Explication of One dignity delays for all by Emily Dickinson

     Overall from this poem, I sense a very regal and profound tone. By the end of the poem, you can tell that the description of the elaborate procession ends up being for a funeral, "And claim the rank to die!" (15). The message that Emily Dickinson is trying to bring across is that there is only one kind of dignity, whether you are a part of the royal family or whether you are a member of the lower class. She begins by mentioning "None can avoid this purple--/ None can evade this Crown!" (3-4). Purple first and foremost is known as the most regal colors and has come to represent all things royal. She also capitalizes the word "Crown" which reminded me of how people capitalize the letter G in "God". This seems like a criticism on behalf of Dickinson on how people glorify and idolize the royal family as if they were a religious figure.
     Then, Dickinson describes just how extravagant the funerals of the royal people are. She says in an excited but almost sarcastic and biting tone how it is such an important time that everyone in the village stops what they are doing to watch the service pass by and how everyone tips their hats for that one person who just seems so special. I think that Dickinson is truly perplexed by how the people in town will just halt everything they are doing to give their respects to this member of royalty, when people die every single day. There is a hint of irony in this poem in that the message of Dickinson's poem is that people spend too much time focusing on the deaths of others, while she devotes this entire poem to that very topic.