As Imperceptibly as Grief - Quotes, Context and Form & Structure

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  • Created by: Noah_S
  • Created on: 26-03-19 17:56
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  • As Imperceptibly As Grief
    • Emily Dickinson
      • Written around 1865
    • Middle
      • "As twilight long begun"
        • Use of the image "twilight" could suggest that the speaker is trapped between dark/depression and light/ happiness.
        • "long begun" suggests a melancholic tone of the darkness taking over the happiness.
      • "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 change that is occurring.
        • The use of the word "foreign" also suggests that she doesn't recognise the light and hope morning offers as she lives in darkness.
    • Context
      • Emily Dickinson
        • Lived most of her life in solitude as a recluse.
        • Dickinson's poems reflect her early and lifelong fascination with illness, dying and death.
        • Before she wrote this poem, several of her family members / friends has died.
        • The poem is an example of her preoccupation of the idea of an oncoming darkness and what the end of what brief happiness life can bring.
    • Beginning
      • "As imperceptibly as Grief"
        • The repetition of the title in the fist 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.
      • "Too imperceptible, at last / To seem like Perfidy"
        • The word "perfidy" suggests that the speaker does not trust time and she feels almost tricked how quickly time/happiness is taken away.
    • Form and Structure
      • 16 short lines.
        • Has alternating lines with the 1st and 3rd lines being of 8 syllables and 2nd and 4th lines being 6.
        • Written in blank verse.
      • 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 demonstrates the universal appeal of the poem.
    • End
      • "‘without a Wing/Or a service of Keel"
        • "wing" and "keel" could suggest t hat the speaker feels like she is trapped an unstable. The speaker craves freedom but can't see any escape.
        • Alliteration creates a whispery sound and is used to illustrate that summer gradually slips away on its own.
      • "Our Summer made her light escape"
        • The use of the possessive pronoun shows the extent to which the poet had become attached to the season. She felt in some way connected to it
        • In using the verb ‘made’ realises that she has no control over the seasons at all. They will change whether she likes it or not.

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