Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson (1820-1866)
Apparently with No Surprise
Apparently with no surprise
To any happy Flower
The Frost beheads it at its play --
In accidental power --
The blonde Assassin passes on --
The Sun proceeds unmoved
To measure off another Day
For an Approving God.
Questions for Discussion
1. Which of the following most nearly describes the author’s attitude toward nature as expressed in this poem?
A) delight
B) dismay
C) indifference
D) reverence
E) deference
2. What is “the blond assassin” referred to in the poem?
A) the flowers
B) the frost
C) the sun
D) God
E) nature
3. The poem implies that the attitude of the flowers toward the frost is one of
A) fear.
B) horror.
C) acceptance.
D) reverence.
E) awe.
4. The tone of the poem implies that the speaker probably regards God as
A) benevolent.
B) just.
C) cruel.
D) angry.
E) non-existent.
There Is No Frigate Like a Book
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
Questions for Discussion
Because I could not stop for Death [1886]
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
Questions for Discussion
1. What is the author's attitude toward dying in the poem?
A) She is terrified
B) She is overjoyed
C) She is angry
D) She is contented
E) She is frustrated
2. Death is personified as
A) a horse.
B) a king.
C) a child.
D) the devil.
E) a carriage driver.
3. The last stanza signifies that
A) death is timeless.
B) the narrator died yeserday.
C) the narrator's horses have died.
D) Eternity is a nearby city.
E) the horses are lost.
4. Dickinson writes, “We slowly drove—He knew no haste / And I had put away / My labor and my leisure too / For His Civility.” In this stanza, the word civility means
A) personal insistence.
B) formal politeness.
C) official regulation.
D) commanding presence.
5. In stanza three, the poet arranges the things they passed in a certain order. The effect of this is to
A) chronologically suggest different phases of life.
B) build on the increasing importance of that which they passed.
C) emphasize the speed of their journey.
D) contrast the movement from dark to light.
What Mystery Pervades a Well!
What mystery pervades a well!
The water lives so far—
A neighbor from another world
Residing in a jar
Whose limit none have ever seen,
But just his lid of glass—
Like looking every time you please
In an abyss’s face!
The grass does not appear afraid,
I often wonder he
Can stand so close and look so bold
At what is awe to me.
Related somehow they may be,
The sedge stands next the sea—
Where he is floorless, and of fear
No evidence gives he.
But nature is a stranger yet;
The ones that cite her most
Have never passed her haunted house,
Nor simplified her ghost.
To pity those that know her not
Is helped by the regret
That those who know her, know her less
The nearer here they get.
Questions for Discussion
1. What does the poem suggest about people who claim to be the greatest nature lovers?
A) They are selfish in their appreciation of nature.
B) They show the least respect for nature.
C) They have not truly experienced nature.
D) They pity themselves when nature defeats them.
E) They do too little to preserve nature.
2. How does the poem derive its power?
A) by juxtaposing jarring, opposing ideas
B) by understating the mysteriousness of nature
C) by attributing human features to nature
D) by exploring deep human emotions
E) by repeating certain words and syllables
3. How does the speaker react when looking into a well? The speaker
A) marvels at what might lie under the surface
B) feels uneasy about a future that one cannot possibly know
C) worries about falling in or being pushed
D) regrets life’s lost chances that cannot be regained
E) fears unseen dangers that might be lurking below
4. Which statement best summarizes the poem’s third and fourth stanzas (lines 9–16)?
A) A deep well can be as mysterious as the sea.
B) Grass and sedge show us that we need not be afraid of deep water.
C) The well and the sea both appear bottomless but are not.
D) The sedge hides its fears better than the grass does.
E) Neither sedge nor grass seems afraid of deep water.
5. Which observation is LEAST similar to the one made in the poem’s sixth stanza (lines 21–24)?
A) To best help others, let them help themselves.
B) The only constant in this world is change.
C) I regret that I have never done anything to regret.
D) Nothing succeeds like success itself.
E) To know yourself you must lose yourself in the service of others.
6. This poem was written by Emily Dickinson, who is universally admired for her masterful use of imagery. Which line of this poem best illustrates this skill?
