Clarification on the Emily Dickinson Assignment for Labor Day Weekend

I know I rushed the assignment at the end of the period, and I hate when I do that, so let me make it much clearer:

• Read through the Emily Dickinson poems in Sound and Sense
• Look for stylistic elements as well as entertainment value that makes them interesting to you personally
• Choose five poems for whatever reason you wish
• For each of these poems:
• Find specific stylistic elements that reflect (or contradict) things we said in class today about “There’s Been a Death in the Opposite House”
• Seek examples of Dickinson’s humor, either her snarky subtle wit or her more overt humor
• Find examples of imagery, metaphor, symbolism, etc that really seem powerful to you
• Apply whichever of Billy Collins’ metaphors you think appropriate toward gaining an understanding of the poem’s meaning:
• Do the words themselves create the meaning? The specific diction?
• Is it the sounds they make together or separately?
• Is the poem a puzzle or a maze to work out of?
• Is it a dark room that requires a light? Can you find the light?
• Is this a poem that just requires the joy and exhilaration of experiencing it?

Write these down to discuss and hand in on Tuesday.

Any questions? Feel free to email me: e2h@sunspark.com