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About

Genius Annotation

This poem argues, unexpectedly, that after great pain and distress, a mental experience follows which Dickinson describes as “a formal feeling”. It is characterised by self control and numbness. It is worth bearing in mind that this was written at the time of the American Civil War and the death of many young men may well have been in the poet’s mind.

Dickinson takes a detached view; there is no specific persona named but she identifies the deceased through parts of the body — an example of synecdoche. There is an implied serenity in this final state of nothingness. he effect of great pain is a journey towards absence of pain.

Structure
The poem comprises three stanzas of four, five and four lines. There is an irregular rhyme scheme — the first and the third stanzas are broadly in rhyming couplets , AABB. The second stanza is unrhymed until the last two lines Some of the couplets are consonantly rhymed, for example “Lead” and “outlived” and “comes” and “Tombs”.

The dashes — characteristic Dickinson — are carefully placed to slow the pace and mimic the heavy tread of grieving. The final line is a fine example of use of punctuation to enhance meaning.

Language and Imagery
The voice is that of an unnamed third party narrator, we can assume the poet. The tone is solemn and heavy as appropriate to the subject.

The mental and emotional state is described in terms of concrete language. The most striking imagery is that of the dead person identified as the parts of the body that represent different aspects of that person — feet, heart, nerves. As stated above, this is an example of synecdoche.

One unexpected and inventive image appears in stanza two, where in the final line Dickinson refers to a “Quartz contentment”. This is followed up in the third stanza by “the Hour of Lead”. These are analysed in the detailed annotations.

See The Poetry of Emily Dickinson; Atlantic Review
BBC Podcast ‘In Our Time’ – Emily Dickinson

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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