emily dickinson poems – Flashcards

theme: resurrection - to either the rising of Christ from the dead or the rising to life of all human dead before the final judgment. the soon to be dead waiting judgement day. the people are meek because they no longer are in control of their life the alabaster chambers referring to the tomb /coffin of the dead

-theme: isolation, suffering -meaning: basically there's a "slant of light" in the winter afternoons that oppresses. the light is then compared to "heavenly hurt" that leaves no scar. when the light is present, things such as the landscape listens. but when the light goes away, it's almost as if there's ISOLATION and a distance like death.

The speaker says that "the Soul selects her own Society—" and then "shuts the Door," refusing to admit anyone else—even if "an Emperor be kneeling / Upon her mat—." Indeed, the soul often chooses no more than a single person from "an ample nation" and then closes "the Valves of her attention" to the rest of the world. theme: individuals struggle with God

Summary: The speaker describes once seeing a bird come down the walk, unaware that it was being watched. The bird ate an angleworm, then "drank a Dew / From a convenient Grass—," then hopped sideways to let a beetle pass by. The bird's frightened, bead-like eyes glanced all around. Cautiously, the speaker offered him "a Crumb," but the bird "unrolled his feathers" and flew away—as though rowing in the water, but with a grace gentler than that with which "Oars divide the ocean" or butterflies leap "off Banks of Noon"; the bird appeared to swim without splashing. Theme: nature

Summary: The speaker notes that following great pain, "a formal feeling" often sets in, during which the "Nerves" are solemn and "ceremonious, like Tombs." The heart questions whether it ever really endured such pain and whether it was really so recent ("The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore, / And Yesterday, or Centuries before?"). The feet continue to plod mechanically, with a wooden way, and the heart feels a stone-like contentment. This, the speaker says, is "the Hour of Lead," and if the person experiencing it survives this Hour, he or she will remember it in the same way that "Freezing persons" remember the snow: "First—Chill—then Stupor—then the letting go—." Themes: memory and the past, death

theme: madness, freedom & confinement summary: the speaker is saying the crazy people are actually sane and the "sane" people are actually crazy. because those who dare to be different are actually smarter && if you go with the mainstream you are crazy

theme: death, beauty summary: the speaker is saying she died for beauty and was laying in her tomb when a tomb next to her had a man who died for truth. they start talking and the man said that dying for truth is the same as dying for beauty so the relate each other as "Kin" or family. they talk and talk until the moss covers their names on the tomb stones & their mouths.

theme: mortality- the poems explores all aspects of death (what happens before, during, and after) summary: poem describes the scene and the atmosphere at the moment when someone dies. starts by mentioning the sound of a fly, then the speaker leaves the image behind and talks about the room where she is dying. she talks about the people around her who are calmly pre sparing themselves for her final moment. she talks about going away all she owns. then, when everything is in place, the fly comes. when the fly shows up, the atmosphere changes from peaceful and things get strange and unpeaceful.

theme: from like to DEATH. not as much beauty in it as simplicity. PRIDE in death and it's silent, stiff, death— burial summary: Dickinson explains the death of a human from warm to a chill (cold). discusses it's corpse stiffening, straightening, fingers growing cold and eyes freezing. says there is somewhat of a pride & respect in a silent stiff burial. doesn't matter the poem extravagant, just speaks of its burial as "dropped like adamant", meaning a cold stone. basically goes over process of death & rigor mortis, it's loss of life. serenity and simplicity

summary: in it, Dickinson describes the progress of a strange creature (which astute readers discover is a train) winding its way through a hilly landscape. The speaker admires the train's speed and power as is goes through valleys, stops for fuel, then "steps" around some mountains. The animal-like train passes by human dwellings and, though it observes them, doesn't stop to say hello. Instead, it goes on ahead, chugging loudly as it passes through a tunnel, and steams downhill. Finally, the train (compared in the end to a powerful horse) stops right on time at the station, its "stable." theme: POWER- the steam train shows up and everything is different. "I like to see it lap the Miles" captures both the beauty and the menace of this new technology by emphasizing just how strong and mighty it is.

-theme: wisdom, imagination, knowledge, spiritual, nature, -meaning: it's saying that the brain is "wider than the sky" when the brain and sky are put side by side. then it explains how the brain is "deeper than the sea" and says the brain absorbs things like buckets and sponges so. in the last stanza, it explains how the brain is "just the weight of God".

theme: power of poetry, ambition, expanding the mind summary: talks about power of poetry itself. connects nature and a vision of a house to it. "a fairer house than prose" and discusses its many windows and superior/ powerful doors... endless possibilities with poetry. poetry gives us the power to expand our minds and think about the universe "everlasting roof and the sky" ends with opening hands to "gather paradise". poetry can get you in touch with the universe

theme: resignation or acceptance of a situation summary: the speaker is communicating from beyond the grave, describing her journey with Death, personified, from life to after life. The speaker is "too busy" for death, so death kindly takes her. she puts away her labor and leisure to enjoy her death, or path to death. Her death becomes "cold" and physical once placed in the ground. she reflects on her life in a positive way.

theme: anger summary: this poem is an extended metaphor in which the speakers life becomes a loaded gun. the gun and owner become closes connected gravely in the woods to pursuit the deer they are hunting. when the gun is fired its boom is echoed with the mountains and when it is fired there is an explosion of light which illuminates the valley. when the owner of the gun goes to sleep, he keeps the gun close by to protect himself. the gun warns to any enemy of his masters he will be very dangerous and no one who proves to be dangerous will survive *narrator of the poem is the gun

theme: death (death of the bird's song/ harmony) or abandonment (bird abandoned the song and the place) or closure (the bird sang the song, found the principle, and was done and left) summary: at 3:30 A.M. Emily heard a bird trying out one 'cautious melody.' By 4:30 the bird had found, by repeated tests, the 'silver Principle' of song which it was seeking. At 7:30 there was no sign of the 'Element'(the song) or of the 'Implement'(the bird). There was only an empty place where their presence had been, the circumference of a circle now marking that place off from the rest of the world to which the bird had gone

theme: power of truth summary: dickinson explains the power of truth and the best way to tell it. Basically her point is to tell people things subtly without completely freaking the person out. it is too overpowering for people's weak perception. they would not understand it or be too overwhelmed in direct presentations of truth, before they can see the truth itself.

theme: religion, insincerity summary: a liberal minister makes such exaggerated claims for his broad-mindedness that he reveals his insincerity and lack of faith. it's a criticism of preachers who drone on and on or are superficial/ insincere. he makes blanket statements about his faith but doesn't elaborate on anything

theme: ignorance summary: speaker addresses audience, telling them to go to their rendezvous of light. she says that she and others who aren't a part of this rendezvous cross through mystery which is represented as a mystery while those who are part of the rendezvous simply leapt over it. I think she's referring to the rendezvous of light as blissful ignorance, while her and others (presumably writers) aren't afraid to explore the depths of life, which may be a bit darker

theme: nature (the storm) or amazement (with how the world stays strong with all the natural disasters) summary: she describes the menacing approach and intensity of a storm so despite this event we are still left with wonder. starts with a warning of the storm but in the end Dickinson talks of how with all the carnage and destruction the weather may bring, the world still revolves and everything else still remains and withstands