Behind Me - Dips Eternity - Example Essay

Discuss the ways in which time is explored in ‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’

Time is important to the work of Dickinson. We see this in the poem ‘I heard a Fly buzz’ where the speaker speeds up time and therefore allows themselves to be prevented from reaching the “King”, a representation of heaven. Time is also seen in the poem ‘There’s a certain slant of light’ where the time of days affects the light which in turn damages her soul and creates an “internal difference”. However, it is in ‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’ that we see the most clear depiction of time in Dickinson’s work. The poem explores how the speaker feels despair at the past, present and future, and there is no hope for escape from “Immortality”.

In ‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’ the central symbol is the “maelstrom in the sky” which reflects the speaker’s constant existence within a storm, and how, despite the forces of time, she remains inside the storm with a bleak future and no hope. The speaker is effectively trapped in time as her past gave her “Eternity” and her future presents her with “Immortality” and so she is forced to accept capture between the two, and escape becomes a distant ambition. The speaker builds a hatred for life as an end is not in sight, particularly when she describes herself as a “Crescent in the Sea”, this conveys her lost sense of hope as she realise there is no way forward in this life and she is merely a boat drifting in the sea to no destination. Times constant presences lead to the speaker’s depression, as darkness too becomes a companion constantly at her side as “midnight” takes over and further emphasises her depressive emotions. In contrast, the speaker ‘This world is not Conclusion’ feels despair for the present but is hopeful for the future as it looks less bleak. The speaker accepts the tooth that “nibbles at the soul”, a metaphor for the problems we face in life, but despite this she remains positive for the future as this is the way to escape her soul’s ache. The speaker accepts that the next stage in her life will not be a heaven but there is more to life than what we previously believe, and ultimately time will guide us.

‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’ is built around hyphens that emphasise chaos, however the hyphens also slow down the poem and so make it thoughtful in contrast to the despair the speaker feels; and so the slowing down of the poem elongates the time in which any sight of an end is available to the speaker. The hyphens are also used to restrict the speaker and therefore capture her in amongst time; “the term between” is captured by hyphens and is reflective of times nature in entrapping the speaker between eternity and immortality. Their use at the ends of lines also highlights that time is the only future prospect. Alliteration is used in a mocking way as it slows down the words being spoken, yet these words give hope of a new beginning; “Dissolving into Dawn” is elongated to present a calming atmosphere, yet the speaker is given false hope of a new beginning and start. The speaker reflects on the things she missed out on in life in ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ and feels sorrow of not having “children” and a lover, which lead to the absence of pararhyme. She also reflects on how the “ring” the children play in reflects her unbroken cycle of life and “immortality” which is further emphasised through the use of anaphora.

The speaker mocks the religious idea of there being a heaven in ‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’ as no such “miracle” will happen to her. She repeats “miracle” to mock its reliability and existence in reality, which the speaker doubts due to the “Immortality” she suffers. However her sarcasm can also be seen to reflect her jealously of there being a better world after death which she will never experience; “Son of None” suggests that the speaker has lost hope of God saving her away from the “Maelstrom” she finds herself continually stuck in. She also feels envy of the “Kingdom” that she will never reach, despite her mocking attitude implying a lack of religious values. In ‘After great pain a formal feeling comes’ the speaker describes the stages of their headache, the “great pain”. The speaker is similar to that of ‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’ in which an end to the pain is desired but unlikely, as the pain continues to go “round”, and for both death is the only way to escape the suffering yet neither can die or “[let] go”.

Ultimately, time is important to Dickinson’s work. When the light “comes” in ‘There’s a certain slant of light’ the speaker conveys the sense of destruction and fear as the time comes for the light to cause doom. Time is portrayed in ‘I heard a Fly buzz’ where the speaker ends up in the darkness of hell that has no end to time. However, ‘Behind Me – dips Eternity’ has the most evident use of time as the speaker is entrapped within the boundaries of time and the prospect of both “Eternity” and “Immortality”.