The poem “A word is dead” is about finding the meaning of a dead word and how it comes to life, but everyone has their way of interpreting this poem. It’s strange hearing her say in her poem a word is dead, how does a word die, I bet this is confusing to a lot of people and is why I love this poem so much; it makes me think. I think Emily’s poem is about finding a way to express yourself with your words and I will be trying to figure out the meaning of a dead word and explain that she means words are alive when articulating them like in her poem. To understand what she is trying to teach us about a dead word, and its rebirth we must first find the meaning of a dead word how does it truly die, what does she want us to understand. When we are thinking about what to say there is a lot of thinking and emotions going on in our heads, like the word Love if we use this word as an example, then this word has many meanings it can stir emotions in ourselves, but when it’s spoken, it dies. Here is an example you say you love someone, it’s up to them to interpret what love is, meaning the word dies because the word could hold no meaning when said to the individual or maybe the one saying it doesn’t know how to make it hold meaning. The word loses all its value that’s the meaning of the poem; words lose value just by speaking them and not holding meaning. Emily says “Begins to live That day” I’m pretty sure I know what she means, and it must be related to her work. What I’m about to say may be a stretch, but I think “A word is dead” is one of her first ever poems she wrote. Something happened in Emily’s life; maybe Emily spoke words to a loved one only to find the words spoken not holding any meaning. Therefore, I think Emily decided to write down the words she wanted to say. You must understand a word is genuinely alive when articulated. There are many possibilities when thinking and writing down your words. Emily is trying to teach us, that we should write our words down and be creative with them or even find a way to express ourselves any way we can. I understand why Emily after death was recognized for her work because when you read her poem a “A word is dead” Emily’s words are full of life making them enjoyable to read.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. “A word is dead.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and
Handbook. 4th Ed., by Richard Bullock, Maureen Daly Goggin, and Francine
Weinberg, 2016, p. 847.
Halo-Science 