Behind me dips eternity PDF

Preview

Summary

Behind me dips eternity...

Description

Behind me dips eternity Intro: In this poem, Dickinson finds herself stuck between eternity and immortality in opposite directions. Both lack a beginning and an end, thus being “dateless,” and are uninterrupted by events, thus being “pauseless.” Therefore, it is difficult to comprehend them because they lack markers. The first two lines present the two in a parallel structure and this prevents them from being distinguished from one another and they inevitable lose their meanings. She acknowledges that her life is only a small pinpoint in her timeline and that afterwards, she will begin to “drift” onwards forever. She explores this concept of being “in between,” using literary techniques such as imagery, structure, and diction to add further depth to aspects of the work that could not be achieved otherwise. Technique #1: Imagery ● Stanza 1: idea of setting and rising, moving onto a new existence ○ Sun rising and showing dawn shows she exists between sun rise and set, or between life and death ● Stanza 2: heavenly imagery and majestic with high religious influence, talk of royalty and the monarchy ● Stanza 3: Before and after repeated emphasizes the idea of being “in between,” between the miracle of life and death suggest purgatory “Midnight” to the north and south of “her” suggests an infinite or eternal midnight, implying that time is meaningless, midnight is the point in between the end of one day and the start of another, another sense of being “in between” ○ “Maelstrom in the sky” maelstrom indicates powerful whirlpool above but it doesn’t affect her, might imply purgatory in the sense that heaven is above and hell is below, could also imply that her journey to the afterlife will comprise of hardships or difficulty ○ Creates an ominous image that could suggest she is destined to be sent to purgatory to repent or cleanse herself Technique #2: Structure ● Meter is reminiscent of hymns, relevant because religion plays a large part in the afterlife - going to see God ● Repetition used excessively that suggests that the cycle of eternity is never ending and also renders the words less meaningful as it makes them lose their power “midnight midnight” “himself himself” ● Tons of dashes that slow down the meter and rhythm that is reflective of the length and introspective nature of eternity, ends on a dash to show that the cycle is eternal

Technique #3: Diction ● “Eternity” connotes timelessness and suggests she is going to a place where time doesn’t exist ● “Immortality” reflects her everlasting life, even after death she will continue to drift on forever because death is not the end of life ● Religious diction indicates the religious influence on her perspective of the afterlife - she believes her journey will lead her to the miracle of heaven and life...