The rhythm, or meters, used in Dickinson 's work is similar to the system of meters used in hymns called simple meters. A meter is a unit of the rhythmic and syllabic structure of a poem. Moreover, the most common of these meters is called iamb which is defined by a rhythmic pattern consisting of an unstressed syllable directly followed by a stressed syllable. This pattern is repeated throughout the line. More specifically, Dickinson 's work typically uses an iambic tetrameter or an iambic trimeter. An iambic trimeter contain three stressed syllables while an iambic tetrameter contains four stressed syllables. Dickinson 's poems do not always follow a set amount of syllables but they do tend to follow a set amount of stressed syllables. For
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Her poems speak of various subjects such as death, identity, the natural world and love. Nature, in particular, is a theme that Dickinson used greatly to drive the imagery and metaphors of her poems. Often times, Dickinson used images from nature as symbolism to refer to larger issues in life. For example, in her poem "I dreaded that first Robin, so" she uses objects from nature, such as birds, flowers or bees, to create a narrative around the difficulty of losing a loved one. Throughout this poem, Dickinson refers to objects from the natural world with a great deal of apprehension: "I dreaded that first Robin, so,/But He is mastered, now,/I 'm some accustomed to Him grown, He hurts a little, though-" (Dickinson, 642) Her feeling of apprehension is not because she is afraid of the Robin itself, but because she is afraid of facing the world without her dead loved one. Though the poem could be interpreted as being about the difficulties of overcoming any obstacle in life, Dickinson 's use of the word "bereaved" at the end of the poem signals that the speaker 's apprehensiveness is fueled by the death of somebody she loved. In this poem, Dickinson uses the dawn of a new season, spring, as a metaphor to refer to the dawn of a major life change. This is only one example of Dickinson 's use of nature in her metaphors and …show more content…
In fact, death is one of the subjects that was most heavily featured in Dickinson 's work. Her poems, "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain", "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died" and "We grow accustomed to the Dark" are just a sample of the poems that spoke about the topic. It is a mystery why Dickinson focused on the subject of death in her work so greatly but it 's possible that personal tragedy might have an influence on her work. While poets can construct their work around a imagined narrative, many poets use their own personal experiences as a basis for their work. Being a recluse for much of her life, much of Dickinson 's work is thought to be reflective of her own personal introspections. Dickinson faced a number of personal losses throughout her life that scarred her greatly, such as the death of her formal principal and mentor, Leonard Humphrey. It is easy to imagine that the losses Dickinson experienced caused her to reflect more deeply on death which, consequentially, made the topic a prime subject in her
Her poems speak of various subjects such as death, identity, the natural world and love. Nature, in particular, is a theme that Dickinson used greatly to drive the imagery and metaphors of her poems. Often times, Dickinson used images from nature as symbolism to refer to larger issues in life. For example, in her poem "I dreaded that first Robin, so" she uses objects from nature, such as birds, flowers or bees, to create a narrative around the difficulty of losing a loved one. Throughout this poem, Dickinson refers to objects from the natural world with a great deal of apprehension: "I dreaded that first Robin, so,/But He is mastered, now,/I 'm some accustomed to Him grown, He hurts a little, though-" (Dickinson, 642) Her feeling of apprehension is not because she is afraid of the Robin itself, but because she is afraid of facing the world without her dead loved one. Though the poem could be interpreted as being about the difficulties of overcoming any obstacle in life, Dickinson 's use of the word "bereaved" at the end of the poem signals that the speaker 's apprehensiveness is fueled by the death of somebody she loved. In this poem, Dickinson uses the dawn of a new season, spring, as a metaphor to refer to the dawn of a major life change. This is only one example of Dickinson 's use of nature in her metaphors and …show more content…
In fact, death is one of the subjects that was most heavily featured in Dickinson 's work. Her poems, "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain", "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died" and "We grow accustomed to the Dark" are just a sample of the poems that spoke about the topic. It is a mystery why Dickinson focused on the subject of death in her work so greatly but it 's possible that personal tragedy might have an influence on her work. While poets can construct their work around a imagined narrative, many poets use their own personal experiences as a basis for their work. Being a recluse for much of her life, much of Dickinson 's work is thought to be reflective of her own personal introspections. Dickinson faced a number of personal losses throughout her life that scarred her greatly, such as the death of her formal principal and mentor, Leonard Humphrey. It is easy to imagine that the losses Dickinson experienced caused her to reflect more deeply on death which, consequentially, made the topic a prime subject in her