矛盾意象-解读艾米丽狄金森的死亡诗歌

-1-Introduction1.1IntroductionofthepoetEmilyDickinson(1830-1886)wasoneofthegreatestfemalepoetsintheAmericanhistory.ShewasregardedasoneofthelegendfemalepoetsofAmerica.Dickinsonnevermarriedandshelivedinalmosttotalseclusionforthelasttwenty-fiveyears.ObviouslyDickinsonbelongstoathinker,andsheisaprivatepoet.Livingareclusivelife,foralongtimecutofffromthesociety,shemainlywrotepoemsfortheneedofherself.Therefore,Dickinsonfoundpoeticfreedominheruniquewaysofpoetrycomposing,whichtooktimeforthecriticsandreadersofherpoemstoadaptthemselvestoherunconventionalsyntax.However,sadly,Dickinsongainedherstatusasaprestigiouspoetposthumously.Atherdeath,sheleftcloseto1800poems,butonlyfewerthanadozenofthemwerepublished.Dickinsonleftbehindherhugechaoticmassofmanuscriptsofpoems,somecarefullyrevised,otherscarelesslyjotteddownonoddscrapsofpaper.1.2MasterpiecesofEmilySincetheappearanceofthe1890volumeofPoemsbyEmilyDickinson,furtherpublicationssuchasPoemsbyEmilyDickinson(1981),LettersofEmilyDickinson(1894),andPoemsbyEmilyDickinson(1896)attractedalotofreadersattheendofthenineteenthcentury.Literarycriticsshowedtheircomplexattitudesandexpressedtheircommentsonthis“new-born”literarystar,whichcanbeseenfromEmilyDickinson’sReceptioninthe1890:ADocumentaryHistory.Afterthepublicationofherpoems,peoplebegantodoresearchonher,poetrylifeexperiences,andspecialattitudestotheworld.Scholarsandcriticsdividedherpoetryintodifferentgroupsaccordingtothethemes,suchaslove,nature,religionanddeath.Amongmorethan1880poemscreatedbyEmilyDickinson,wearefamiliarwithsomeofthem,suchasASepal,Petal,andAThon,IlostAWorld-theOtherWord,DyingAtMyMusic,TheNatureSmile-TheMotherMust.Butherdeath-relatedpoemsaremorefamous.1.3Death-themedpoemsofEmilyAlthoughneverlefthome,therefewlivinglikeshedidknowloveanddeath.Somecriticsregardherworksasgift!Onmodernpoetryview:“poetryisaconversationbetweenpoetandself”.Dickinson,inallherlifeagainandagainthoughtlife,death,eternallife,religiousdisciplineandnaturalmeaning.Inhernearlyonethousandeighthundredpoems,600ofthemareaboutthedeaththeme,suchasIdieforbeauty,I’veseenadyingeye,IHeardaFlyBuzz-WhenIDied,BecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath.Thedeath-themedpoemswhichshewritesarefulloflifeartisticconception,andpeculiar,andsignificantmeaning.Manyabstractobjectsarereplacedbycontradictoryimages.LiteratureReview2.1ForeignstudyonEmily’sdeath-themedpoemsThefirstphaseofEmilyDickinson’sCriticismbeganwiththeToddandHigginson’sco-efforttopublishherfirstseriesofpoemsin1924,withanunsatisfactoryresponsethatshewasappealedtoreadersmoreasanelusivefigurethanasasuccessfulpoet.ItwasnotuntilthepublicationofRebeccaPatterson’sTheRiddleofEmilyDickinsonthatthecriticalpracticescametoabloomingstageofsignificantresearch.AllenTatewasamongthefirstcriticswhotookEmilyDickinsonseriouslyasapoet,andhisappealforaserioustextualstudyofherdeathpoetrywassignificantlyrewarded,withapioneeringeffortofDonaldThackreyandHenryWells’textualcriticism.Recently,AmericanscholarspaymuchattentiontothelanguagestylesofDickinson’spoetryandtrytouseBakhtin,MiehelFoueaultandJ.JacquesDerrida’screativetheoriesoffictiontodiscusslanguageartofDickinson’sdeath-themedpoems.Atthesametime,researcherstrytoreevaluateDickinson’sstatusinliteraryhistory.2.2DomesticstudyonEmily’sdeath-themedpoemsInrecentyears,thereareover70papersofdomesticstudyonEmilyDickinson.Theseresearchesmainlyfocusonthefollowingaspects:EmilyDickinsoninsolitude,notmarryinherlife,herparadoxinreligionfaith,EmilyDickinson’spoetrytheme,artisticstyle.Thefollowingaresomedomesticstudies.RongrongXueinRuminatingoverDeath—EmilyDickinsonhassaid,forlivinginthesecularworld,sheisalreadydead.Sheputsalltheenergyarecollectedintoaspiritualworldthatbelongstoherselfcompletely,andpondersthelife,deathandlife,letsherownartaccomplishmentincalmandmaturesublimating.GuohuaSuninDeathandlifeDeathThemes—EmilyDickinson’sPoetryResearchpointsout,fromtheattitudetotheconceptofdeath,shedoesnotstayinthefearofdeathandhelplessoftheemotionalexpression,butthroughtheconstructingtheuniqueartisticconceptionopenupanewperspectiveofthinkingaboutlifeanddeath,theessenceoflife.ZhifangXiao,alsoinContradictorySoul—InterpretationofEmilyDickinsonstudiesDickinson’sDeathPoemswhichhasthefeatureofduality,pointsnotonlytheruthlessofdeath,butalsodeathbringstheliberationandcalm.JuSuninDeathEqualsImmortalityandDeathDoesnotEqualImmortalitydiscussesDickinson’sconversionofbeliefindeathpoems.Dickinson’slifecausedbythespecialhistoricalenvironmentandpersonallifeoffaith,deathpoetrycreationinthecontradictionbetweendeathandlifejourneyistheresultofEmilyDickinsonearlyChristianfaithandfaithconsciousnessofbeliefformationprocess,infactitalsoreflectstheperiodoftheAmericanpeoplebeliefchange.Atthesametime,YanQuinthearticlePassioninEmilyDickinson’sPoems—ontheMotivesofNature,LoveandDeathhasalsosaidthatalthoughwecan’tignoreDickinson’sfearofdeath,herfocusonthedeatharebecauseshelovesthelifesomuch.DianhongYanginLove,DeathandEternity:InterpretationofEmilyDickinson’sPoems,thinksthatEmilyDickinsonpoems’contentisrich,andherpoetryshouldnotsimplybeclassifiedbecauseherlovepoemsarecloselyrelatedtoculture,andreligious,deathpoetrycloselylinkstotheeternal,death-themed.Thispaperisunderthehelpofpreviousresearches,comprehensiveanalysisDickinsondeaththemepoems.Re-acknowledgeofEmilyDickinsonconcernsaboutlifeanddeaththeme.Makingherpoemshavemorestrongsensebeyondthesignificanceandthemorestrongsenseofultimateconcern.EmilyDickinsonhasnotstoppedresearchonthemeaningofdeath.Therefore,authorputsthepoetrycontradictoryimagesandthefateofthepoettogethertoresearch,whichcanachieveasignificantunderstandingaboutEmilyDickinson’spoem.3.DeathImagesinEmily’sPoemsEmilyusesimagesinherpoems,andthatiswhywecanfollowherfootprinttoappreciatethedeathjourney.Deathinherpoem’simageisimmortalityreality.Usingdifferentperspectivestoreadherpoemscanachieveincessantnewrecognition.Fromstrongfearofdeathatherearlierage,tilltocreateimaginationofdeathattheendofherlife,poemsmanifestsDickinsontranscendentlife.Dickinsonfindsherownidentityondeathimagination,andsheselectslonelywaytolive.Shecanunderstandherinnerworldbetter,therefore,shecreatesmagicalpoems.Nowthispaperwilltalkaboutsomeimagesin3death-themedpoems.3.1ImagesofadyingeyeinI’veSeenaDyingEyeI’veseenadyingeye,Runroundandroundaroom,Insearchofsomething,asitseemed,Thencloudierbecome,Andthen,obscurewithfog,Andthenbesoldereddown,Withoutdisclosingwhatitbe,‘Twereblessedtohaveseen.ThepoemI’veseenaDyingEyeis,likethefollowingpoemIHeardAbuzzWhenIDied,apoemconcernedwiththeexperienceofadyingperson.Therearetwodifferentobservationstakingplaceinthepoem,onefromthedyingeyeandtheotherfromthenarrator.Theobservationfromthedyingeyeis,itisclear,thesearchforsomethingjustbeforethesightisobscuredbydeath.Thesearch,then,isinfactbeingmadebythepoetwho,inthepresenceofdeath,hopestofindananswertotheriddleofdeath.Death,asthepoemgoes,presentsitsuncertaintyanduncontrollability.Thefirstlineindicatesdirectlywhatthesubjectofthepoemis,andthenfollowsthedescriptionofthesubjectinthesecondline.Thesimilarpronunciationsofrunandroundshowasenseofuncertainty.Theeyesaresearchingforsomething,andnooneelseexceptthedyingpersonhimselfcanknowwhatexactlyitis.Theword“seemed”,plusthedashfollowingit,suggeststhenarrator’ssuspectoftheavailabilityoftheobjecttheeyesaresearchingfor.Asdeathapproaches,theeyesbecome“cloudier”,whichindicatestheendofthesearchisalsobeingcloser.“Obscurewithfog”isthefollowingstateoftheeyes’vision,andthenfinallycomesthelaststate—“besoldereddown”,whichmeansthatthechannelofvisionistotallyshut.Thenarratorwitnessesthewholeprocess,butsheyetcannotprovidetheexactresultofthedyingeye’ssearching.Thequestionofwhatthedyinghasseenatthemomentofdeathisstillunanswered,butthenarrationofdeathandnarrator’spotentialsuggestionencourageonetoimagineandtoproducehisownversionofanswersthroughhisimagination.3.2ImagesofaflyinIHeardaFlyBuzz—WhenIDiedHercontinuousthinkingofdeathresultsinherimaginationasthedead.Inmanyofherpoetry,sheexpressesherwonderingthoughtsaboutdeath.Shebelievesinimmortality,butsheisalsocuriousaboutwhathappensafterdeath.Withherwriting,Dickinsonmanagestodescribetheprocessofdeathbysensingtheconversionoftheprocessfromlifetodeath.Actually,thepoetbecomessoinvolvedinthedetaileddescriptionofthatprocessthatthereaderscandiscoverquiteafewpoems,bywhichDickinsoninterpretsherdeeplyideaoflifeanddeath.IheardaflybuzzwhenIdied,ThestillnessroundmyformWaslikethestillnessintheairBetweentheheavesofstorm.Theeyesbesidehadwrungthemdry,AndbreathsweregatheringsureForthatlastonset,whenthekingBewitnessedinhispower.Iwilledmykeepsakes,signedawayWhatportionofmeICouldmakeassignable,andthenThereinterposedafly,Withblue,uncertain,stumblingbuzz,Betweenthelightandme,Andthenthewindowsfailed,andthenIcouldnotseetosee.IHeardaFlyBuzz—WhenIDied,whichisremarkableforitsvirtuosity,showsherimagined“experienceofthedead”.Inthispoem,Dickinsonplacesherselfinthemindofawomanwhoisdied.Sherelivesthemomentofdeath,andthehopeforimmortalitythatshouldpursue.Withfamilyandfriendsgatheredaround,herheightenedsensereportsthecrisisinflatdomesticterms.Thebereavedfamilyatthebedsideisfulloftears,forthemomentofdeatharriving,astillnesssuchas“betweentheheavenofstorm”preparesthereaderphysicallytohearthefinialagonizinggaspofthedying.Inanatmosphereofcalminnerandquietoutward,thedyingpersoncollectedlyproceedstobequeathhisorherworldlypossessions,andwhileengagedinthisactivityof“willing”,discoverhisattentionwithdrawbyafly’sbuzzing.Itisthesamemomentofdeath,anditisthesamecomparisonofquietandmove.Whatthedifferenceisanimportantimagewhichtheauthoraddedinthispoem—afly.Thisflyinthesilentroomishumming(buzz)atbegin,andattheend,theinstabilityoftheintermittentcry(uncertainstumblingbuzz),tillthedisappearanceofthevoice.Theauthor’sdescriptioninthispoemaimsatreflectinghowtheherointhepoemisundergoingfromconscious,perceptualstate,intotheunconsciousinsensiblestate.Theroomisquietuntilitisbrokenbytheflyhum,whichmeansdeathisreallyapproaching.Then,thehero’sawarenessandconsciousnessgraduallydecline,andthefly’svoice,shapeandcolorvanishinthehero’seyes.Inthewholeprocessdescribed,thepoetalwaysremainsastateofobjectiveandcalm,andbringsexperienceofreasondeathtoreaders.3.3ImagesofajourneyinBecauseICouldNotStopforDeathBecauseIcouldnotstopforDeath,Hekindlystoppedforme,ThecarriageheldbutjustourselvesAndImmortality.Weslowlydrove,heknewnohaste,AndIhadputawayMylabor,andmyleisuretoo,Forhiscivility.Wepassedtheschoolwherechildrenplayed,Theirlessonsscarcelydone,Wepassedthefieldsofgazinggrain,Wepassedthesettingsun.WepausedbeforeahousethatseemedAswellingoftheground,Theroofwasscarcelyvisible,Thecornicebutamound.Sincethenitiscenturies,buteachFeelsshorterthanthedayIfirstsurmisedthehorses’headsWeretowardeternity.EachpoemofDickinsonmanifeststhedignityofdeath,thenitwidenstoimmortalityandtheeternity.Thispoemisnotanexceptionalwhichhasaddedmorejoysonthewaytodeathwhichisastrangewaytoappreciate.Thepoemstartswithaleisurelyimage.Atthebeginning,thespeakerfeelstotallyateaseandthefrighteningdeathisdescribedasafamiliarfriend,gentleandpolite.Continuingly,thepoemgoesuponabasicmetaphorthatlifeisajourney.Itistrulyratheranoldcomparison,butDickinsonenrichesitwithhercreativityandimagination:“School,wherechildrenstrove”—childhood,“FieldsofGazingGrain”—maturity,and“SettingSun”—oldage.Then“theDewsdrewquiveringandchill”makesthespeakersfeelterriblycold,whichperhapsmeansthattheyaregettingnearerandnearertothetomb.Nevertheless,atlast,hercompanions,immortalityanddeath,finallydesertherandleaveheralonetowardeternity.Soitseemsthatthoughdeathcheatsherandatthesametimedesertsher,theexperienceofdeathitselfisnotpainful.EmilyDickinson’spoemsjustillustratethisclassofessenceoflife,whichthenleadustoaworldofimaginationandthinking.BecauseICouldNotStopforDeathistheinterpretationofmortalexperiencefromthestandpointofimmortality.Athemestemmingfromthatisthedefinitionofeternityastimelessness.Thepoetrunsthesethemesofmortality,immortality,andeternity,intermsofajourneyimage.Theimageplayssuccessfulroleinherpoem,whichisusedtounitetheframeofthepoem.Thepoemperfectlyrepresentssorrow,solitary.Emilyplacestheconflictsoflifeanddeathintheparticularatmosphere,sothatwhenhumanfacedeath,thedeathroad,colorthecomplicatedmentalityisnecessarytoeternallife.4.ContradictoryImagesinEmily’sDeath-ThemedPoemsContradictoryandimagearetwomaincluesinEmily’sdeath-relatedpoems.Sothefollowingtextsfocusonthecontradictoryimagesinpoems,andanalysisthereasonsthatEmilyputssomanycontradictoryimagesinherdeath-themedpoems.4.1ContradictoryinherpoemsInthepoemIheardaFlyBuzz—whenIDied,therelationshipbetweenthesettingandthespeakerisshowninaflashback,andthesceneislaidnotinthepresent,butitisinthepast,althoughthevoiceofthenarratorspeaksfromthepresent.Itisunderstandablethatthedyingperson’sinnerviolentcommotionofthefeelingsatthetimeofdepartureiscomparedtoastrongoutbreakofstorm,whereastheserenemomentsoftheoutersettingarecontrastedwithwhatseemedchaosatthetimeofdying.Theoveralltoneofthenarratorisoneofcalmcomposure.4.2ContradictoryimagesinEmily’sPoemsInIheardaFlybuzz—whenIdied,thepoemstartswithimageofafly,andthenotherimagesfollowin.Aflyintervenes,thesceneshutsitselfofffromtheperceptionofthenarrator,andvoicewehearintheopeningstanzaisthatofadeceasedperson.Herobsessionswiththeflyisneithermentalnoroutwardly,buthassomereligiousovertones.Thepoembeginswithadirectpresentationofthesituation:“Icouldnotseetosee”.Thestatement“Iheardaflybuzz—whenIdied—”isfollowedbyadescriptionofthesetting.Thepoetisworkingdeliberatelytoshapesuchanatmosphere,onefilledwithprofoundsilence.“Stillness”contrastssharplywithitscuriouslyopposite“HeavensofStorm”.4.3ReasonsofcontradictoryimagesWehaveanalyzedthecontradictoryimagesinherdeathpoemsabove,butwestilldonotknowthereasons.WhatledEmilytowritedeathpoems,andwhatledEmilytoputcontradictoryimagesinherpoetry.Thefollowingtextswillgivereasonsfromtwoaspects:thedistrustofGod,andherparadoxinreligionfaith.4.3.1DeathandGodEmilyDickinsonhopestohaveapathwhichleadstotheeternallife,butshewitnessesthespreadofdiseaseandthedisasterofdeath.Ononehand,shehasdeepfaithingod.Ontheotherhand,sheisdeepmiseryforgodweaknessandindifference.Thisambivalenceisthesourceofherlonelinessinallthelife.Therefore,shehasrefusedtojointhechurch,buthadareclusivelife.Thiskindofemotionalvoiceshowsherloveandcaretohuman,whichletpeopleadmireherbecauseinthatmomentrarelypeopledaretochallengethechurch,themoraleandcourage.ShequestionsagainandagainintheBibleaboutdeathexplanation,shecannotacceptthatthealmightygodtookawaywhatpeoplelove.Underthebackgroundofgod,intheeternaldeaththemepoetry,Emilyhadwrittenhersuspiciousaboutgod,thechallengetothechurch,andthesuspiciousofeternallifeandherinnercontradictionsandpain.Thepoem“IknowthatHeexists”isapoemofthefirstcategory.Afterreadingit,readerswillnoticethatthetoneofthepoemisironic.Atthebeginning,thepersonaofthepoemisawareoftheexistenceofGod.Forhim,Godis“SomewhereinSilence”,because“Hehashidhisrarelife/Fromourgrosseyes”.AlthoughthepersonacannotseetheGod,hestilltriestoseekpleasureinthedailyexploration.SheregardsGod’sconcealmentas“afondAmbush”.Shethinksitis“Bliss”andpeoplecanearntheirown“surprise”iftheycanfindthehiddenGod.However,abigchangetakesplaceasthepoemcontinues.Thecontentofthepoemsuddenlychangesfromageneraldiscussionintoaspecificsceneofevent.Readersarebroughttosomeone’sdeathbedinthethirdstanza.Thepersonbecomesserious.Hesuddenlyrealizesthatindeath’s“stiffstare”,faithinGodisabsurd.Whenfacedwithstaringeyesofdeath,thepersonnoticesthecrueltyofthegameof“seekandhide”.Intheend,sheemphasizestheabsurdityofthegamebyaskingarhetoricalquestion“Wouldnotthejest/Havecrawledtoofar!”.Thefuninsuchagameis“tooexpensive”.ShestartstoregardtheChristianbeliefasajoke,noticingthedeceivingnatureofreligion.Inapoem,shehassomanyproblemsbutnoanswers.