Wild Nights, by Emily Dickinson
Study Questions.
Wild nights! Wild nights!
Were I with thee,
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile the winds
To a heart in port,
Done with the compass,
Done with the chart.
Rowing in Eden!
Ah! the sea!
Might I but moor
To-night in thee!
1. Think about Dickinson’s descriptions of nature, such as in “A Bird came down the Walk” and “A narrow Fellow in the Grass.” What techniques does she use to create her indelible images? What makes poems such as these memorable despite their thematic simplicity?
2. Dickinson is often described as a poet of “inwardness.” What do you think this means? How does Dickinson convey the inner workings of the mind in a poem such as “I cannot live with You”?
3. Think about Dickinson’s tone. Does she seem to be writing for other people or only for herself? How might she universalize private feelings?
4. Dickinson’s poems often introduce an idea, then develop it with a sequence of metaphoric images. What are some of her images in this poem? How do they work as metaphors?
Were I with thee,
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile the winds
To a heart in port,
Done with the compass,
Done with the chart.
Rowing in Eden!
Ah! the sea!
Might I but moor
To-night in thee!
1. Think about Dickinson’s descriptions of nature, such as in “A Bird came down the Walk” and “A narrow Fellow in the Grass.” What techniques does she use to create her indelible images? What makes poems such as these memorable despite their thematic simplicity?
2. Dickinson is often described as a poet of “inwardness.” What do you think this means? How does Dickinson convey the inner workings of the mind in a poem such as “I cannot live with You”?
3. Think about Dickinson’s tone. Does she seem to be writing for other people or only for herself? How might she universalize private feelings?
4. Dickinson’s poems often introduce an idea, then develop it with a sequence of metaphoric images. What are some of her images in this poem? How do they work as metaphors?