The Bustle in a HouseThe bustle in a house

The morning after deathIs solemnest of industries

Enacted upon earth, -

The sweeping up the heart,And putting love away

We shall not want to use againUntil eternity.

By: Emily Dickinson

• Similar to I heard I Fly Buzz when I died.

• But, the main focus is that of the family members, not the dying person.

Poem structure breakdown

• The Bustle in the House, the morning after death,- pretty self-explanatory; implies about the commotion the day after the passing of a family member.

• Is the solemnest of industries enacted upon the Earth,- this tells you that deaths are the most serious of events that occur in the world.

• The sweeping up the heart, And putting love away,- after an emotional outpouring, everyone must rebottle up their emotions and save them for a different occasion.

• We shall not want to use again, Until eternity,- the specific memories and emotions towards the passing family member will be used again when they meet in the next life

Literary Elements

Alliterations

• Enacted upon the Earth

• And putting love away

• We shall not want to use again

Personifications

• …industries, enacted upon the Earth

Metaphors

• Is solemnest of industries (serious aspects of life)

• The sweeping up the Heart, and putting love away (withdrawing the love felt)

• Until eternity (afterlife)

Household chore reference

• Dickinson uses sweeping an everyday common task to put a subtle feel to the poem.

The Real chore

• But, the real “chore” is grieving, dealing with, and finally accepting the passing of their loved one

Emily Dickinson’s belief

• Even though it was stated that Emily Dickinson was agnostic, this poem proves her belief in an afterlife

The brief structure of the poem suggests that life is short, and death will come sooner

than most people want, so…

Second Poem- Fame is a Fickle Food

Fame is a fickle food,

Upon a shifting plate,

Whose table once a Guest but not The second

time is set.

Whose crumbs the crows inspect ,

And with ironic caw,

Flap past it to the Farmer's Corn –

Men eat of it and die.

Brief analysis and comparisons

The main point of this poem is to give a timeline of fame, what it does to people, and how people will remember you.

It is a rather dark and depressing interpretation of being famous or popular, implying that it is an unpredictable thing, short lived, and only end up and being eaten up and thrown away.

The comparisons with the Bustle in the House would be the gloomy mood and short span of the event.

Conclusion

• To sum is up the Bustle in a House is a short poem about a family who was once grieving for their loved one, then disregard their emotions and save them for when they meet the loved one again in the afterlife.