1a. What does the speaker call her poem, or her poetry in general?
2a. Which line of the poem describes those to whom the speaker's work "is committed"?
3a. Whom or what does the word "Her" refer to in line 7?
4a. Identify what "cannot be seen."
5a. Why does the speaker request that she be judged "tenderly"? What fears might she have about her audience?
1b. What is the speaker's inspiration for her work?
2b. How does the speaker feel about having a reader for her poetry?
3b. What information or understanding might the reader gain from the speaker's poetry
4b. During her lifetime, Dickinson kept her writing to herself. What light does this poem shed on her motives? Elaborate on whether or not she meant to share her work with an audience.
5b. When have you shared a creative effort with an audience? What were your fears? How was your work appraised? What did you learn from sharing your work with someone else?
Apology. Explain how this poem can be seen as an apology. What does it defend?
1a. Which of the three verbs in stanza 1 expresses a command? Explain the command and give an example of someone who might talk like this.
2a. Identify two attractions that fail to tempt the interest of the soul.
3a. In the final stanza, how does the soul block off access by anyone other than the one she has chosen?
4a. How many syllables does each line in the poem have? What kind of pattern can you discern?
5a. Do you agree with Dickinson that it is better to have a few close friends than a large number of acquaintances? What are some of the benefits of being selective about one's friendships?
1b. Does the speaker feel that she is thrown together with her friends by chance? Is she more interested in quality or quantity? How do you know?
2b. What real-life attractions might be symbolized by the "Chariots" and the "Emperor"?
3b. Do you suppose that the phrase "ample nation" in the final stanza refers to the United States or simply to a large number of people? Explain your answer.
4b. How does the abruptness of the syllable pattern in the final stanza contribute to the meaning of the poem?
5b. Name a character in fiction, film, or television who is selective about his or her friendships. Describe his or her relationship with a close friend. What makes it rewarding?
Sight Rhyme. Find an example of sight rhyme in this poem.
Slant Rhyme. Chart the slant rhymes in "The Soul selects her own Society-" in the graphic organizer.
1a. How does the speaker picture Death in stanza 1? What kind of a person is he? What does he propose?
2a. Identify the three visual images the speaker notes during the carriage ride.
3a. To which sense does most of stanza 4 relate?
4a. In what way does the speaker change by the end of the poem? What has happened to her? How has this change come about?
5a. Critique Dickinson's use of time in the poem. Does time pass as it would during a real carriage ride? Is the concept of time developed in the poem?
1b. Why do you think the speaker could not stop for Death?
2b. In what way do the three images reflect stages of life? Or, to what parts of life is the speaker saying good-bye?
3b. How does the speaker react to Death in this stanza?
4b. What is the speaker's attitude toward death in the poem?
5b. Read Dylan Thomas's poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." Contrast Thomas's attitude toward death with the one expressed in "Because I could not stop for Death—."
Extended Metaphor. Explore the extended metaphor in this poem by making a chart. The first example has been done for you.
Point of View. What pronouns indicate that the speaker uses the first-person point of view? What is ususual about the speaker? What is she looking back on? What might account for the calmness and humor of her description of her experience with Death?
1a. Describe the scene at the beginning of the poem.
2a. All the sentences and clauses in the poem except one follow the subject-verb pattern. Identify the clause that breaks away from that pattern. What pattern does it use?
3a. What does the speaker notice about the fly? What does she notice about the rest of the room after the fly enters?
4a. To what senses does the poem refer?
5a. In your opinion, how realistic is the moment of death as described by the speaker?
1b. Explain the figure of speech in stanza 1 that indicates something momentous is about to happen.
2b. Why does the poet vary the sentence pattern in the single clause? What effect does the unusual word order produce?
3b. How does the speaker's actual experience contradict the expectation of the people gathered around her deathbed? What fears about death does the poem explore?
4b. Summarize the mood of the speaker at the end of the poem.
5b. Contrast the view of death described in "I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—" with the one presented in "Because I could not stop for Death—."
Synaesthesia. What example of synaesthesia do you find in stanza 4?
Symbol. Chart Dickinson's use of symbols in this poem by completing the graphic organizer below. On the left list two symbols that appear in stanza 4 of the poem. On the right state what the symbols represent. Explanation of Extended Metaphor:Description of Funeral Procession (EXAMPLE) 1. Death, like a gentleman caller, takes the speaker for a carriage ride.:The corpse is in the funeral carriage, or hearse.
1. Reread "This is my letter to the World." Then write your own letter to the world, telling what you want the world to know and how you want it to regard or judge you. Use your own paper as necessary.
2. Write an advice column responding to a teenager's complaint that she has many acquaintances, but no close friends. Quote part of "The Soul selects her own Society—" in framing your response. Use your own paper as necessary.
3. Imagine that the speaker in "Because I could not stop for Death—" and the speaker in "I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—" want to debate each other about their views about death. Play the role of one of the speakers and write a rebuttal of the other speaker's views. Use your own paper as necessary.
The Subjunctive Mood. Read the Language Arts Survey 3.64, "Properties of Verbs: Mood," on the subjunctive mood and the past subjunctive. Rewrite the sentences below, star (*) each verb that is used in the subjunctive mood.
1. To understand Dickinson's work, it is important that the reader remember the pressures on women of her day.
2. Society required that a woman marry in order to be respected.
3. Certainly, friends would suggest that a woman accept almost any proposal, no matter how undesirable.
4. Were I a woman in Dickinson's era, I would not have been able to plan a career of my own.
5. Can you imagine Dickinson's surprise and pleasure if she were to see the great number of modern women with important careers in business, science, and the arts?
Researching Women of the 1800s. Research the role of women in the United States in the 1800s or the life of a famous woman of that time period.
Sources used:
Etymologies. Read the information about etymologies in the Language Arts Survey 5.21, "Using a Dictionary." Using a dictionary that gives etymologies, list the Latin words that majesty, major, and civility come from. Then make a list of other English words that are related to these words.
