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Throwing Out Grammar

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Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is using correct grammar always necessary to get your point across? Emily Dickinson throws out classic grammar rules and writes in her own way to emphasize what she wants to be emphasized. Dickinson’s usage of capitalization and punctuation affects the way one responds to her poems. She throws out the use of standard grammar and mechanics. This has a great effect on the reader by changing the way that the poems would normally be read.

Dickinson uses capitalization of certain words to create more of an emphasis and show importance. The words she chooses to capitalize show the reader how she meant for her poems to be read. Death is capitalized to personify it. Death is a person courting the speaker and driving the carriage to the afterlife(1). Civility is capitalized in order to emphasize the courtesy and politeness that Death shows the speaker(8).

School and Children emphasize the first phase in life(9). Their capitalization exaggerates their meaning. Recess and Ring refer to fun, playing, carefree, and repetition(10). Children do the same thing everyday and are very free spirited. They are withdrawn from the real world.

Fields are expanses of open, healthy ground. Gazing is to look with intent interest, pleasure, or wonder. Grain represents seeds or the continuing of life(11). By planting seeds in healthy ground they grow and in turn bear seeds. This stanza could also represent working in the fields planting, growing, and harvesting grain. Or working as an adult in any form or fashion. Either interpretation represents the middle stage in life.

The Setting Sun happens at the end of the day, or in this case, the end of life(12). In preparation for death, the speaker puts on a Gossamer, or thin extremely delicate, Gown for burial(15). She also wears a Tippet, or scarf that covers the neck, made of Tulle, a thin fine net of silk(16). The Swelling Ground is imagery of a grave(18). The Roof is the highest point or summit(19). She cannot see it, therefore this emphasizes that she is buried underground. Along with the Cornice or continuous, prominent ornamental molding(20). This cornice is most likely on her casket.

Dickinson’s use of a long dash as an emphatic comma tells readers to pause a bit longer.  The dash follows the thought process of the speaker. This longer pause allows the reader to paint a picture and imagine what is happening between lines or segments. The dash at the very end of the poem is continuous. One cannot stop thinking the pause of the poem. It seems to go on forever.

Dickinson throws all rules of grammar and mechanics out the window.  By doing this, and writing in her own way. She leads the reader to read it the way she intended. By using capitalization and dashes as emphatic commas, Dickinson clearly defines the way in which she means for it to be read. Her poetry is written in a thought process method that is mechanically how she wanted it to be.

Belasco, Susan. “712 [FR 479].” The Bedford Anthology of American

Literature. Comp. Linck Johnson. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2008. Print.

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