Questions and Answers for Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
What are the literary devices used in the poem "Success is counted sweetest"?
This three-stanza poem by Emily Dickinson relies on a number of literary devices for its effectiveness. It begins with an aphorism--a statement of truth expressed in a concise, witty manner....
Emily Dickinson
I'm Nobody Who Are You Theme
As with so many of Dickinson's works, the theme of individual identity and alienation is expressed in a profound manner in this particular poem. The fundamental idea of being different is...
Emily Dickinson
Who is the "purple Host" in Emily Dickinson's poem "Success is counted sweetest"?
The "purple Host" of the poem is a symbol of whoever has met with success today; it could be a conquering army, as seems literal, or it could be any person or group that has triumphed,...
Emily Dickinson
Forever Is Composed Of Nows
Dickinson is saying that the Now should be treasured and celebrated. The Now means the present. Every past and future moment was at one time, or will be, a present; a Now. Each moment in the past,...
Emily Dickinson
What is the poet describing in the final stanza of "A Bird, came down the Walk" (359) by Emily Dickinson? This is...
The final stanza is a continuation of an extended figurative comparison that begins a couple of lines before the final stanza. The full comparison states: And he unrolled his feathers, And rowed...
Emily Dickinson
In the poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense," what is the meaning of the two paradoxes in the first few lines? What...
In this poem, Dickinson presents two paradoxes, or statements that contradict themselves. The first is that people with "much madness," or who are insane, show a great deal of sense. In fact,...
Emily Dickinson
What kind of rhyme did Emily Dickinson use in her poems? a. exact rhyme b. slant rhyme c. no rhyme d. all of above
Emily Dickinson used three types of rhyme: First is exact rhyme. Take the poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death," for example. Examples of exact rhyme is me/Immortality in the first stanza. She...
Emily Dickinson
There Is No Frigate Like A Book Analysis
Another educator already focused on the stylistic elements of the poem, so for my analysis, I will focus on the meaning and significance of Emily Dickinson's "There is no Frigate like a Book,"...
Emily Dickinson
In Emily Dickinson’s poem "It dropped so low — in my Regard," what is "it"? What two things are compared? How much of...
Like many other Emily Dickinson's poems, "It dropped so low — in my Regard" wasn't published until after her death. Like many other of her poems, "It dropped so low — in my Regard" is enigmatic,...
Emily Dickinson
"Witchcraft was hung, in History, / But History and I / Find all the Witchcraft that we need / Around us every Day."...
When Dickinson says, "Witchcraft was hung, in History," she seems to mean that modern thinkers no longer believe in witchcraft; it is a thing associated with history only. It is considered to be a...
Emily Dickinson
Why does Emily Dickinson use the bird image in "254"?
In the Biblical story of Noah and the ark, after forty days on the water, Noah needs to know if there is a place to land where life can start again. He sends a dove out to search. She returns with...
Emily Dickinson
What is the significance of nature in Emily Dickinson's poems?
Dickinson's view of nature in her poetry can be examined through two of her poems regarding this subject: "Nature is what we see" and "Nature, the Gentlest Mother." In "Nature is what we see,"...
Emily Dickinson
What is the tone of "Success is Counted Sweetest" by Emily Dickinson? This is for a project. I was thinking that...
One way to identify and analyze tone is to look at the writer’s word choice, which we refer to as diction. Emily Dickinson’s poem “Success is Counted Sweetest” is, like most of her poems, very...
Emily Dickinson
How can you compare a Frigate with a Book in the poem-"There is no Frigate like a Book" by Emily Dickinson? It is...
A frigate is a ship, and in her poem, Emily Dickinson is comparing it to a book because of a book's capacity to transport readers to places far and wide in their imaginations. Dickinson says,...
Emily Dickinson
When was Emily Dickinson's first poem published?
There is an element of mystery surrounding the subject of Emily Dickinson’s poetry, her desire (or lack of desire) to see her works published, and whether her poems were published with or without...
Emily Dickinson
What is the significance of "I like a look of Agony"? This is what I have at the moment. The poem, can be seen as a...
You have come up with some very good thoughts to start you off. Essentially, this poem is all about the conflict between honesty and superficial masks that we wear in society. The poem deliberately...
Emily Dickinson
What is the metaphor in the following lines from Emily Dickinson's poem "Wild Nights! Wild Nights!"? "Might I but...
The persona in "Wild Nights! Wild Nights!" is a lover--we'll assume a woman--who yearns to be united with her beloved. The liaison is imagined, not real, because the subjunctive "were I with thee"...
