Poetic Techniques In Emily Dickinson's A Narrow Fellow

Poet Elizabeth Alexander reminds us, “what poetry does is distill language with a kind of precision that reminds us of what it means to take care with the word, that the word has tremendous power, that each word matters”. In “A Narrow Fellow”, Emily Dickinson uses precise words and groups of words to convey certain images to the reader. She uses three poetic techniques to express her theme that although nature can be fascinating, it can also be frightening. These three techniques are diction, imagery and personification. The first poetic technique used by Dickinson is diction. Diction has to do with the singular word choice that is used to convey a singular meaning. She uses the technique first to convey the idea that nature can be fascinating, can excite us and catch us off guard. Dickinson uses the word “cordiality” in her poetry to give a feeling of politeness and courtesy. …show more content…
In her poem, she mentions that “Several of nature’s people/I know, and they know me”, which specifies that she is well-liked amongst many creatures in nature, well enough to know not all have different aspects and meanings in life. This is a representation of familiarity or a friendship that she have with nature. The snake stands out as a creature that not too many praise or adore, therefore it is not known as well as the other people in nature. Another way Dickinson uses this technique is by stating that “He likes a Boggy Acre/A Floor too cool for Corn”. This shows that the snake has a preference of his location just as we do as humans. Just as mankind have choices of what to like and disliked in the surrounding environment, so does snakes. This makes it complex for what Dickinson is trying to explain when using characteristics such as referring to the snake as “he” and “fellow”. Knowing that this is not Dickinson’s first encounter with a snake would inquire her emotion of