Adam Hopkins

Period 8 English

12/22/99

Aesthetic Response to Emily Dickinson's Poem

The Forgotten Grave

After a hundred years

Nobody knows the place,—

Agony, that enacted there,

Motionless as peace.

Weeds triumphant ranged,

Strangers strolled and spelled

At the lone orthography,

Of the elder dead.

Winds of summer fields,

Recollect the way,—

Instinct picking up the key

Dropped by memory.

This poem is a sad insight into a reality which is true. As a society we have

become to quick to dismiss an occurrence as history. We have come quick to jump upon

the idea that this event is done, complete, and ready to be logged away in filing cabinets.

A catastrophic event may be mourned upon, but soon will be labeled as old news and we

all seem to go along our ways. We seem to forget quickly the trouble which was just felt.

There are countless examples which I can think of. Such disasters which have occurred

not too long ago which have been catalogued already are: Hurricane Andrew, Columbine

High School Massacre, the crash of TWA Flight 800, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War,

and many others. We are seeming to leave these events which we once mourned upon

behind. We go on with our lives and don't look back. Dickinson feels we should

remember our past and not forget. I agree with this philosophy, but due see the

moderation needed, for living one's life too far in the past is also detrimental. But, I do

not feel the message of this poem is to live in the past, rather remember the past, and

carry it with you in the future.

In the title: "The Forgotten Grave," the word "grave: may be taken two ways.

Upon first glance it would seem to mean the word burial place. This leads insight that we

forget events which are buried away. It is like when a person dies, their body is taken and

buried, and left behind. The other way it may be interpreted, which is the way I felt it was

meant, was the word "grave" being used in a form meaning solemn and sad. These

"grave" events and ideas which occur in our lives leave permanent memories in us and

shape our future experiences. But, these grave feelings we once had are what was

forgotten. I have all four of my grandparents still alive, and are all very healthy

individuals, I consider myself fortunate for this and thank G/D that they are all still alive.

But, pretend in the event one shall die, which is part of human nature, the feeling that I

will feel will be what is to be forgotten. Those "grave" emotions I will experience is what

Dickinson feels I will leave behind; contrary to this, she feels this is what I need to carry

along with me, in addition to the memory of my grandparent. She states this in the first

stanza: "After a hundred years, nobody knows the place, agony enacted there." The place,

"there" is not forgotten, that is labeled with a gravestone, but the agony, the emotion, the

"grave" pain is left. The weeds that grow in its place symbolize all the other events which

occur in our lives which make us forget. They cover the gravestone which is what

signifies, they make it hard to see, and hard to remember. The summer winds of nature

still remember. Nature, is almost seen as the optimum being, it knows, it remembers, it

doesn't forget. The "key" to our memory is remembered by the winds, it holds it for us in

case we ever desire to remember. But, our memories are too incompetent to hold all these

keys or triggers to our memories.

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