As Imperceptily As Grief Flashcards
Poet
Emily Dickinson
Structure/Form
16 short lines. It is blank verse with no rhyme scheme, but it has an alternating lines with the 1st and 3rd line being of 8 syllables (beats) and lines 2 and 4 being 6 syllables.
The poem is a euphony because it expresses the attachment of sentiment to a particular time, place or feeling. It has a calm, gentle feel that is reflective, rather than exploding with emotions.
Speaker never identifies themselves as male or female, perhaps demonstrating the universal appeal of the poem.
The summer lapsed away-
The personification of summer creates a sense that summer has tried to walk away from the poet and abandon her, after she has become attached. The hyphen at the end of the line shows the poet’s distress. The verb ‘lapsed’ is powerful because it shows that whilst enjoying the summer so much, she neglected to notice it gradually fading away. adverb ‘away’ suggests distance
A courteous, yet harrowing Grace
The juxtaposition of ‘courteous’ and ‘harrowing’ suggest a conflict of emotions. As the sun shares itself around the world with other countries in a cycle of seasons – she knows that she is being selfish wanting it to stay with her and deprive another country of the beauty of summer. The noun ‘Grace’ shows how she is personifying the sun to be generous, which she must respect.
= realisation/acceptance
The Morning foreign shone-
Like dusk, morning is personified as making decisions of its own. Assonance in ‘foreign shone’ shows a lazy tone, an unwillingness to let go and embrace the inevitable change that is occurring. The use of the word ‘foreign’ also suggests that whilst her days are becoming darker and shorter, the sun has gone to rest on another continent and shines brightly in another country.
The Dusk drew earlier in-
The capitalisation of the word ‘Dusk’ personifies a portion of the day and, along with the use of alliteration, creates a sense of sadness and betrayal – as if dusk had decided to come earlier to be spiteful. Again, the hyphen at the end of the line demonstrates a pause in thought – almost creating a sigh, as the poet feels regretful that things are changing beyond her control.
As Imperceptibly as Grief
Simile
Repetition of the title in the first line shows a sense of loss and disbelief that the seasons are changing. The capitalisation of the word ‘grief’ brings emphasis to the emotions of the poet, and reflects how deeply she is experiencing the change in seasons.
Without a Wing/Or a service of Keel
Alliteration creates a whispery sound and is used to illustrate that summer gradually slips away on its own. The nouns ‘Wing’ and ‘Keel’ are capitalised and allude to imagery of flying or sailing – to show that summer does not in fact need a vehicle with which to escape. It slips away.
Context
Dickinson was an American poet, born in Massachusetts in 1830. She barely left her house for 30 years, rarely had visitors and became an observer of the world. Much of her poetry is about how emotions are attached to or projected onto environment. Her poetry did not become famous until after her death and was heavily influenced by the metaphysical poets of the 18th century.
