There's been a death in the opposite house

Let’s look at one poem in detail: (Reference : The Star Online)
There’s been a death in the opposite house
There’s been a death in the opposite house As lately as today. I know it by the numb look Such houses have always.
The neighbours rustle in and out, The doctor drives away. A window opens like a pod, Abrupt, mechanically;
Somebody flings a mattress out, The children hurry by; They wonder if It died on that, I used to when a boy.
The minister goes stiffly in As if the house were his, And he owned all the mourners now, And little boys besides;
And then the milliner, and the man Of the appalling trade, To take the measure of the house. There’ll be that dark parade
Of tassels and of coaches soon; It’s easy as a sign, The intuition of the news In just a country town. — Emily Dickinson
In stanza 1, the persona tells us that someone has died in the house opposite his. The death occurred recently and he knows this because of the sombre atmosphere of the house. The house is said to have a numb look because the occupants of the house are numb with grief.
In stanza 2, he tells us about the goings-on at the house of the deceased. The neighbours come and go, and they try to be quiet and this is conveyed by the word “rustle”. The doctor drives away probably because there is nothing he can do. Then a window opens suddenly, mechanically. This is also how the family of the deceased behaves because they are overcome with grief.
In stanza 3, we learn that a mattress is thrown out, frightening the children who walk past the house. They wonder if the deceased died on the mattress. We learn that the persona used to do the same when he was a boy. From the last line we can infer that the persona is now a grown man. The deceased is referred to as “It” because he/she is no longer alive.
Stanza 4 describes the minister’s arrival. He appears to be stern and takes charge of the funeral arrangements.
Stanza 5 focuses on two people, the milliner and the undertaker who have come to make arrangements for the funeral. The milliner is there to take measurements to make a hat for the deceased while the undertaker, “the man of the appalling trade”, is there to take measurements for the “house” (coffin).
Stanza 6 tells us that once arrangements have been made, there will be the funeral procession (“the dark parade”) where the coffin will be taken to the cemetery on a horse-drawn carriage with the mourners following it.
Setting: The death takes place in a country town where people know one another. This is why the persona is able to recognise the people who come and go.
Theme: Death is a natural occurrence. Yet, it is a sad event for those who lose a loved one (the people are numb with grief).
Tone: Though the theme of this poem is death, it does not have a sad and mournful tone. The persona tells us of the goings on in a matter-of-fact manner to convey the idea that death is a natural occurrence.
The present tense is used to convey the idea that death is an everyday occurrence.


Let us look at some sample questions.
a. How do the people of the house react to the death?
They are numb with grief. (1 mark)
b. Who does the word “his” in line 14 of the poem refer to?
The minister. (1 mark)
c. Why does the persona refer to the undertaker as “the man of the appalling trade”?
He thinks the undertaker’s work is unpleasant and dreadful. (1 mark)
d. In your own words, explain what the speaker means when he says “then, there’ll be that dark parade”?
He is referring to the funeral procession where the mourners will be dressed in black and the mood will be sombre. (2 marks)