Emily Dickinson
How does Emily Dickinson use irony and sarcasm?
Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of Emily Dickinson's irony and sarcasm is her short poem "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" First, saying "I'm Nobody" is verbal irony, because everybody is...
Emily Dickinson
What is referred to as "a House" in the poem "Because I could not stop for Death-"?
The narrator in "Because I could not stop for Death" faces a problem many people have: she is too busy to die. Nevertheless, Death (personified) stops by to pick her up, and thus they begin their...
Emily Dickinson
What is one thing Whitman and Dickinson had in common?
Both Whitman and Dickinson were American individualists. Dickinson was the more conservative of the two. She lived a rather reclusive life and rarely left the house. In a similar fashion, her poems...
Emily Dickinson
How could Emily Dickinson be regarded as a confessional poet, with reference to her poems?
Emily Dickinson is widely regarded as a Romantic poet. That said, this idea does not keep critics and readers from examining her and her work from a Confessionalist's point of view. According to...
Emily Dickinson
What does "purple" refer to in Emily Dickinson's poem "Where ships of purple - ; gently toss"? What is the meaning of...
Emily Dickinson’s poetry has always been rife with metaphors and imagery, and “Where ships of purple gently toss” is a great example. The “ships” have been interpreted as flowers in a garden and...
Emily Dickinson
Please paraphrase "It Sifts from Leaden Sieves" by Emily Dickinson. It sifts from Leaden Sieves --It powders all the...
"It Sifts from Leaden Sieves", by American lyric poet Emily Dickinson, considers the attributes of snow. Snow softly falls as if icing sugar that dusts a plain dessert to enhance its visual appeal....
Emily Dickinson
In the poem "There's Been a Death in the Opposite House," what attitude does the speaker have toward death?"
This poem is describes what goes on in a house in which someone has recently died. The tone is matter of fact, much like a reporter would notice details. Without mentioning death, she describes...
Emily Dickinson
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “If you were coming in the fall,” what would the speaker do if her beloved didn't return to...
Waiting for your beloved in the uncertainty of his or her return could be the most tormenting experience. The speaker is undergoing precisely the same agony. She’s not sure when her beloved is...
Emily Dickinson
In the poem "Success is Counted Sweetest" by Emily Dickinson, what poetic devices can be found in it?
Dickinson also employs irony, created when what we expect to happen differs significantly, or is even opposite, of what actually occurs in reality. In this poem, the speaker claims that it is...
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson's poem number 432 says, "The props assist the House." What is the metaphor here? What is being compared?
The poem that you're quoting is not number 432, but 729, and it is often called "The Props Assist the House" in reference to its first line. The "house" that is being described in this poem, while...
Emily Dickinson
Can you tell me the importance and the main idea of "The Brain Within its Groove" and how does this poem reflect the...
In Emily Dickinson's poem "The Brain Within Its Groove," the speaker seems to be saying that the brain runs smoothly in its groove as long as thoughts run evenly: The Brain, within its GrooveRuns...
Emily Dickinson
How are the two poems "Because I could mot stop for death" and "I heard a fly buzz - when I died" similar?
Emily Dickinson wrote many poems about death. Two of the most unusual of them are "Because I could not stop for Death" (479) and "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died" (591). Both of these poems relate...
Emily Dickinson
Do you enjoy reading the poems of Emily Dickinson ? Why or Why not ? Do you enjoy reading the poems of Emily...
I have to use the word "appreciate" instead of "like" when it comes to Dickinson's poetry. As others have mentioned, her works are generally short and simple to read but have enough complexity to...
Emily Dickinson
How does Emily Dickinson's personal life reflect in her poetry? And why can her work cause such an impact on literature?
Emily Dickinson's personal life comes through in the themes of her poetry as well as in its style. Common themes of her work include death, grief, nature, love, and introspection. Dickinson grieved...
Emily Dickinson
What does the Dark and Darkness represent in Emily Dickinson's "We Grow Accustomed To the Dark?"
In this poem, the switch from merely literal to symbolic seems to take place in the first line of the third stanza, when Dickinson shifts from discussing "Dark" (in the first two stanzas) to...
Emily Dickinson
In the poem "Heart! We will forget him," the heart takes the lead here and has to do with the signficance of warmth...
In Emily Dickinson's short poem, "Heart! We will forget him," the speaker uses an apostrophe, speaking directly to her heart. And she also personifies her heart as something that will, with her,...
