I heard a Fly buzz – when I died – Summary MCQs by Emily Elizabeth Dickinson

By: Prof. Dr. Fazal Rehman | Last updated: July 12, 2025

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1. : What is the setting of the poem “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –”?





2. : What interrupts the stillness of the moment in the poem?





3. : What is the main theme of the poem?





4. : What does the fly symbolize in the poem?





5. : What is the tone of the poem?





6. : What had the speaker done just before the fly appeared?





7. : What happens to the speaker’s vision at the end of the poem?





8. : How is death portrayed in the poem?





9. : What literary device is used in the phrase “The Stillness in the Room”?





10. : What is unusual about the moment of death in this poem?





“I heard a Fly buzz – when I died – Summary”

Emily Dickinson’s poem “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –” presents a calm, eerie reflection on the moment of death, but with an unexpected twist. The speaker, who has already died, recounts the moments just before death, offering a rare and intimate first-person perspective of dying.

The atmosphere is still and silent, as if waiting for something sacred or final to happen—like the arrival of “the King” (which may symbolize God, death, or eternity). Loved ones are gathered around, tearful but composed, and the speaker has already willed away her possessions, signaling she was prepared to go.

But just then, a common, trivial fly buzzes in the room, interrupting the solemn moment. This small and annoying creature becomes a symbol of the randomness and ordinariness of death, contrasting sharply with the expected spiritual grandeur.

The final image is that of darkness descending—“the Windows failed”—signifying the speaker’s sight fading and perhaps the soul passing away.

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