Name: Almallam Boujemaa Almallam 1

Prf. Mr. M. Sghir Syad

Master: SLCE

Semester 1

Theme in Emily Dickinsons Poem A Book

A Book is one of the most famous poems written by Emily

Dickinson in 1872. She wrote it while she was isolated from her society for

more than a decade, dedicating her time to reading books and journals,

the only media by which she links up with the world around her. Despite

her self-seclusion from society, she wrote a lot of poems addressing

concepts of immortality, death and hope. In her poem, A book, Dickinson

uses figurative language, especially diction and simile and extended

metaphor to accentuate the significance of reading and to demonstrate

that leading an imaginative journey while reading a book or a poem is far

more important than leading an earthly physical journey.

Through the choice of words which are accessible to ordinary

readers and which are suggestive of journeying, the speakers emphasis

on the relevance of reading becomes apparent. The speaker uses words

such as frigate, coursers, and chariot, which are intelligible by

common people. This means that the poem is addressed to all people.

These words evoke travelling and journeying, and they also push us to

enquire about the kind of journey the poem deals with. Transportation-

related words invoke travelling and movement, but once compared with a

book, page, and prancing poetry, they appeal to a psychological

imaginative journey that can take readers distances farther than an

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earthly physical journey via the usual means of transportation. Reading

grants readers a unique opportunity to travel metaphorically in order to

explore other places by means of their imagination and thus enrich their

souls.

To reinforce the idea that reading books and literature is of much

importance, the poem puts simile at its service. The speaker compares a

frigate ship to a book stating that There is no frigate like a book, / To take

us lands away (1-2), demonstrating the power of books to take readers to

locations far more distant than their physical worlds; that is, individuals

have an exceptional vehicle to cross all the borders by imagination and

travel to faraway places. The poem provides another powerful simile. A

book of poetry is compared to a nights horse, which is a symbol of power

and knighthood. This comparison suggests that reading a poem is even

better than riding a knights vigorous horse, as the speaker puts it Nor

any coursers like a page, / Of prancing poetry (3-4). The speaker uses

another means of transportation to reinforce the argument that reading

books, especially poetry books, is incomparable since it has the vigour to

take individuals where knights horses and frigate cant take them.

The poem also stresses that reading as an imaginative voyage is at

the disposal of every individual, poor and rich, and it is quite cheaper than

the chariot. To show this, the speaker resorts to extended metaphor,

and begins with this traverse may the poorest take, /without oppress of

toll (5-6). These lines suggest that travelling across ones own

imagination via reading books and poetry is not to be crippled by

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oppression of toll. The last two lines are emphatic; they reiterate the

idea that a book which elevates the human soul is not as expensive as

the chariot. The passage way to imagination is free and at hand.

In short, Dickinsons use of figurative language, especially her use of

familiar words, simile and extended metaphor make of her poem an

amazing work of art. The celebration of the importance of books in general

and poetry in particular is conveyed through figurative language. This

language conveys the idea that books can take individuals in a

metaphorical voyage to the human soul and imagination, which would not

be possible via physical means of transportation. This journey is accessible

to the poor and to the rich as well.