The document provides context and analysis of the Emily Dickinson poem "I Never Hear the Word 'Escape'". It summarizes the themes of freedom and feeling trapped in life. It also explains Dickinson's unconventional life and defiance of gender norms during her time. Key details are highlighted like the poet's excitement at the word "escape" but inability to break free from her self-imposed prison.
The document provides context and analysis of the Emily Dickinson poem "I Never Hear the Word 'Escape'". It summarizes the themes of freedom and feeling trapped in life. It also explains Dickinson's unconventional life and defiance of gender norms during her time. Key details are highlighted like the poet's excitement at the word "escape" but inability to break free from her self-imposed prison.
The document provides context and analysis of the Emily Dickinson poem "I Never Hear the Word 'Escape'". It summarizes the themes of freedom and feeling trapped in life. It also explains Dickinson's unconventional life and defiance of gender norms during her time. Key details are highlighted like the poet's excitement at the word "escape" but inability to break free from her self-imposed prison.
The document provides context and analysis of the Emily Dickinson poem "I Never Hear the Word 'Escape'". It summarizes the themes of freedom and feeling trapped in life. It also explains Dickinson's unconventional life and defiance of gender norms during her time. Key details are highlighted like the poet's excitement at the word "escape" but inability to break free from her self-imposed prison.
POEM, BY EMILY DICKINSON INTRODUCTION Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), one of the most influential voices of American poetry, was quieter in real life than she was on the page. She is known for keeping mostly to herself in her adult years, in which she rarely left her room and never stepped foot off of her family‟s Amherst, Massachusetts estate. Her unconventional poetry, in many ways, mirrored her unconventional life. In this poem, Dickinson uses the meter of church hymns to create a work that goes beyond the personal “I” of the narrator and expands into the communal experience. ENTRY POINT The following information provides context or background information that can help you engage with the text. During the late nineteenth century, a Cult of Domesticity prevailed in the middle and upper-class social strata to which Dickinson belonged. Women were judged by their skills in domestic arts and the four “feminine” values of purity, piety, obedience, and domesticity. While Dickinson was skilled in several domestic arts, she did not conform to the norms of this era. She was considered eccentric by her contemporaries. She was known to wear all white clothing and preferred solitude, often refusing to greet guests or even leave her room. Dickinson used her poetry to defy the limitations that this entrenched value system placed on her as a woman. POEM VOCABULARY Escape: to break free or to get away from something or somebody Expectation: a belief that something will happen Attitude: a state involving beliefs or feelings that causes a person to think or act in a certain way. Broad [adj.] large or wide Battered: Beaten up; in rough shape STANZA 1 -The poet describes the idea of I never hear the word the fight or flight response “Escape” kicking in, stating: Without a quicker blood, A sudden expectation – For example, a bird will quickly A flying attitude! fly away when it senses a cat or other threat nearby. The word “Escape” triggers this response in the poet: if she just hears the word she imagines herself taking flight. -The speaker wants to flee, she feels anxious and excited at the mention of the word “ESCAPE” STANZA 2 I never hear of prisons broad In the second stanza, the By soldiers battered down, speaker explains that she But I tug childish at my bars, Only to fail again! has never known prisons to be torn down by soldiers. She explains further, that she tried to pull out the bars of her prison, trying unsuccessfully to break free. But despite her constant failures, she still tries in a childish hope. THEMES Two similar themes that are present in “I never hear the word „Escape‟” and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are the challenge of gaining true freedom and how life‟s complexities can make a person feel trapped. The speaker in “I never hear the word „Escape‟” loves the idea of freedom saying, at first, that just hearing the word “Escape” gives her “a sudden expectation” and “a flying attitude.” The speaker then introduces a second theme that contrasts with the first when she implies that her life is really like a prison. Huck Finn also wants to be free, and unlike the speaker in the poem, he does escape. But his freedom is cut short, and he has to return to live a “sivilized” life with the Widow Douglas. He feels trapped by the clothes she makes him wear, which make him “sweat and sweat,” and “feel all cramped up.” POET’S WORD CHOICE The poem, 'I Never Hear the Word “Escape”,' shows failure. Words like 'Prison,' 'Battered down,' and 'Fail' show only failure. The poet might be telling her readers that she has tried very hard to be free and independent but she always fails. The thought of having freedom excites her but she fails again and again. QUESTIONS 1.Identify one example of symbolism from the poem 2. 1.Identify one example of imagery from the poem 3. Emily Dickinson uses figurative language in “a quicker blood, a flying attitude, battered down, I tug childish”. Surf the internet to get their meanings. 4. Analyze the poet words' choice and how does contribute to the tone. 5. Write a free verse poem following Dickinson‟s form. Why do you think the author chose to describe prisoners as “battered down”? How does this phrase affect the tone of the poem? What effect does this tone have on the reader‟s understanding of the poem? After watching the video- I 'am a poet- how did discussing women‟s roles in nineteenth century America influence your understanding of the text? Prompt What inferences can you make about the author‟s day-to-day life, interests, and/or personality based on the text? Use specific examples from the passage to support each inference. List the visual images that come to mind while you are reading the poem. Cite the actual phrases from the text that correspond to each image. Compare the first stanza to the last. In what ways are they similar (think about form, repetition, and meaning) and in what ways are they different?