REVISE – The Soul has Bandaged moments #647824

STEP 3 Focus on Gothic elements

Read the text and complete it with the words given.

The poem is built around many Gothic elements. It opens with the reference to ________, which introduces the soul's ________ state and confinement. This is further reinforced as Dickinson mentions a dungeon and shackles, similar to how Gothic literature commonly features ________ architecture and ________ restraints.
The most obvious reference to the Gothic, though, is probably the ________ fear, manifesting itself as ________ figures such as a goblin or a spectre with long fingers.

Revise

Posizionamento

STEP 1 Understanding key lines

Match the lines from the poem to their correct paraphrased version. Write the correct letters (A-E) in the gaps.

1 Sip, Goblin, from the very lips / The Lover – hovered – o'er – ________
2 She dances like a Bomb, abroad, / And swings upon the Hours, ________
3 As do the Bee – delirious borne – / Long Dungeoned from his Rose – ________
4 Touch Liberty – then know no more, / But Noon, and Paradise – ________
5 These, are not brayed of Tongue – ________

A She moves wildly and explosively, full of energy, as if carried by time itself.
B Once the soul experiences freedom, it loses awareness of everything else apart from sunlight and heaven.
C A monstrous figure steals something precious, like a kiss that should belong to a lover.
D These moments cannot be spoken about.
E Similar to a bee that has been trapped away from a flower for a long time.

Revise

Completamento aperto

STEP 2 The soul's personification

In the poem, the soul is personified as a woman. Select the statements that best describe the effect of this choice.

A:

It makes the experience more personal to the poet.

B:

It makes a private experience more concrete and easier to understand.

C:

It shifts the focus towards the public sphere.

D:

It introduces a possible reading related to gender and social roles.

E:

It suggests that private emotions should be kept hidden from others.

Revise

Scelta multipla

STEP 6 Think further and prepare for your test: life vs universal themes

Read the passage taken from Paul Brody's book The Lonely House: A Biography of Emily Dickinson, in which he highlights the relationship between her life and the themes she wrote about. Decide if the statements are true or false. Then look at the prompts and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

PROMPTS:
- Refer to the box 'Her life' in 'All about Emily Dickinson' in your textbook to further discuss how Dickinson's social seclusion compares to the themes of her poems.
- Though seemingly not involved with the events of the American Civil War, Dickinson's poems often revolve around death and pain. To what extent do you think she was politically indifferent?

A:

Brody explains that Dickinson's poetry was a way for her to make sense of the outer world.

B:

From the 1860s, Dickinson's poetry mostly focuses on pain, death, and difficult questions about life.

C:

Brody notes that Dickinson's poems highlight a contrast between her secluded life and the wider human questions she wrote about.

D:

Brody states that in Dickinson's poems, the speaker faces situations lacking change and emotion.

Revise

Vero o falso

STEP 5 Interpret the metrical scheme

Read the statements and select the ones that best explain why Dickinson uses this type of metrical structure.

A:

It reflects the soul's uncontainable frenzy and despair.

B:

It creates a sense of regularity that contrasts with the emotional tension of the poem.

C:

It ensures the poem follows a consistent and predictable rhythm.

D:

It helps to recreate the soul's oscillation between imprisonment and freedom.

Revise

Scelta multipla

STEP 4 Recognise the metrical scheme

Read the statements and select the one that correctly describes the poem's metrical scheme.

A:

The poem follows a regular metrical pattern.

B:

The poem uses a mostly regular meter but introduces variations and disruptions.

C:

The poem has no recognisable metrical structure and is written in free verse.

Revise

Scelta multipla