As Imperceptibly as Grief

As Imperceptibly as Grief

1. Emily Dickinson

2. Title

   • Nobody notices the authors pain or grief
   • Unbearable and overwhelming grief

3. Context

   • ED lived in Massachusetts in the 19th century
   • She was a recluse
   • Several family members and friends died before this poem was written

4. Structure

   • Dashes create a hesitant and disjointed feel
   • 1 stanza, 16 lines

5. 'The Summer lapsed away'

   • Summer could represent the happiness and it fading as grief sets in

6. 'Twilight long begun'

   • The darkness begins

7. 'Dusk drew earlier in'

   • Dusk coming earlier each day symbolises the light leaving her life

8. 'Morning foreign shone'

   • Morning brings light, she is saying light is so rarely seen in her life that it is foreign to her

9. 'Into the Beautiful.'

   • Ready to move on with the rest of her life