close;         It yet remains to see If Immortality unveil         A third event to me, So huge, so hopeless to conceive,        As these that twice befell. Parting is all we know of heaven,        And all we need of hell. There have been two life-shattering events in my life so far, but another may still occur as my life continues. It’s impossible to guess what this third event could be because it would be as tragic and painful as the first two. Our understanding of heaven is based on the concept of parting, and perhaps being left behind is its own hell.

My life closed twice before its close; It yet remains to see If Immortality unveil A third event to me, This “close” refers to two tragic events that occurred in her life, such as death or loss that made her feel as if she were dying. This “close” is her actual death. The poet is grieving her life that has already “closed twice,” referring to symbolical death (Johnson 1). These deaths were painful, but not literal deaths (1). They were more likely emotional losses, spiritual injuries, or artistic disappointments (1). Another view is that the poem is a positive take on mystery where the “closing” of life may not refer to death, but to a delightful or heavenly moment (Kushner 2).

So huge, so hopeless to conceive, As these that twice befell. Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell. Parting means separation, such as death or heartbreak. The opposing criticism believes that “parting” means “leave-taking” or a leaving towards a destination, such as heaven (Kushner 2). The last two lines may seek to convey the pain of being kept, and therefore “parted,” from someone you love (Johnson 2).

Literary Terms An allusion is a reference to a well known piece of literature, person, event, idea, etc. “If Immortality unveil” Capitalizing Immortality alludes to Christian doctrine’s afterlife ideology. Assonance is repetition of a vowel sound. “My life closed twice before its close;” Repetition of the “I” sound when combined with the rhythm of iambic pentameter creates assonance, despite the interfering word in between. There is a rhyme scheme of ABCBDEFE “It yet remains to see… “As these that twice befell… A third event to me,” And all we need of hell.”

Literary Terms Repetition is the duplication of the same word, sound, or phrase. “So huge, so hopeless to conceive,” A paradox is something that seems impossible but actually is true. “Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell.”

Dickinson’s Legacy Emily Dickinson was one of the first influential female poets–a very inspiring figure for women The reason behind writing each of her poems was to express a profound truth she had witnessed after years of constant contemplation in her home Few of her poems were published during her time, so her major contribution to American Literature has been after her death “My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close–“ is an example of her drive to find truths in this world – the imminence that all humans must face loss and pain; universal truths dealing even with death and the afterlife

Lament for Icarus Herbert Draper, 1898 Icarus and his father Daedelus are stuck on an island, Daedelus builds wings of wax for them to use to fly away, warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, he does it anyway and dies, leaving his father behind. The island symbolizes life and the wings symbolize a longing to escape. While Icarus is physically dead, he leaves his father alone to die an emotional death before a physical one. Likewise, Dickinson’s speaker has suffered an emotional death and will suffer a physical death.