There's been a Death, in the Opposite House poetry outline

Thesis: In There’s been a Death, in the Opposite House by Emily Dickinson, the poet uses choppy syntax, capitalization, and descriptive language to show the reader the rapid nature that news spreads, and the speaker’s indifferent attitude towards death.

1.      Long dashes in between phrases and a line of poetry that stands alone illustrate the manner in which townspeople gossip about news that occurs within the county.

a.       “And then the Milliner—and the Man” is just one example of the dashes frequently used throughout the poem (17). These dashes make the syntax choppy and give the illusion of the speaker of the poem listening in on the townspeople’s conversations. She obtains facts from the situation in bits and pieces, but none are complete thoughts.

b.      There is only one line within the poem that stands by itself; “There’ll be that Dark Parade—” (20). As the townspeople talk about the death of this person, they appear to all come to this realization at the same time. Throughout the poem this death appears to be routine to the people, and everyone knowing there will be a “Dark Parade” emphasizes the predictability of events that occur within the town.

2.      Capitalization of seemingly unimportant words emphasize the small size of the town; the townspeople do not need to clarify certain people and places with each other, for they simply already know who or what their neighbor is talking about.

a.       As mentioned above, “the Milliner—and the Man” displays the lack of privacy within the town (17). The reader is unaware of who “the Man” is, but everyone in town knows this person. He needs no name because since the town is so small, everyone knows who he is anyway.

b.      Also, the poet never explicitly states that the “Dark Parade” is a funeral procession (20). Although it can be implied, the “Dark Parade” also displays the routine of death within the town. Death may be common, because describing a funeral procession as a parade, even a dark one, gives a slightly more positive connotation, displaying the speaker’s indifference to the subject.

3.      The use of descriptive language expresses the indifference towards death in this small town.

a.       The author explains the scene by the house; “The Children hurry by— / They wonder if it died” (10-11). ‘It’ in this quotation refers to the person in the Opposite House who has just passed on. He or she is not even referred to as human; the speaker seems unshaken by the death which displays the unconcern possessed towards the subject.

b.      Also, the poet writes that the window in the opposite house opens “mechanically” (9). Mechanical can be used as an antonym to emotional. There are no emotions behind this death in regard to the speaker’s perspective of the subject, for everything is very cold, unemotional, and mechanic. The speaker is unaffected by death, and may in fact be too used to it.