Here’s a full analysis of the poem ‘I can wade Grief -’ by Emily Dickinson, tailored towards A-Level students but also suitable for those studying at any level. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback if you found it useful!
Includes:
POEM
VOCABULARY
STORY / SUMMARY
SPEAKER / VOICE
LA...
I can wade Grief—
Whole Pools of it—
I’m used to that—
But the least push of Joy
Breaks up my feet—
And I tip—drunken—
Let no Pebble—smile—
‘Twas the New Liquor,—
That was all!
Power is only Pain—
Stranded, thro’ Discipline,
Till Weights—will hang—
Give Balm—to Giants—
And they’ll wilt, like Men—
Give Himmaleh—
They’ll Carry—Him!
VOCABULARY
Wade - a verb describing the action of walking through a resistance liquid Grief -
extreme sadness, distress or suffering caused by the loss of someone or something
very important - often grief is an emotion associated with death, but the process of
grief can be applied more generally to the feeling that comes after the loss of
something important
‘Twas - it was
Liquor - alcoholic drink
Discipline - self-control and hard work
Balm - a serum that has medicinal properties, providing relief or comfort to someone
in pain - is also nectar or nourishing liquid
, Wilt - soften or weaken, as a plant does when it receives no water or nutrients
Himmaleh - an unshakeable, unmovable mountain of rock - such as those in the
Himalayas
STORY/SUMMARY
Stanza 1: I can wade through the emotion of Grief - I can even move through entire
Pools of it - I’m used to that. But the tiniest push from the feeling of Joy stops my feet
from working properly, and I fall over - as if I’m drunk - don’t let any Pebble smile and
mock me for my clumsiness, it was only the new drink - that’s all!
Stanza 2: Power is just pain that’s been stranded - allowed to hang in the air with
weights, through the discipline of the soul - if you give a healing balm to strong Giants,
they will wilt like weak Men, give the weak Men something hard, strong and unmoving
like Himalayan rock and they will be able to carry a Giant!
SPEAKER/VOICE
The speaker has a philosophical tone as she muses abstractly on the emotions of grief
and joy; she concludes that for her joy is in fact a harder emotion to process because
her body is unaccustomed to it, using the analogy of alcohol or liquor - the feeling of
joy makes her feel drunk and giddy, and she is not really in control of herself when it
comes over her. The conclusion of the poem is to present the attitude that comfort and
support service, to weaken a person’s character, whereas hardship causes them to
strengthen themselves in response.
LANGUAGE DEVICES
Verb - ‘wade’ often a person will wade through a river or a lake, often the movement
is more difficult than walking in the air so the action requires a greater force of will as
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