Biography
When was she born
What is December 10, 1830
This poem, number 591, has an unusual structure with four stanzas and these types of imperfect end rhymes, like "room" and "storm."
What is slant rhyme?
"Mermaids in the Basement" is felt to be who
What is the wife of the man she is with?
Poem 656 uses this device by giving the "sea" human-like qualities, such as following the speaker closely or bowing to her.
What is personification?
The overall theme of Poem 591 centers on the spiritual presence of God at death, but it is ultimately about the speaker's acceptance or lack of acceptance of this concept.
What is religion and death?
Emily Dickinson Religion
What is Traditional Calvinism?
In both poems, the meter is described as irregular, but it often alternates between these two iambic patterns.
What are iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter?
"Frigates in the Floor" is felt by the narrator to be what
What is the outsiders watching her?
The "fly" in Poem 591 is an example of this device, since it is a physical object used to represent the frustrating and mundane aspects of life.
What is symbolism?
In 591, the expected spiritual presence is symbolized by "the King," while the speaker's frustration with her spiritual experience is represented by this annoying insect.
What is the fly?
Cause of her death
What is time of built up health issues?
Unlike a traditional poem, the lines in both 591 and 656 are very short and concise, a common feature of this poet's work.
Who is Emily Dickinson?
“I felt His Silver Heel / Opon my Ancle”is what form of imagery
What is touch?
The use of words like "buzz" and "stillness" in Poem 591 appeals to the sense of sound and creates a tense, quiet atmosphere.
What is imagery or sound imagery?
Poem 656 explores this type of romantic encounter, suggesting a hidden, secretive relationship.
What is a sexual encounter or affair?
Emily Dickinson's younger sister, who discovered the vast majority of her poems after her death, was named
Who is Lavinia?
This poem, number 656, is made up of this many stanzas.
What is five?
"My Shoes Would overflow with Pearl” creates a sense of what
What is a sense of closeness and physicality?
Poem 656 uses this device, in which different words and phrases create multiple layers of meaning, such as the "sea" symbolizing the man she is with.
What is metaphor or symbolism?
The "Mermaids in the Basement" in Poem 656 represent this idea of being secretive, as if the affair is a secret to be hidden from others, particularly from this person.
What is the man's wife?
How many of Emily Dickinson's nearly 1,800 poems are believed to have been published during her lifetime?
What is fewer than 12?
Both poems lack a strict syllabic line count or set metrical pattern, which contributes to this overall feeling of inconsistency in their structure.
What is a loose or irregular structure?
The images progress from exploring the sea to being overwhelmed by it, then retreating to safety, which mirrors what
What is the speaker’s emotional journey—anticipation, intimacy, and finally separation?
In both poems, the extensive use of dashes and unusual word order serves this purpose, creating pauses and disrupting the flow of the reader's thoughts.
What is to create suspense, emphasize certain words, or show the speaker's fragmented thoughts?
In Poem 591, the speaker's feeling of "saddening loneliness" at the end of her life makes death seem like only this, instead of a spiritual event.
What is fading away?