Emily Dickinson’s “the Snake”
Josh Mclawhorn
Eng 232
Professor Etheridge
9/24/2012
Emily Dickinson’s “The Snake”
“The snake” by Emily Dickinson is a 24 line poem describing an encounter with a snake in the grass. The six stanzas of the poem flow together in an ABCB rhyme scheme yet are not formalized into any specific meter. “The Snake” says that Dickinson shares a friendly and appreciative connection with a snake because it is being of nature, just as she is a being of nature; but even while she appreciates this creature, whenever she encounters it; it still chills her to the bone. Through her use of style such as personification, descriptive imagery, metaphors, and similes Dickinson causes the reader to gain an appreciation of the snake; but then uses the same style (metaphors and imagery) to remind her readers that the snake is still no matter what, chilling and terrifying. The snake is an individual of nature, and must be appreciated, yet Dickinson can never truly trust or love the snake because of the feelings of terror it provokes.
The first stanza introduces the reader to the poem by describing a snake coming through the grass; it also reminds the reader that when first coming upon a snake the notice is sudden, and surprising. The first two lines introduce the snake and how it slithers through the grass “A narrow fellow in the grass / Occasionally rides”. Line one describes the snake as a “narrow fellow” describing its width as small and skinny (narrow), and also personifying it as a man or a boy by calling it fellow. Line two again personifies the snake by using the metaphor “rides” to describe its movement. “Rides” in Dickinson’s day was most often associated with how a human rides a horse. Saying the snake “rides” gives it a human attribute. Line three and four of stanza one are “You may have met him, - did you not, / His notice sudden is.” Line three familiarizes the idea of the poem with the readers by reminding them of a time when they came upon a snake. Line four describes
Eng 232
Professor Etheridge
9/24/2012
Emily Dickinson’s “The Snake”
“The snake” by Emily Dickinson is a 24 line poem describing an encounter with a snake in the grass. The six stanzas of the poem flow together in an ABCB rhyme scheme yet are not formalized into any specific meter. “The Snake” says that Dickinson shares a friendly and appreciative connection with a snake because it is being of nature, just as she is a being of nature; but even while she appreciates this creature, whenever she encounters it; it still chills her to the bone. Through her use of style such as personification, descriptive imagery, metaphors, and similes Dickinson causes the reader to gain an appreciation of the snake; but then uses the same style (metaphors and imagery) to remind her readers that the snake is still no matter what, chilling and terrifying. The snake is an individual of nature, and must be appreciated, yet Dickinson can never truly trust or love the snake because of the feelings of terror it provokes.
The first stanza introduces the reader to the poem by describing a snake coming through the grass; it also reminds the reader that when first coming upon a snake the notice is sudden, and surprising. The first two lines introduce the snake and how it slithers through the grass “A narrow fellow in the grass / Occasionally rides”. Line one describes the snake as a “narrow fellow” describing its width as small and skinny (narrow), and also personifying it as a man or a boy by calling it fellow. Line two again personifies the snake by using the metaphor “rides” to describe its movement. “Rides” in Dickinson’s day was most often associated with how a human rides a horse. Saying the snake “rides” gives it a human attribute. Line three and four of stanza one are “You may have met him, - did you not, / His notice sudden is.” Line three familiarizes the idea of the poem with the readers by reminding them of a time when they came upon a snake. Line four describes
Cited: Baym, Nina, Robert S. Levine, and Arnold Krupat. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. C. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. N. pag. Print.(p.89-93) Dickinson, Emily, Mabel Loomis Todd, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson. New York: Avenel, 1982. Print. (p.140) Monteiro, George. "Dickinson 's A Narrow Fellow In The Grass." Explicator 51.1 (1992): 20. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Ingold, Barbara Seib. "Dickinson 's A Narrow Fellow In The Grass." Explicator 54.4 (1996): 220. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Felstiner, John. "Earth 's Most Graphic Transaction": The Syllables Of Emily Dickinson." American Poetry Review 36.2 (2007): 7. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.