Notes: A bird came down the walk Flashcards
Briefly introduce this poem
A poem of delight in the wonders of nature seen through the eyes of a keen observer.
Dickinson’s poetry is also filled with the insightful happiness of one who relished in the beauty of nature.
She exhibits her extraordinary poetic powers of observation and description.
Explain
“he bit an Angleworm in halves
And at the fellow, raw,”
A playful tone is combined with a harsh reality of the world of nature, the worm is part of the food chain, survival of the fittest.
“And then he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass-“
microscopic detail. She sees splendour in ordinary aspects of nature.
When does Dickinson exhibit her extraordinary poetic powers of observation and description?
In the final stanza. She has breathtaking descriptions of flight. She offers two comparisons of flight (swimming and rowing).
“And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home-
Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam-
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon
Leap, plashless as they swim.”
Two elaborate images are used to describe the bird in flight, oars and butterflies, seamless, effortless flight.
She evokes the delicacy and fluidity of moving through air.
A sense of grace and ease is mirrored with use of soft sibilant sounds.
Give a final comment on the last stanza
Dickinson and the bird belong to two different worlds. In the world of nature, she is a visitor and does not belong there.
