Here’s a full analysis of the poem 'I have never seen ‘Volcanoes’’ 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
SPEAKE...
I have never seen "Volcanoes" --
But, when Travellers tell
How those old -- phlegmatic mountains
Usually so still --
Bear within -- appalling Ordnance,
Fire, and smoke, and gun,
Taking Villages for breakfast,
And appalling Men --
If the stillness is Volcanic
In the human face
When upon a pain Titanic
Features keep their place --
If at length the smouldering anguish
Will not overcome --
And the palpitating Vineyard
In the dust, be thrown?
If some loving Antiquary,
On Resumption Morn,
Will not cry with joy "Pompeii"!
To the Hills return!
VOCABULARY
Phlegmatic - calm, unemotional
Appalling - shocking, terrifying
To bear within - to suffer or endure within your mind or soul
, Ordnance - weapons, mounted guns
To appall - to shock, terrify or provoke fear and disgust
Titanic - extremely strong and powerful, relating to the pain the Titans suffered in
Greek Mythology when they were bound by the Olympian Gods (note: This is not a
reference to the ship! The ship was built later than when the poem was written)
Smouldering - smoking, burning slowly such as when a fire is dying
Palpitating - strong beating, like a heart
Vineyard - a place where grapevines grow, often used to produce wine
Antiquary - a person who studies or has a high level of knowledge about ancient
objects, people and places - a student of history and the past
Resumption Morn - a morning where activities are resumed, taken up again after a
break - in this case, Dickinson is perhaps referring to the idea of an antiquarian
revisiting the site of Pompeii to discover what happened there and think about the
destruction that the volcano caused
STORY/SUMMARY
Stanza 1: I have never seen volcanoes myself, but when travellers tell me about them,
they say how those old, calm mountains that are usually so still.
Stanza 2: contain within them a shocking set of weapons, fire and smoke and guns,
they take villages for breakfast and terrify men.
Stanza 3: If this same Volcanic stillness can be seen in the human face, where a Titanic
level of pain doesn’t alter the placement of features or a person’s expression.
Stanza 4: If after a long time the smouldering pain will not go away, and the beating
vineyard of the heart will be thrown into the dust?
Stanza 5: If some loving historian, on the day where they resume their work, doesn’t
cry out “Pompeii” with joy, then you should go back to those hills and see the place for
yourself.
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