As Imperceptibly As Grief

Question 1

Author

Answer 1

Emily Dickinson

Question 2

Context

Answer 2

• influenced by the bible and romantic poets
• she was reclusive
• her house overlooked a graveyard
• Wordsworth was an unrequited love

Question 3

What do the dashes mean

Answer 3

• absence
• moment of contemplation
• breathlessness
• inexpressible

Question 4

Quote describing the morning and how you expect the morning light to be pleasant but it’s not— shows grief brings out contradictory emotions

Answer 4

“Yet harrowing grace”

Question 5

Last line. Uses adjective as noun to give it solidity, and one full stop in whole poem to show an almost acceptance and that summer has finally passed

Answer 5

“Into the beautiful.”

Question 6

Second line linking the seasons and grief- ambiguity of poem: is it using nature to describe grief or grief to describe nature

Answer 6

“The summer lapsed away”

Question 7

Two words quote that shows light imagery which links to the theme of life and death, but also liminal space representing the change

Answer 7

“Twilight” “dusk”

Question 8

Two words which suggest that the loss of summer and grief is so subtle that its like moving through air or water

Answer 8

“Wing” “keel”

Question 9

What is the poem about?

Answer 9

How summer ends so gradually that u don’t realise it’s finished, but also how grieving ends so subtly that it itself feels like loss, because u have become so used to the slow process of grieving