Emily Dickinson
What is the message and themes in Dickinson's poem "One need not be a chamber to be haunted"?
Emily Dickinson examines the themes of mental anguish, fear, loneliness, anxiety, and internal conflict throughout her poem "One need not be a chamber to be haunted." Throughout the poem, Dickinson...
Emily Dickinson
Compare and contrast Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.
Walt Whitman's poetry expresses an enlarged vision that encompasses the universe in a broad way, in expansive outward gestures and long poems. In contrast, Dickinson's poetry is interior, dealing...
Emily Dickinson
How does Emily Dickinson use individuality in her poems?
In some poems, Dickinson seems distrustful of the majority, as though it is much safer to rely on one's own wits and ideas and to avoid those of the majority altogether. Take the poem we refer to...
Emily Dickinson
What are the main similarities of Dickinson and Whitman?
At first glance, you would think there would not be many: Dickinson wrote comparatively tiny poems that fiercely articulated a turbulent internal life; her intended audience, if there was one...
Emily Dickinson
What's the theme of the poem "A not admitting of the wound" by Emily Dickinson?
This is a brief but powerful poem on the theme of trauma and its ripple effects on a person's life. Dickinson describes a "wound," unidentified, which grew sufficiently large that every part of her...
Emily Dickinson
How do we summarize the poem "Trees" (stanza wise) by Emily Dickinson?
There is a very famous poem titled "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918). It also became a very famous song, which we heard so often over the years that we became pretty sick of it. Here is the...
Emily Dickinson
Questions regarding the poem "There has been a death in the opposite house" by Emily Dickinson. 1.why speaker must...
1. It seems that the speaker is observing the scene from outside, probably from a nearby house ("opposite" her own), but this speaker also seems to see herself as apart from the rest of the...
Emily Dickinson
What are the literary devices used in "If I could stop one heart from breaking" by Emily Dickinson?
This short poem by Emily Dickinson comprises seven lines and has an ABABCBB rhyme scheme. The meter of the poem is also irregular, with the first line having a pattern of stresses equivalent to...
Emily Dickinson
How can one understand Emily Dickinson's poem "It dropped so low--in my Regard"?
Emily Dickinson's poem beginning with the line "It dropped so low -- in my Regard" is open to a wide variety of interpretations.One thing we can note is that she juxtaposes concrete objects with...
Emily Dickinson
What is the theme of "I Am Nobody Who Are You" by Emily Dickinson?
In the poem "I am nobody, who are you?" Emily Dickinson takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the idea of collective voice versus minority voice. Her tone is cheeky and confident in the sense that she is...
Emily Dickinson
In "What Soft Cherubic Creatures," what is the idea Emily Dickinson attempts to address and how does she convey this...
Helen Vendler, in a splendid commentary on Emily Dickinson’s poem “What Soft—Cherubic Creatures—” (see link below), has explained the poem's basic premises. The speaker is in the company of...
Emily Dickinson
What is the theme of the poem "Precious Words" by Emily Dickinson? "Precious Words" by Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson's poem entitled "He ate and drank the precious words" comes from her collection of poetry under Part One of "Life". It is number twenty-one in the collection. Please remember that...
Emily Dickinson
What does the poem "Pink, Small, and Punctual" by Emily Dickinson mean?
This nature riddle by Emily Dickinson was published in The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson in 1924, and in that version, the answer was provided beneath the poem in parentheses. The poem...
Emily Dickinson
What was the title of the last poem by Emily Dickinson?
Finding the last poem written by Emily Dickinson provided some interesting information. Dickinson published only a few poems during her lifetime; and other than in Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson...
Emily Dickinson
Explain why it is “dreary—to be—Somebody!” in "I’m Nobody! Who Are You?" by Emily Dickinson.
Consistent with the theme of redefinition, Dickinson is able to redefine the individual's relationship with their social order. In the second stanza, she refers to the idea of being "dreary" in...
Emily Dickinson
Could anyone analyze Emily Dickinson's poem number 130, "These are the days when birds come back"?
In this poem, Dickinson's speaker describes the way the beautiful days of late summer mimic the days of early summer in June. For a moment, nature's soft beauty can deceive a few birds—and the...
Emily Dickinson
What is the tone of the poem "I taste a liquor never brewed" by Emily Dickinson?
The tone of the poem "I taste a liquor never brewed" by Emily Dickinson is rapturous. However, although the poet seems to be describing the rapturous feeling experienced with intoxication or...
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