A) line 2 (“The water lives so far”)
B) line 4 (“Residing in a jar”)
C) line 6 (“But just his lid of glass”)
D) line 16 (“No evidence gives he”)
E) line 17 (“But nature is a stranger yet”)
I Had Not Minded Walls
I had not minded walls
Were Universe one rock,
And far I heard his silver call
The other side the block.
I’d tunnel until my groove
Pushed sudden through to his,
Then my face take recompense —
The looking in his eyes.
But ‘tis a single hair,
A filament, a law —
A cobweb wove in adamant,
A battlement of straw —
A limit like the veil
Unto the lady’s face,
But every mesh a citadel
And dragons in the crease!
Questions for Discussion
1. In the second line of the poem, the word “Were” is
A) an adjective, as in “were-wolf.”
B) a third person singular conditional verb with “if” understood.
C) a third person plural verb in the past tense with “they” understood.
D) a contraction of “we are.”
E) a second person singular past tense with “you” understood.
2. In line 3, the word “far” probably modifies
A) “universe” (line 2).
B) “rock” (line 2).
C) “heard” (line 3).
D) “call” (line 3).
E) “side” (line 4).
3. The lines “I’d tunnel till my groove / Pushed sudden through to his” are an example of
A) hyperbole
B) paradox
C) simile
D) apostrophe
E) irony
4. In line 7, the word “recompense” is best understood to mean
A) memory or recollection
B) punishment or penalty
C) survey or view
D) joy or happiness
E) reward or compensation
5. Which of the following is an example of synesthetic imagery, that is, the description of one sensory experience in terms of a different sense, such as Keats’ phrase, “aromatic pain.”
A) “minded walls,” line 1
B) “universe . . . rock,” line 2
C) “silver call,” line 3
D) “my groove,” line 5
E) “looking in his eyes,” line 8
6. Which of the following phrases requires some adjustment according to conventional grammatical rules?
A) “I heard,” line 3
B) “his silver call,” line 3
C) “I’d tunnel,” line 5
D) “pushed sudden,” line 6
E) “looking in his eyes,” line 8
7. All the following words are used to suggest the same quality EXCEPT
A) “walls,” line 1
B) “rock,” line 2
C) “block,” line 4
D) “groove,” line 5
E) “adamant,” line 11
8. Line 9 begins with “But” because
A) lines 9–16 are contrasted with the universe of rock in lines 1–8.
B) the speaker realizes the statement of lines 1–8 is insincere.
C) lines 9–16 will precisely parallel lines 1–8.
D) lines 1–8 are metaphorical, while lines 9–16 are literal.
E) the speaker of lines 1–8 is different from the speaker of lines 9–16.
9. All the following words are used to suggest the Middle Ages EXCEPT
A) “adamant,” line 11
B) “battlement,” line 12
C) “lady,” line 14
D) “citadel,” line 15
E) “dragons,” line 16
10. All the following words are used to suggest the same quality EXCEPT
A) “hair,” line 9
B) “filament,” line 10
C) “cobweb,” line 11
D) “straw,” line 12
E) “limit,” line 13
11. On which of the following do lines 11–16 chiefly rely?
A) understatement
B) paradox
C) personification
D) internal rhyme
E) apostrophe
12. To fully understand the situation presented in the poem, a reader would have to know more about the specific reference of which of the following words?