“Somanyquestionstoputthem/HaveItheeagerness”showsherparadox.Inthefaceofthefalsegod,shecannotfindawaytoreliefdeathbutbringpainandfear.4.3.2Dickinson’sparadoxinreligionfaithItseemsindispensablethatallmentionsofEmilyDickinsonandherworksarealwaysinconnectiontoreligion.Actually,notonlyherlife,butalsoherpoetryisdeeplyinterwovenwithChristianity.EmilywasbroughtupinaChristianfamilyandsurroundedbyChristianfamilymembersandfriendsthroughallherlife.ShecognizedtheChristiantradition,influencingbyscripturesandhymnssothatmanyofherpoemsareconstructedinsyntaxsimilartotheBible.Dickinson’spoemsarefilledupwithreligiousimages.Asagreatpoetoftheworld,manyscholarsalsoregardEmilyDickinsonasoneofthemajorreligiousthinkersofthe19thcentury.Faithdisappeared,andtheorderlysocietywillbereplacedbyconfusion,thesocietywillbecoveredbygreedandfear.IfweregardEmily’sfaithinGodasafloatingshipinthedoubtsea,thenthehumanconsciousnessislikeasmallboatinthevastocean.Inthissense,Dickinson’sChristianemotioningreaterdegreeistryingtogetridofthegreedofthehumanityandthepainoflosingfaith.EmilyDickinsonfinallyunderstoodthepainofChristianity.Shetriedtomakeherselfbelievethatpainwasakindofmysteriousthing,whichpeoplecouldnotexpressclearly.ShebelievedinJesusbecauseJesushadenduredunspeakablepain.ShetriedtomakeherselfbelievethatJesuswasmercytocurepeople’sspiritualpain.5.RhetoricalDevicesUsedtoExpressContradictoryImagesEmilyDickinsonexaminesdeathinherpoemsfromeveryangleandexpressesherrealfeelings.Inordertomakethecontradictoryimagesindeathpoemsmoreattractiveandvivid,EmilyDickinsonhasusedmanyrhetoricaldevicestoreachherpurposes.Shemainlyusestworhetoricaldevices:rhyme,firstperson,ellipsis.ItistheskillfulmasteryoftheserhetoricaldevicesthatearnsEmilyDickinsonthetitleofoneofthegreatestAmericanpoets.5.1RhymeToreadersofpoetry,itmayseemthatDickinsonusesrhymeinfrequently,whichprefersexactrhyme(see,tree).Shedoesuserhyme,butsheusesformsofrhymethatarenotgenerallyacceptedtilllateinthenineteenthcenturyandareusedbymodernpoets.Dickinsonexperimentedwithrhyme,andherpoetryshowswhatsubtleeffectscanbeachievedwiththeserhymes.Dickinsonusesalliterationinthe“SoulSelectsHerOwnSociety”.Shealsouseseyerhyme,vowelrhymes,imperfectrhymes,andsuspendedrhyme.TheformatofDickinson’sdeathpoemisusuallylessthantwostrophes,consistingofeveryfourlinesandtheevenlinerhymes.Inaddition,shedotesontheso-called“Fourteener”createdbyWilliamShurr,namelythestylebetweeniambictetrametersandiambictrimeters.Forexample,“Fame’sBoyandGirls,whoneverdie/Andaretooseldomborn”.Besides,Dickinsonalsouseshalfrhyme,andparrhyme,sheconsistentlyusestherhyme.5.2FirstpersoninthepoemOneofthespecialfeaturesofEmily’sdeathpoemsarethattheusageofthefirstperson.Generally,shehassettedaseriesofrulesincreatingherbeautifuldeathpoems.Mostofherdeathpoemsbeginwith“I”,“My”,“Myself”,forshewantstospeakoutthesoundfromherheartandstringalongwithherself.Besides,hernarrationwiththefirstpersongivesthereaderanimpressionthatsheisjustanarratororamissionerinsteadofmoralizer.Dependingonthenarratorofthedeathpoems,Dickinsondescribessomedeathscenes,drawsapictureofafuneral,narratesatravelofdeathorexpressesthemissingfeelingtothedeadpeople.Let’stakethedeathpoemIFeltAFuneralinMyBrain,oneofthemostfamousdeathpoemswritteninthefirstperson“Ifeltafuneralinmybrain,andmourners,kepttreading-treading-tillitseemed,thatsensewasbreakingthrough”.Inthepoem,thepoetusesthefirstpersontodescribethefuneralinherbrainwithherpowerfulimagination.Inaddition,thepoetalsousesthefirstpersontowritethepoemofIDieforBeauty,whichtellspeoplenotonlythesimple“sorrow”,buttheprofoundmeaningofexistenceoflife,sothatpeoplecangettheeternity.Shepraisesdeath,addressinghimas“brother”,whichactuallyistheattitudetoconfirmlife,confirmdeath.Inthisway,thepoetcanfreelyexpresswhatshewantstoexpress,furthermore,itcanshortenthedistancebetweenthereaderandthepoet.Thentheycantalkheartbyheart.Duringherdescription,deathappearstobeakindman,tobeameekmarriagesuitor,tobeasoundsleepinthenight,tobeatraveltotheparadise,ortobedialoguebetweenheartsanddust.5.3EllipsisinthepoemInordertomakelinesmoresimpleandrhythm,thepoetsoftenmakesomegrammaticalomissionwhentheyarewritingpoems.Theellipsiscompositioncanrepeatthesubject,themeaningimpliedinpronoun,theauxiliaryandtheverbthatfilledbycontext.Theellipsiscanavoidcumbersome,sothatitmakespoetrymorerhyme,andmakestopicinthepoemsmoreclearly.Becauseofthis,EmilyDickinson’spoemsareunabletorestoretheellipticalsentenceinalargenumberofapplying.Here,weenjoyherHefumblesatyourSoulHefumblesatyoursoulAsplayersatthekeysBeforetheydropfullmusicon...Hestunsyoubydegrees...PreparesyourbrittlenatureFortheEtherealblowByfainterhammers...furtherheard...Thennearer...thensoslowYoubrain...tobubblecool...Deals...one...imperial...thunderbolt...Thatscalpsyournakedsoul...WhatwindstakeforestsintheirpawsTheuniverse...isstill..Theellipsispartsinthepoemareveryobvious.The“hammer”iswhichinthehandofdeathgod,soundssuddenlybecome“fainter”,“further”,suddenlybecome“nearer”.AccordingtoEnglishgrammar,sinceadjectivesusedcomparative,theremustbeareferenceusedtocomparewithitself.Therefore,whatthisaggressivehammersoundsactuallycomparewith?Inthiscontextwecan’tfindanyclues.Obviously,thepoetprovidesthereaderswithachanceofimagination,thuswecanperceivethesewordsasgrimterrorofdeathwhostepsfromfartonear,tilltoyourface.Alsowecanregardthehammerofdeathgodasdistantdrums,whichhavebeenalwayssodominated.Onethousandreaderseyes,thereareonethousandHamlet.Alongtheway,therearedifferentdegreesofscarewhenreadershavedifferentunderstandingofquintessence.Althoughellipsismakeslinelosebalanceingrammar,itmakesthepoetrylanguagehighlyconcentrate,andaddsstructureandmeaningwithhazycolor.So,thereaderscandependontheirownimaginationandunderstandingtofilltheblankleftbythepoet,aswellasexpandingpoetryinternal“aesthetic”and“meaning”ofsurfacestructure.ConclusionInaword,deathmeansthevanishingofsoulandthecorrosionofthebodyatthesametime.HercontradictoryattitudetowardsGod’sruthlessnessisindignationwhichexpressesthepoet’sloftinessoftheloveofthehumanbeings.Whenoneisreadingherpoems,oneislikelytofeelthepoetislikeastreamleadingtotheoceanthatbringsallfreshtotheembraceofthetruth.PoemsarethesoundfromthebottomheartofEmilyDickinsonsothatherpoemsdeeplyimpresspeople.Inthispaper,atfirst,theauthortalksaboutEmily’sobservationandexperienceofthedeathwhichleadtoputcontradictoryimagesinherdeathpoems,andtheimagesmakepeopledonotscaredeathanymoreandacceptthedeatheasily.Then,theauthorinterpretsthecontradictoryimagesinherpoems,andthereasonswhyEmilywritescontradictoryimagesinherpoems.Atlast,rhetoricaldevisesinherdeath-themedpoemsareanalyzed.Following,theauthorwilldosomeresearchesonthetypeofwritingofEmily’sdeathpoems.BibliographyChenLisha.OnEmilyDickinson’sPoemsaboutDeath[J].XiangtanUniversityChenHanning.EmilyDickinson:AnInterrogatorofDeathandImmortality[J].OverseasEnglish,2021,(1).LiuXiaohui.EmilyDickinson:HerEnigmaticPoems[J].JournalofLanzhorYu