A Day by Emily Dickinson
American poet Emily Dickinson, who was born in 1830 and passed away in
1886, wrote the poem "A Day." She was very close to her family.
Life
She had a difficult relationship with her father, whose heart was pure
and dreadful, and with her mother, who didn't give a damn about what she
thought. Her father was busy with his briefings and didn't pay attention to
what she did because she was uninterested in the idea. He purchased books
all the time but asked her not to read them because he feared they would
mess with her head. She was horrified by the "deepening danger" of death,
particularly after the passing of her cousin Sophia in 1844. She never
experienced perfect calm and contentment. "Some keep the Sabbath going to
Church / I don't," she says. She spent a solitary lifestyle and in 1858, she
began to write clean copies of her work. She began editing her poetry,
making clean copies, and writing seriously in the summer of 1858. She had
cut herself off from social life by 1860. Her most prolific writing years
were during the first half of the 1860s.
They shut me up in Prose.
As when a little girl.
They put me in the closet.
Because they liked me "still.”
Still! Could they have peeped.
And seen my Brain-go round.
They might as wise have lodged a bird.
For treason in the pound.
The Atlantic Monthly's general editor Thomas Wentworth Higginson penned a
"letter to a Young Contributor" in April 1862. Dickinson replied, "Is my
Verse... alive?" The Father of Emily passed away in 1874 as a result of a
stroke. She didn't go to the service and barely even answered her door for
the funeral. Her mother had a stroke the next year, which left her in poor
physical and mental condition. Emily ceased going out in public around this
time, but she continued to receive visitors and write to her close friends. Emily Bronte's "No Coward Soul is Mine," her favorite poem, was read as her
coffin was carried among daffodils as it was taken to West Cemetery on
Triangle Street in Amherst, where she was laid to rest at the age of 55
after passing away from sickness.
Dickinson's Influencers
Nearly eight hundred poems were contained in forty bundles, but after her
death, no one was aware of them. She received her official education at
Amherst Academy for seven years before attending Mount Holyoke Female
Seminary for just 10 months. Unknown reasons for leaving have been given.
She either had ill health, rebelled against the school's evangelistic zeal,
or she was just homesick. Benjamin F. Newton, who exposed her to Wordsworth,
Coleridge, and Emerson, had a profound impact on her. Her sister-in-law
Susan was her most cherished companion, influence, muse, and advisor. When
she was a little child, she had a friend who taught her immortality, but he
never returned after getting too close to her. The poet also received
significant inspiration from Charles Wordsworth.
Reading Dickinson’s Life
Ø No critical consent as to the cause of Emily’s withdrawal and extreme
privacy.
Ø Was she agoraphobic?
Ø Judith Farr claims that it was a combination of a profound shyness with
artistic ambition that motivated the poet's choice of life:
Ø “By turning the key of her bedroom door she avoided having to meet others
while being free to write poetry.”
Ø Emily Ford has attributed the poet's retirement to an aesthetic
sensibility:
Ø “Dickinson's choice of life was related to the romantic idea that the life
of an artist should be a life apart.”
Ø O poet! Thou shalt leave the world, and know the muse only! (Emerson, “The
Poet”, 1840.)
Ø According to Gilbert and Gubar, Dickinson’s radical privacy was a necessary
strategy to free her from ‘feminine’ obligations which might otherwise have
hindered her art. (The Madwoman in the Attic. The Woman Writer and the
19th Century Literary Imagination.)
Ø Her decision to dress in white has been read as an unconscious way to
fictionalize herself into the roles of the little maid, ‘the angel in the
house’ or the eccentric artist.
Ø “Like the blank page, the white dress suggests paradoxically both a way to
inscribe herself as an invisible woman and as a self-assertive poet.”
(Gilbert and Gubar, The Madwoman in the Attic).
Ø In 1894, the letters of Emily Dickinson which were edited by Mabel
Loomis Todd.
Ø In1924, the Complete poems of Emily Dickinson by Martha Dickinson
1955 The Poems of Emily Dickinson, by Thomas Johnson.
Ø In 1894, two volumes of Emily’s letters, highly edited, appeared.
Ø Susan Dickinson (Austin’s wife) published some poems in literary magazines,
such as Scribner’s Magazine and The Independent
Ø Martha Dickenson Bianchi (Emily’s niece) published a series of collections
between 1914 and 1929
Ø Other volumes followed throughout the 1930s.
In the 1960s:
Ø The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by Thomas H.
Johnson.
Ø It contained all,775 of her poems-all unedited.
Ø Various books of her poems and letters have been published later.
Dickinson’s poetry is known for:
Ø Random capitalization.
Ø Unconventional broken rhyming
meter.
Ø Use of Dashes.
Ø No titles.
Ø Unconventional
punctuation.
Ø Use of metaphor.
Dickinson is considered:
Ø One of the most original
poets of the 19th century
Ø To place alongside such poets as Walt Whitman and Robert Frost.
Ø To teach in grade school, high school, and college.
