Poems #528 & #588:

It’s well known that Dickinson discusses the concept of death in a variety of her poems. From my understanding and interpretation of them, these two poems approach death in different ways, however they possess similar meanings

Within #528, Dickinson describes death as peaceful, an escape from the suffering that is living. Death waits for us kindly “behind the Door-” (4). I really like how she uses birds as a metaphor in this poem. When weathers get harsh and unbearable, some birds migrate to warmer temperatures and easier living conditions. Humans “are the Birds – that stay” (8). Oftentimes in our lives there is no option to migrate to a new climate or easier circumstance. We live through what we’re given for better or for worse, we’re desperate birds, searching for the light in all our darkness. The second two stanzas describe the suffering in living, however the poem is introduced by the savior of death. Dickinson writes that living is worse than dying and that there’s something peaceful in the concept of an eternal rest waiting for us.

While poem #588 still discusses suffering, it talks less about life itself and more regarding the emotional experience as a human and psychological progression. It infers that the desire to die slowly builds throughout life, it is our final privilege we are given. The heart, one of the prominent figures in this poem, is gradually worn out by emotional suffering and begins to seek the peace in death. It first “asks Pleasure” (1), and then when reality settles, all the heart desires is an excuse “from Pain” (2). This poem connects to the prior one in that they illustrate death as a relief or a reward from life. I believe death is a very daunting topic- it can often be difficult and uncomfortable to think about existential topics like it. However, in these two poems I think Dickinson provides a very beautiful perspective on death that makes the idea of it a little less scary. While I don’t fully agree that all of life is suffering, I do think her approach can be fitting.

Both poems highlight death. However, the first reveals human endurance through hardships and the second portrays the heart’s eventual surrender to emotional pain.