it was not death by emily dickinson, 1830 - 1886
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It was not death
By Emily Dickinson, 1830 - 1886
ENTIRE POEM
– It was not Death, for I stood up,– And all the Dead, lie down—– It was not Night, for all the Bells– Put out their Tongues, for Noon.
– It was not Frost, for on my Flesh– I felt Sirocos—crawl—– Nor Fire—for just my Marble feet– Could keep a Chancel, cool—
– And yet, it tasted, like them all,– The Figures I have seen– Set orderly, for Burial,– Reminded me, of mine—
– As if my life were shaven, – And fitted to a frame,– And could not breathe without a key,– And ‘twas like Midnight, some—
– When everything that ticked—has stopped—– And Space stares all around—– Or Grisly frosts—first Autumn morns,– Repeal the Beating Ground—
– But, most, like Chaos—Stopless—cool—– Without a Chance, or Spar—– Or even a Report of Land—– To justify—Despair.
– My poem is a free verse
– Has no rhyme scheme
– Six stanzas- four lines in each
– Twenty Four lines
Organization, structure, form
Theme/lesson
– She is presenting a depressing and hopeless setting. The speaker is attempting to define or understand her own condition.
Authors Purpose
Biography
– Dickinson began writing as a
teenager. Her early influences include Leonard Humphrey, principal of Amherst Academy, and a family friend named Benjamin Franklin Newton. Newton introduced Dickinson to the poetry of William Wordsworth, who also served as an inspiration to the young writer
Stanza 1
It was not Death, for I stood up,
And all the Dead, lie down—
It was not Night, for all the Bells
Put out their Tongues, for Noon.
Literal meaning
Death you cant standDead lay down It wasn’t night because people bells had rang for noon
Stanzas one and two tell us what her condition is not.
Stanza 2
It was not Frost, for on my Flesh
I felt Sirocos—crawl—
Nor Fire—for just my Marble feet
Could keep a Chancel, cool—
Literal meaning
The speaker did not have frost on his skin Cold numbs you and he felt sirocos Nor was fire on his skin just was his feet
Stanza 3
And yet, it tasted, like them all,
The Figures I have seen
Set orderly, for Burial,
Reminded me, of mine—
Literal meaning
You cant taste when your deadI've seen some bad and crazy things
Stanza three pulls together the possibilities she eliminated
Stanza 4
As if my life were shaven,
And fitted to a frame,
And could not breathe without a key,
And ‘twas like Midnight, some—
Literal meaning
Like my life was trimmed or cut and put in a frame And was breath less with out a key
Stanza 5
When everything that ticked—has stopped—
And Space stares all around—
Or Grisly frosts—first Autumn morns,
Repeal the Beating Ground—
Literal meaning
When every clock stops And space is all around Frost from morning in fallAbolish the ground
Stanza 6
But, most, like Chaos—Stopless—cool—
Without a Chance, or Spar—
Or even a Report of Land—
To justify—Despair.
Literal meaning
Like chaos you cant controlWith out arguing To explain distress
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