Notes for "A Bird Came Down the Walk" by Emily Dickinson

Stanza One:

• The man is coming towards her on her life path, but he is intially unaware of her, and is separate.
• He is unself-conscious and there is a wildness about the man/bird.
• "angleworm" - he has perhaps broken another woman's heart?
• the word "raw" is emphasised by the comma, it makes it stand out more.

Stanza Two:

• "hopped sudeways to the wall/to let a beetle pass" - he has manners, is civilised, he can be well mannered and polite.
• different side of him from the first stanza

Stanza Three:

• her attraction to him does not seem to be reciprocated
• he has noticed her - "he…