“Isolation is the worst possible counselor”(Unamuno). Emily Dickinson describes in her narrative poem,”From Blank to Blank,” a tormented person with loneliness and confinement, no matter what the narrator does to try to avoid it. The speaker admits defeat when she finds no way out of the darkness, because whatever she does makes no difference. Emily Dickinson’s use of meter, metaphors, and dashes in her poetry execute the purpose and theme of this poem.
Dickinson’s poem, “From Blank to Blank,” is easy to associate with our own lives because of the lack of description given of the speaker. The narrator is only described as one who is going through a burdensome time in their lives with no hope of escape. Dickinson describes the setting as “A …show more content…
The first two lines, both are in iambic dimeter, then she continues with the third line in iambic trimeter, the fourth in iambic tetrameter, the fifth back into iambic trimeter, and repeats the same pattern in the second stanza. The repetition of sound correlates to the poem since it is following a repetitive course that’s going “From Blank to Blank”(1). This method of meter contributes to the poem’s perception of going back and forth trying to find a way out of the unchanging tempo. In addition, Dickinson establishes the extended metaphor as an actual location that is the epitome of nothing. What Dickinson is describing is more of a sense that one has when they are hopeless. When one is stuck in a dreadful situation, that person becomes consumed by the feeling and is not able to escape from it. That feeling they have becomes intertwined with every aspect of their life and they do not see a way out of it. The metaphor helps readers realize how strong they feel the hopelessness of any kind of sadness such as depression or meaninglessness. Moreover, Emily Dickinson slows down the rhythm of the lines by using dashes in some areas of her poem. “To stop-or perish-or advance-/alike indifferent-”(4-5). These dashes in lines four and five create pauses between the words. It displays that with each movement, the speaker considers her options, but realizes that it makes no difference what she
Dickinson’s poem, “From Blank to Blank,” is easy to associate with our own lives because of the lack of description given of the speaker. The narrator is only described as one who is going through a burdensome time in their lives with no hope of escape. Dickinson describes the setting as “A …show more content…
The first two lines, both are in iambic dimeter, then she continues with the third line in iambic trimeter, the fourth in iambic tetrameter, the fifth back into iambic trimeter, and repeats the same pattern in the second stanza. The repetition of sound correlates to the poem since it is following a repetitive course that’s going “From Blank to Blank”(1). This method of meter contributes to the poem’s perception of going back and forth trying to find a way out of the unchanging tempo. In addition, Dickinson establishes the extended metaphor as an actual location that is the epitome of nothing. What Dickinson is describing is more of a sense that one has when they are hopeless. When one is stuck in a dreadful situation, that person becomes consumed by the feeling and is not able to escape from it. That feeling they have becomes intertwined with every aspect of their life and they do not see a way out of it. The metaphor helps readers realize how strong they feel the hopelessness of any kind of sadness such as depression or meaninglessness. Moreover, Emily Dickinson slows down the rhythm of the lines by using dashes in some areas of her poem. “To stop-or perish-or advance-/alike indifferent-”(4-5). These dashes in lines four and five create pauses between the words. It displays that with each movement, the speaker considers her options, but realizes that it makes no difference what she