What Is The Mood Of The Poem The Snake By Emily Dickinson

“The Snake” by Emily Dickinson is a poem that describes a man looking back on his childhood and a mistaken encounter with a snake while walking through the grass. That encounter leads the speaker to talk about feelings and emotions provoked by such an encounter. The poem was not titled “The Snake” by Dickson, the title is an addition chosen by an editor. While the title encompasses a large portion of what the poem is about, it also detracts from the poem in the sense that it does not allow the reader to uncover that the speaker is talking about a snake. The speaker of the poem is a boy, and while Dickinson could have chosen a girl to tell the story, a boy was chosen because it is considered more typical in childhood for a boy to walk around

“A narrow fellow in the grass.” Describing the snake as “a narrow fellow” indicates the snake is narrow in circumference, and through the descriptive use of “fellow” it is indicated with the use of personification that the snake is male. This stanza also serves to make the reader aware that having an encounter with a snake is sudden. “His notice is sudden.” The encounter with the snake can be compared to being snuck up on. The second stanza starts by describing how the snake appears and then goes on to describe how the snake passes the speaker by. “The grass divides as with a comb, / A spotted shaft is seen.” The first line uses a simile to describe the snakes first appearance, the use of a simile allows the reader to imagine the snake parting the grass as it slithers through, in the same way that a comb parts the hair. The second line tells the reader that the snake is spotted, which gives the reader characteristics to further visualize the snake. The third and fourth lines of this stanza describe how the snake moves closer to the reader, closing in on his feet, and rather than stopping, continuing to slither on by. “And then it closes at your feet / And opens further on.” The third line allows the reader to imagine the grass in the field parting as the snake approaches, and then closing behind the snake as it slithers

Dickinson used powerful words that could provoke vivid imagery in the imagination of readers. The way the speaker told the story of their encounter and the use of detailed descriptions really allowed for readers to use their own imaginations to conjure up an image of the snake to follow along with the encounter. Dickinson drew readers in with an appreciation for snakes, and then cuts that appreciation dead in its tracks, and provides a chilling feeling by reminding readers of how terrifying snakes are. Things such as a snake can be appreciated and respected for what they are, as well as being feared for the same