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Symbolism In Emily Dickenson's I Died For Beauty

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Emily Dickenson’s “I died for Beauty,” is a window into the final thoughts of two passing souls. These souls walked different paths and had different goals in life, yet they still find themselves together in their final resting place. One lived for the Truth, and one lived for Beauty. They lay in their adjoining tombs, and they wonder why they failed. The failed to be remembered for the very thing that they lived for. In the end, after his passing the Truth no longer matter. In the end, her beauty was a thing of the past that no one would remember.
Even though they valued different things in life, these two souls are “Brethren.” They can relate to one another, because they both spent their lives pursuing something that they thought would …show more content…

The stream symbolizes the British, while the stone symbolizes the Irish rebels. The stone is dropped into the stream, and relentlessly fights against it in hope of changing the direction of the current. This symbolizes that the Irish wanted to take power over their own land. The Irish wanted to push the British out of power.
In lines 16, 40, and 80, Yeats repeats the phrase “A terrible beauty is born.” It is apparent that Yeats yearns to see his community free and lively again one day. In order for that to happen, the Irish would have to overthrow the British. With rebellion and war comes a lot of bloodshed. Yeats sees the beauty in the face that his neighbors are willing to fight for what they believe in. However, Yeats didn’t like the violence that came with the Irish’s fight with the British.
In “I died for beauty,” Emily Dickenson portrays beauty as insignificant. The speaker of “I died for beauty,” pursued beauty all of her life. Once she reached her death bed, beauty no longer mattered. She was dead, and will soon be forgotten. This portrayal of beauty makes the poem somber. William Butler Yeats sees beauty a bit differently in “Easter 1916.” Yeats is able to see beauty in the tragedy of the loss caused by the rebellion. Yeats has hope for his country’s

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