Emily Dickinson facts
Dickinson’s poetry is known for its unusual use of punctuation, especially this mark, which she used frequently.
What is the dash (or em dash)?
What literary device is the bird in the poem.
Extended Metaphor
The poem suggests that hope can be found even during these kinds of difficult life events.
Storms (Hardships)
3. Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem?
A) Melancholy and wistful
B) Hopeful and reverent
C) Sarcastic and bitter
D) Detached and clinical
E) Joyful and humorous
Correct Answer:
B) Hopeful and reverent
Although Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems, this number were published during her lifetime
What is fewer than a dozen (or about 10)?
What literary Element is used here:
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
Repetition
Dickinson emphasizes hope’s persistence by stating it “never stops” doing this.
Singing
6. In line 6, the word “sore” most nearly means:
A) Physically injured
B) Emotionally distressed
C) Intense or severe
D) Irritated or annoyed
E) Jealous or envious
Correct Answer: C) Intense or severe
This U.S. state was home to Emily Dickinson for her entire life.
Massachusetts
What literary Element is this:
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Personification
Though the speaker says hope gives so much, she claims it asks for this in return.
Nothing (or What is a crumb)?
5. The poem’s structure contributes to its meaning primarily by:
A) Following a strict iambic pentameter to convey order
B) Presenting hope as logical and calculable
C) Using enjambment and rhythm to mirror the continuity of hope
D) Shifting perspectives between the bird and the speaker
E) Offering a chronological story of hope's origins
(Double Points)
Correct Answer:
C) Using enjambment and rhythm to mirror the continuity of hope