Poem 328 Essay
POEM 328
This essay will examine the importance of imagery in the poem 328, compared to other poems written by Emily Dickinson that we have studied in previous weeks.
‘A Bird came down the walk’ is a narrative of Emily watching a bird. This bird symbolises both the truth and inevitability of nature. The poem is similar to ‘Because I could not stop for death’ as they portray death as something natural and a process of evolution. In 710, death and Dickinson ride in a carriage together; ‘The Carriage held but just Ourselves’ so death imagery is not something which is supposed to be negative. Similarly in poem 328, Emily personifies death as, ‘He did not know I saw’ where a bird coming on path towards her creates perhaps the journey towards death. …show more content…
For instance the final stanza is very mesmerising as it describes, ‘Or butterflies, off Banks of Noon Leap plashless as they swim.’ This image is a metaphor which interestingly symbolises the silent beauty of nature and the idea of the butterflies being ‘plashless’ perhaps represents them as soft and soundless as they ‘swim’ through the sky. The butterflies also link to the images of the ‘bird’ in the previous stanzas where Emily admires the bird and its actions. A specific line which describes the flight of the bird is ‘unrolled his feathers and rowed him softer home.’ This creates a very peaceful and uplifting image where the bird is traveling to his home where he is most comfortable. Dickinson is almost rejected by the bird as a sense of her overpowering the bird arises and as a result of him feeling endangered; he travels back home. ‘Rowed’ and ‘Oars’ in the next line also link as it suggests the division of man and nature through the use of nautical imagery. Furthermore it perhaps gathers the idea of the bird leaving the scene and making its way back home through the imagery of a boat or a ship sailing back
This essay will examine the importance of imagery in the poem 328, compared to other poems written by Emily Dickinson that we have studied in previous weeks.
‘A Bird came down the walk’ is a narrative of Emily watching a bird. This bird symbolises both the truth and inevitability of nature. The poem is similar to ‘Because I could not stop for death’ as they portray death as something natural and a process of evolution. In 710, death and Dickinson ride in a carriage together; ‘The Carriage held but just Ourselves’ so death imagery is not something which is supposed to be negative. Similarly in poem 328, Emily personifies death as, ‘He did not know I saw’ where a bird coming on path towards her creates perhaps the journey towards death. …show more content…
For instance the final stanza is very mesmerising as it describes, ‘Or butterflies, off Banks of Noon Leap plashless as they swim.’ This image is a metaphor which interestingly symbolises the silent beauty of nature and the idea of the butterflies being ‘plashless’ perhaps represents them as soft and soundless as they ‘swim’ through the sky. The butterflies also link to the images of the ‘bird’ in the previous stanzas where Emily admires the bird and its actions. A specific line which describes the flight of the bird is ‘unrolled his feathers and rowed him softer home.’ This creates a very peaceful and uplifting image where the bird is traveling to his home where he is most comfortable. Dickinson is almost rejected by the bird as a sense of her overpowering the bird arises and as a result of him feeling endangered; he travels back home. ‘Rowed’ and ‘Oars’ in the next line also link as it suggests the division of man and nature through the use of nautical imagery. Furthermore it perhaps gathers the idea of the bird leaving the scene and making its way back home through the imagery of a boat or a ship sailing back