Ø A powerful and persistent figure of American culture.
Ø To be a messenger as the greatest woman poet in the English language.
Ø In a nutshell, the renowned American poet of the 19th century, Emily
Dickinson was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of 17th
century England and her reading of the Book of Revelation brought up in New
England. These upbringings inculcated in her Calvinist, orthodox, and
conservative approach to Christianity. Dickinson and Walt Whitman are
considered the founders of a uniquely American poetic voice. While Dickinson
was extremely prolific as a poet her regularly enclosed poems in letters to
friends, she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. However, she
has been steadily gaining popularity through her posthumously published
poems.
Ø Emily Dickinson is a 19th-centuryth century American poet who
wasn’t recognized during her time. Although she wrote about 1800 poems, only
10 are known to have been published while she lived. She mostly included her
poems in letters she sent her family. Her lack of popularity is often
attributed to her being a private person.
Ø In her poem “A Day”, Dickinson, through the use of brilliant imagery and
symbols, describes a beautiful day that leads the children from innocence to
experience. This poem first appeared in the 1890 edition of Poems by Emily
Dickinson. As Emily Dickinson died in 1886, it was a posthumous
publication.
Vocabularies used in the poem:
-
Ribbon (n.): band, tie, decoration, or layers
-
steeples (n.): tall towers with a spire on top, rising above the roof of
a church
-
amethyst (n.): purple precious stone used in making jewelry
-
bonnets (n.): hats tied with strings under the chin, worn by babies and
women
-
bobolinks (n.): songbirds with large, somewhat flat heads, short necks,
and short tails
-
dominie (n.): a schoolmaster (Scottish); a pastor or clergyman (US)
-
stile (n.): a set of steps that help people to climb over a fence or
wall, especially in the village
Themes:
Dickinson's poem examines the splendor of nature through the sunrise and
sunset events. In the poem, the author delves even further, examining life,
death, and the journey between the two. Spirituality is another issue that
recurs frequently throughout Dickinson's poetry. Dickinson expresses her
Christian faith and her conviction that mankind will face God at the end of
their life through references to the "Dominie in gray" and "flock."
Tone and Mood:
The first two stanzas feature a confident tone from the speaker. This
results from his or her thorough understanding of sunlight. Due to the
action this phenomenon produces, he or she also keeps their excitement up
throughout these stanzas. For the next two stanzas, the speaker's tone
shifts, though. This is explained by his or her limited comprehension of
sunset. Additionally, the character becomes more solemn as the thrill
associated with the rising sun fades.
Metaphysical Poem:
Extended metaphors are used in metaphysical poetry to connect tangible and
abstract images. In this sense, "A Day" is metaphysical poetry since it
makes a connection between life and death and two natural events, the
sunrise, and sunset.
Lyrical poem:
Lyrical poetry is a brief, contemplative composition with a single speaker,
who may or may not be the poet. In lyrical poems, the pronoun "I" denotes
the poet's persona. In that regard, "A Day" is a lyric, just like the
majority of Dickinson's poems, and it presents an important idea from the
viewpoint of a single person.
Romantic poem:
Romantic poetry emphasizes and celebrates the beauty of nature in its
descriptions. This makes "A Day" romantic poetry in this sense.
Literary Devices
1. Alliteration:
Alliteration appears in stanza 1, line 3, with the repetition of the‘s’
sound; also in stanza 2, line 2, where the ‘b’ sound is prevalent.
2. Simile:
An instance of simile appears in stanza 1, line 4, where the ‘news’ of
sunrise spreads at the speed of a squirrel’s run.
3. Metaphor:
This is the second dominant device in Dickinson’s poem. She uses several
direct comparisons to foster relatable imagery. In stanza 1, line 2, she
calls sunrays “ribbons”. She refers to the same sunrays as “Yellow boys and
girls” in stanza 3, line 3. The ‘Dominie in gray’ in stanza 4, line 2
represents ‘God’ or a religious figure; ‘flock’ refers to humans. Lastly,
‘evening bars’ in stanza 4, line 3 is a metaphor for the end of a day or the
end of life.
4. Symbolism:
Symbolism continues to be the principal literary device in Dickinson's "A
Day." The passage from life to death is shown throughout the entire poem.
With each verse, the poet alludes to the human actions connected to life and
death before implying, from the standpoint of her religion, what comes
next.
5. Personification:
This is another poetic device in the poem like in stanza 1, line 3, where
‘Steeples’, like human beings, swim; in stanza 2, line 2, where ‘hills’
remove their ‘bonnets’ in the same fashion as women.
Analysis Stanza One:
I’ll tell you how the Sun rose-
A Ribbon at a time.
The Steeples swam in Amethyst,
The news, like Squirrels, ran.
The poem starts with the speaker explaining to the audience how the sun
rises. The speaker's persona refers to the sun's rays as "ribbons," and
although the process of stacking these "ribbons" is gradual, the world is
aware of the significance of the final sunrise. The young speaker's desire
to discuss daybreak illustrates his or her naïve perspective of the world
when they say, "The news..." about this phenomenon travels quickly.