A) “block,” line 4
B) “groove,” line 5
C) “recompense,” line 7
D) “law,” line 10
E) “veil,” line 13
1. B
2. C
3. A
4. E
5. C
6. D
7. D
8. A
9. A
10. E
11. B
12. D
A Precious -- Mouldering Pleasure -- 'Tis --
A precious -- mouldering pleasure -- 'tis --
To meet an Antique Book --
In just the Dress his Century wore --
A privilege -- I think --
His venerable Hand to take --
And warming in our own --
A passage back -- or two -- to make --
To Times when he -- was young --
His quaint opinions -- to inspect --
His thought to ascertain
On Themes concern our mutual mind --
The Literature of Man --
What interested Scholars -- most --
What Competitions ran --
When Plato -- was a Certainty --
And Sophocles -- a Man --
When Sappho -- was a living Girl --
And Beatrice wore
The Gown that Dante -- deified --
Facts Centuries before
He traverses -- familiar --
As One should come to Town --
And tell you all your Dreams -- were true --
He lived -- where Dreams were born --
His presence is Enchantment --
You beg him not to go --
Old Volume shake their Vellum Heads
And tantalize -- just so --
1 Plato: (427 –347 B.C.), Greek philosopher
2 Sophocles: (496–406 B.C.), Greek playwright
3 Sappho: (600 B.C.), Greek poet
4 Beatrice: character in Dante’s poem The Divine Comedy
5 Dante: (1265–1321), Italian medieval poet
Questions for Discussion
1. The speaker compares an old book to a
A) dress
B) person
C) dream
D) town
2. In line 3, “In just the Dress his Century wore,” the speaker is referring to the
A) book’s cover
B) scholar’s clothing
C) passage length
D) gown Dante deified
3. The speakers’ repeated reference to the book as “He” and “His” implies a relationship by using
A) alliteration
B) imagery
C) personification
D) symbolism
4. Which sentence best states the main idea of the poem?
A) Knowledge of more than one language is a valuable skill.
B) Scholars have written many books that are worth reading.
C) Teachers can have an important influence on their students.
D) Study of many subjects increases our understanding of the world.
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. D
I Dreaded That First Robin
I dreaded that first Robin, so,
But He is mastered, now,
I'm accustomed to Him grown,
He hurts a little, though --
I thought If I could only live
Till that first Shout got by --
Not all Pianos in the Woods
Had power to mangle me --
I dared not meet the Daffodils --
For fear their Yellow Gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own --
I wished the Grass would hurry --
So -- when 'twas time to see --
He'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch -- to look at me --
I could not bear the Bees should come,
I wished they'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go,
What word had they, for me?
They're here, though; not a creature failed --
No Blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me --
The Queen of Calvary --
Each one salutes me, as he goes,
And I, my childish Plumes,
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking Drums --
Questions for Discussion
1. The central opposition in the poem is between
A) the birds and the flowers
B) God and nature
C) childhood and adulthood
D) the speaker and spring
E) reason and imagination
2. The speaker views the coming of the robin, the daffodils, and the bees as
A) welcome arrivals
B) inexplicable events
C) painful experiences
D) unexpected diversions
E) inspiring occurrences
3. The “ first shout” (line 6) most probably refers to
A) a cry made by the speaker
B) the robin’ s song
C) a baby’ s first cry
D) the dawn of a new day
E) the sprouting of a flower
4. In line 7, “Pianos” most probably refers metaphorically to
A) birds
B) flowers
C) bees
D) poetry
E) musical instruments
5. For the speaker, the robin and the daffodils have which of the following in common?
A) an aura of the divine
B) the power to intoxicate
C) the power to wound
D) a clear and useful purpose
E) a sense of timeliness and peace
6. One effect of “They’re here, though” (line 21) is to emphasize the speaker’s feeling of
A) hopefulness
B) contentment
C) justification
D) guilt
E) powerlessness
7. In line 21, “failed” is best understood to mean
A) died
B) faded
C) sickened
D) was unhappy
E) was absent
8. Grammatically, the word “Plumes” (line 26) functions as
A) the direct object of “goes” (line 25)
B) an appositive for “I” (line 26)
C) the subject of “Lift” (line 27)
D) the direct object of “ Lift” (line 27)
E) the indirect object of “Lift” (line 27)
9. The speaker perceives the coming of spring chiefly in terms of
A) sounds and colors
B) odors and tastes
C) shapes and textures
D) music and poetry
E) love and youth
10. Which of the following is a subject treated in the poem?
A) The relationship between nature and human beings
B) Belief in the power of religion
C) The innocence of childhood
D) The power of the imagination to provide comfort
E) Fear of death
11. The most conventional, least idiosyncratic aspect of the poem is its
A) tone
B) diction
C) rhymes
D) capitalization
E) meter
12. The sentiments expressed in the poem are closer to those expressed in which of the following quotations from other poets?
A) “The poetry of earth is never dead.” (John Keats)
B) “April is the cruelest month.” (T. S. Eliot)
C) “Fair Daffodils, we weep to see / You haste away so soon.” (Robert Herrick)
D) “And then my heart with pleasure fills / And dances with the daffodils.” (William Wordsworth)
E) “nothing is so beautiful as spring — / When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush.” (Gerald Manley Hopkins)
1d, 2c, 3b, 4a, 5c, 6e, 7e, 8d, 9a, 10a, 11e, 12b