As Imperceptibly as Grief, by Emily Dickinson Flashcards
Who is the speaker? What about?
Emily Dickinson and her fear of death and feeling that she is tricked by time passing away. It could also be speaking of how her happiness is disappearing.
When? Where?
End of summer
Massachusetts, USA
Why?
A poem to reflect the feeling of grieving
Context
Emily Dickinson lived in Massachusetts, USA, 1830-86. She was recluse so did not leave the house often.
Before she wrote this poem several family members and friends had died
Structure
Dickenson uses a series of dashes to create a hesitant and disjointed pace to the poem, reflecting her own fractured state of mind
Title analysis
The word ‘imperceptibly could suggest that no-one notices the speaker’s pain and grief because it has happened so gradually.
The word ‘grief’ suggests that the pain is unbearable and overwhelming. Grief is seen to be life-changing.
What does the second line of the poem represent?
‘To Summer lapsed away’
The imagery of ‘Summer’ could represent happiness or the peak time in life
The verb ‘lapsed’ could represent that time is passing and the speaker in the poem is thinking that death is approaching.
What does the word ‘Perfidy-‘ suggest?
The word ‘Perfidy’ may suggest that Dickinson does not trust time and she feels almost tricked by how quickly time/happiness is taken away.
What does the use of the image ‘Twilight’ suggest?
that the speaker is tarped between dark/depressed and light/happiness
What does ‘long begun’ show?
shows a melancholic tone of the darkness taking over the happiness
What does ‘The Dusk drew earlier in’ suggest?
The word ‘Dusk’ suggests that the speaker feels the darkness is drawing closer and she feels that the light (her happiness) is growing shorter each day
‘Dusk’ is coming earlier each day suggesting the light is leaving her life
What is meant by ‘Morning foreign shone’?
The morning is ‘foreign’ to her because it offers light and hope.
This is something that she does not recognise.
Analysis on ‘A courteous, yet harrowing Grace’
the phrase ‘harrowing Grace’ suggests that everything that should be gentle and kind to her seems painful and frightening
What do the words ‘Wing’ and ‘Keel’ suggest?
that the speaker feels like she is unstable and trapped
The speaker craves freedom but can’t see any escape
What does ‘light escape’ suggest?
the word ‘light’ could suggest that the speaker has finally accepted that time passes and that they will have to face death
Analysis on the last line
‘Into the Beautiful’
The poem ends positively by Dickinson using the word ‘Beautiful’. This could imply that she is now ready to move on to heaven
