Summary Poem Analysis of 'After great pain, a formal feeling comes' by Emily Dickinson
12 views 0 purchase
Course
Poetry
Institution
CIE
Here’s a full analysis of the poem ‘After great pain, a formal feeling comes’ by Emily Dickinson, tailored towards A-Level students but also suitable for those studying at a higher level. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback if you found it useful!
Includes:
POEM
VOCABULARY
STORY / S...
After great pain, a formal feeling comes -
Emily Dickinson
After great pain, a formal feeling comes –
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs –
The stiff Heart questions ‘was it He, that bore,’
And ‘Yesterday, or Centuries before’?
The Feet, mechanical, go round –
A Wooden way
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought –
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone –
This is the Hour of Lead –
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow –
First – Chill – then Stupor – then the letting go –
VOCABULARY
Formal - serious, according to the rules and customs of a society
Nerves - a person’s emotions - particularly those of courage and strength
Ceremonious - relating to a ceremony, especially a grand, formal occasion
Bore - two possible readings, either someone who is ‘a bore’, a boring person or
someone who bears the weight of something - in this instance, the latter
interpretation is more likely to be correct as it makes more sense within the context
of the poem
Mechanical - behaving like a machine
Ought - acting according to duty
Regardless - despite being
, Quartz - a hard, translucent rock that is often white, clear or rose in colour
Contentment - satisfaction
Outlived - managed to last longer, to live longer than something
Stupor - dulled senses, lack of feeling or sensitivity to anything
STORY/SUMMARY
Stanza 1: After a person has suffered great pain, they are taken over by a formal,
serious feeling - their nerves sit in a ceremonious way in their mind, as if partaking in a
formal occasion, as though they are tombs - the stiff heart asks: “Was it he, that put up
with the suffering?” and “when did the pain start - was it yesterday, or centuries ago?”
Stanza 2: The feet act mechanically, walking round in a wooden, stiff way - they grow
indifferent to whether they are walking on the ground, or air, or anything - they take on
quartz contentment, as if they were made of stone
Stanza 3: This, what you’re experiencing now, is the hour of lead - if you manage to
outlive it, you will remember it in the same way that freezing people remember the
snow (as a trauma, a moment of intense shock and suffering) - it first comes over you
as a chill, then numbness, then finally you manage to let go of the pain -
SPEAKER/VOICE
The speaker uses the third person to try and objectively describe the feeling of loss,
grief or trauma as impersonally as possible. This is perhaps to convey the sense of
numbness that comes along with experiencing great difficulty; it may also be an
expression of the way in which people try to mask their intense feelings, or confront
them using logic and formal solemnity.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller natashatabani. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