This persona shows readers that it's acceptable to take a moment to observe
the "natural" changes in nature by taking care of the seemingly minor
things. like the dawn. This lyric also alluded to the exhilaration
associated with the start of life metaphorically (childbirth). The mention
of "Steeples," a section of Emily Dickinson's poetry, also provides an
insight into her religious upbringing.
Analysis Stanza Two:
The Hills untied their Bonnets,
The Bobolinks began.
Then I said softly to myself,
“That must have been the Sun!”
The poem starts with the speaker explaining to the audience how the sun
rises. The speaker's persona refers to the sun's rays as "ribbons," and
although the process of stacking these "ribbons" is gradual, the world is
aware of the significance of the final sunrise. The young speaker's desire
to discuss daybreak illustrates his or her naïve perspective of the world
when they say, "The news..." about this phenomenon travels quickly.
This persona shows readers that it's acceptable to take a moment to observe
the "natural" changes in nature by taking care of the seemingly minor
things. like the dawn. This lyric also alluded to the exhilaration
associated with the start of life metaphorically (childbirth). The mention
of "Steeples," a section of Emily Dickinson's poetry, also provides an
insight into her religious upbringing.
Analysis Stanza Three:
But how he set, I know not.
There seemed a purple stile
Which little Yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while
The speaker's tone shifts from enthusiastic to guarded as the subject
matter in this verse moves from sunrise to twilight. Since the child doesn't
have much knowledge about the sunset, his or her confidence dwindles.
However, the character describes what they can do more soberly than
enthusiastically. The usage of this stanza by Dickinson to depict the
passage from life to death renders it more metaphorical than literal. In a
figurative sense, "A Day" shows readers how little people who are still
alive understand death. Humans, like the young speaker, prefer to talk about
more interesting topics and avoid discussing unpleasant topics. The rising
sun is seen traveling from the East to the West in this stanza's literal
imagery, on the other hand.
Analysis Stanza Four:
Till when they reached the other side,
A Dominie in Gray
Put gently up the evening Bars,
And led the flock away.
The essence of Emily Dickinson's religion is revealed in the poem’s final
stanza. Christian allusions like "flock" and "Dominie in gray" are used in
this largely symbolic verse to convey the poet's perspective on death.
Dickinson has the opinion that after death, God guides humans wherever He
pleases, where "Dominie in gray" is a reference to "God," and "flock" is a
reference to people. However, as the sun finally sets, the stanza
figuratively ushers in the nighttime. The speaker's excitement is
nonexistent at this point due to the idleness of the period. Thus, "A Day"
comes to a somber conclusion.
Synopsis:
A Day is a 19th- century metaphysical poem composed by Emily Dickinson
which is famous for its double meaning and intellectual metaphors. In a
literal sense, this poem describes sunrise and sunset, whereas, in a
metaphorical sense, it also gives details about the transition or
juxtaposition from life to the uncertainty of death. Further, the poem shows
a child persona, whose innocence and confident tone aims at displaying the
beauty of a sunrise. The poem opens with the persona of a little
child who confidently describes how the sun rises and the things that happen
as a result of this phenomenon. This speaker conveys a child's innocent
perspective on the world by expressing pleasure while spotting birds, hills,
and the rising sun. He or she simply notices the splendor of life. Regarding
the metaphorical meaning, the poem's opening stanzas depict the commotion of
daily life. The young poet loses confidence in his ability to describe a
sunset as the poem goes on. He or she lacks the expertise to describe it.
However, this speaker describes how the sky begins to purple as the sun sets
and continues to do so until it is fully dark. This represents the passivity
connected to death. It also exhibits
Speaker:
The poem's persona is an anonymous youngster. He or she opens the poem as
though answering a query. The persona talks about sunrise with assurance and
excitement. The child's description of a sunset, though, makes that faith
waver. In any case, the speaker's natural innocence and diction encourage
readers to enjoy the beauty of the natural world.
Structure and Form:
The poem by Emily Dickinson has two original versions. The first is not
well-known and lacks stanza breaks. Four quatrains make up "A Day's" second
iteration. The second and fourth lines only rhyme in the final three
quatrains, which have a different rhyme system. This lyrical poem's last
quatrain also uses a regular meter, alternating between lines with eight and
those with six syllables. A Day is regarded as a free verse poem since the
opening three quatrains have erratic meters and the poem as a whole lacks a
clear rhyme scheme. The poetry also uses dashes to punctuate a few lines,
and it capitalizes seemingly random phrases all around. This is a
distinctively Emily Dickinson literary style. Although there is no obvious
explanation for each oddity, it's possible that the dashes were added to
signify pauses when reading "A Day" out loud. Finally, Dickinson never gave
"A Day" a title. Rather, the poem's current title, "A Day," was given to it
by a group of posthumous editors. Its opening phrase, "I'll Tell You How The
Sun Rose," also has that name.