I heard a Fly buzz — when I died

Dickinson famously ends “I heard a Fly Buzz—when I died—” with the paradox of “I could not see to see” (Line 16). A paradox acts as a contradiction, a puzzle to solve to find its deeper meaning. If one can use their eyes to look, aren’t they already “seeing?” Why would it need to be confirmed? If they cannot see, would it not make more sense to say, “I realized,” or “I sensed I could not see?” However, Dickinson is playing with the word, see’s multiple connotations. The first see means the act of looking with one’s eyes. The second “see” articulates the speaker’s understanding or receiving revelation. Dickinson layers the speaker’s multiple dying experiences by layering different meanings with the same word. Physically, as the speaker’s body shuts down, she no longer possesses the sensory tools to engage and analyze the world around her (Line 15-16). Emotionally, she attempts to observe as she did in life but no longer can. In doing so, the speaker clings to life and a clear understanding of how it functions (Line 16). The paradox expresses the horror that the only way the speaker can explain what is happening is through terms that can no longer fully articulate or explain the experience (Line 16).