Emily Dickinson Forever Is Composed Of Now Poem Analysis

1056 Words3 Pages

Emily Dickinson
Time is and endless phenomenon that has no beginning or end, therefore making it infinite. Emily Dickinson proves this point in her poem, Forever – is Composed of Nows, referring to “nows” as more significant than the future (Wilbur 80).
Dickinson unravels this thesis in the poem by explaining how time is not composed in the past, or in the future it is only composed of “nows” referring to the present time. The majority of this poem develops her idea that time is “untouchable” unless it is in the moment (O’Brien). In accordance with that line, the following sentence gives insight into her point by providing support in creating a paradox. This paradox is used in this poem to exaggerate her point in that time exists only and …show more content…

The choice of using simple words might be obscure for a logical poet as Dickinson, however she uses simple words as a technique to develop a complex sentence with a strong meaning. An example of this is her fourth sentence in which she states, “And Latitude of Home-“, where she uses a multi-definition word to intertwine with a simple word to convey a deep message. Dickinson uses a different definition of the word latitude than the obvious definition or meaning (Barnet 501). Essentially, this message means that every one’s “now is different” in the “space” that exists in home (Priddy …show more content…

Dickinson’s over abundant use of the hyphen is to put more voice into, to let the public know it’s her voice, technically being her “signature” as Kamilla Denman states. However, many conclude that the use of the hyphen signifies stress, which is considered to be a “female habit” (Denman). On the other hand, this poem uses the hyphen to enable a certain pause after each line to enhance the depth of her writing or message. In essence with that statement, the hyphen is just “as important as a period” since it does strengthen the psychological themes and moral of this

Open Document