Emily Dickinson – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
How are the speakers' attitudes toward God and Death similar in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?
answer
both speakers appear confident and accepting
question
What is similar about the subjects?
answer
Both personalize a broad subject, such as mortality and spirituality
question
How are the speakers of "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" similar?
answer
Both are forthright and confident
question
How are the moods different?
answer
former has a serious mood, while the latter has a lighter mood
question
In "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church," why does the speaker say that she has "an Orchard, for a Dome" in the first stanza?
answer
She is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church
question
What does the first stanza of "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" suggest about the speaker's view of religious customs?
answer
She participates in religious customs in an unconventional way
question
We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground - What image does the language in these lines create?
answer
XXXXXX The language distracts the reader from the symbolic meaning of the words. The language suggests an image of gloom and foreboding.
question
How are the speakers' sense of goals different in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?
answer
The speaker in the former knows exactly what her goal is, while the speaker in the latter believes that she has already achieved it.
question
How does the first-person point of view in both "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" help communicate the ideas presented in the poems?
answer
XXXXXX It immediately persuades readers to accept each speaker's entire worldview. It makes readers think that the poet has personally experienced the events described.
question
How are the speakers' attitudes toward God and Death similar in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?
answer
XXXXXX Both speakers seem obedient and submissive.
question
Why is the image of the setting sun most likely not described in great detail in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"?
answer
XXXXXX It is not a significant aspect of the mood created within the poem.
question
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church - I keep it, staying at Home - With a Bobolink for a Chorister - And an Orchard, for a Dome - What does the use of the words "orchard" and "dome" suggest?
answer
XXXXXXX that the speaker only feels close to her faith when she is enjoying the world of nature
question
A clergyman is an official leader within an organized religion. Why does Dickinson call God "a noted Clergyman" in "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?
answer
She is poking gentle fun by suggesting that God is the supreme clergy.
question
Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice - I just wear my Wings - And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church, Our little Sexton - sings. What is the effect of the word "surplice," which is a garment worn by the clergy, in this stanza?
answer
It reinforces the difference between the natural things the speaker holds dear and the rituals of the church.
question
And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility - What is the purpose of the words "labor" and "leisure"?
answer
XXXXXX They are elements of life that the speaker will not miss
question
Which statement best describes the purpose of the horse-drawn carriage imagery in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death."
answer
The imagery introduces the idea that death is a natural and ordinary part of one's journey through life.
question
The Carriage held but just Ourselves - And Immortality. What is the effect of the phrase "but just Ourselves" in the lines above?
answer
It conveys the personal nature of the speaker's journey.
question
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church, Our little Sexton - sings. What is the most likely reason for the poet to oppose the phrases "tolling the Bell" and "sings" in these lines?
answer
The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.
