Krantz
English 2710
Poetry
Dickinson

Class discussion of poetry
For any poem that your group discusses, first do the following:
a. check key word meanings, especially unfamiliar ones or ones whose use in the poem is unfamiliar.
b. List key images and try to create clusters of these if they occur.
c. Paraphrase the poem
d. Try to decide its theme.

Dickinson NALW pp. 864-874

Elizabeth Barrett Browning comes into several of the poems in this section: #312, 569?, 593, . Fine these poems and summarize what Dickinson has to say about Browning. One issue for women writers is the lack of "foremothers," that is, older women who can serve as models or otherwise influence and inspire them. In light of this issue, and after reading Browning's poems on p 379, what do you see as Browning's impact on Dickinson?

Dickinson claims that she sings because she "is afraid." According to a critic, Dickinson is obsessed and preoccupied with the qualities and consequences of pain. Consider this as you comment on poems 327, 341, 384, 462.

#479 p. 869
If this poem is about the power of Dickinson's words, what is she saying about her poetry?

#512 p. 870-1
Dickinson claimed to "sing" (write poetry) because "I am afraid." In the poem "The Soul has Bandaged moments" we see signs of fear but other emotions also. Where and how are emotions expressed in the poem? What seems to be its overall meaning?

If you have a favorite in this section, and it hasn't been listed here to be commented on, discuss it for a few minutes with your group.