Im in the biggest writing rut ever! I got stuck with this impossible essay because my group screwed up on a simple Dickenson project. pleassse help! My essay is on the Dickinson Poem "we grow accustomed to the Dark" and the basic gist of the prompt is to analyze the significance of light and dark in the poem considering elements such as point of view, imagery, and structure. I read the poem over a few times and pulled the idea of 'personal loss' with the possibility of 'light.' Dickinson for me is just impossible and anyone reading this is probably like, 'what an easy prompt,' but if its Dickinson for me its IMPOSSIBLE!! PLEASSSE HELP!!

Okay, deep breath. Face it, it could be Blake.

Point of View- ED is saying 'We'- she's not really talking just about herself walking down the road, but about something more general.

Imagery- she's using the example of walking home from a neighbor's house. Remember, there were no streetlights and 7-11's on the corner- when the neighbor's lamp is out of sight, it's dark.

Structure- In the first two stanzas, she describes what would have been a common scenario. In stanza 3, she brings the comparision to a wider issue. In 4 and 5, she's using the common scenario again, but focused on the wider issue.

I think that seeing the 'darkness' as personal loss is a good idea.

Hope this helps.

pam


We Grow Accustomed To The Dark
Emily Dickinson


We grow accustomed to the Dark—
When light is put away—
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye—

A Moment—We uncertain step
For newness of the night—
Then—fit our Vision to the Dark—
And meet the Road—erect—

And so of larger—Darkness—
Those Evenings of the Brain—
When not a Moon disclose a sign—
Or Star—come out—within—

The Bravest—grope a little—
And sometimes hit a Tree
Directly in the Forehead—
But as they learn to see—

Either the Darkness alters—
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight—
And Life steps almost straight.

Angelika, in an earlier thread this poem had to be compared with another. I and others made some comments. You can get to it through:

<[www.emule.com]>

Might give you a few angles to work from.

Ian