Here’s a full analysis of the poem ‘This World is not Conclusion’ by Emily Dickinson, tailored towards A-Level students but also suitable for those studying at a higher level. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback if you found it useful!
Includes:
POEM
VOCABULARY
STORY / SUMMARY
SPEA...
This World is not Conclusion.
A Species stands beyond -
Invisible, as Music -
But positive, as Sound -
It beckons, and it baffles -
Philosophy, don't know -
And through a Riddle, at the last -
Sagacity, must go -
To guess it, puzzles scholars -
To gain it, Men have borne
Contempt of Generations
And Crucifixion, shown -
Faith slips - and laughs, and rallies -
Blushes, if any see -
Plucks at a twig of Evidence -
And asks a Vane, the way -
Much Gesture, from the Pulpit -
Strong Hallelujahs roll -
Narcotics cannot still the Tooth
That nibbles at the soul -
VOCABULARY
Species - a group of being or organisms - in this case perhaps a reference to the idea
of angels
Beckons - calling someone or something to a person
Baffles - confuses, confounds
Riddle - a puzzle
Sagacity - wiseness
, Contempt - anger and scorn
Crucifixion - a method of punishment, where the criminal is nailed or tied to a cross
and hung until dead
Rallies - to regain spirits and fight again after a defeat or setback
Vane - a weather vane, a device that points north, south, east and west, with an
arrow that spins to show which way the wind is blowing
Gesture - a movement of the hands and arms
Pulpit - a platform where a priest stands to deliver sermons
Hallelujahs - shouts of praise and joy
Narcotics - drugs, or medicines
To still something - to make it stop moving, or make it stop functioning
STORY/SUMMARY
This world is not the end of everything. A living species stands beyond what we can
see around us now - it is as invisible as music, but as positive as sound - it calls to us,
and it confuses us - Philosophy can’t explain it - and finally even wisdom and
intelligence has to think about the problem of life after death as if it’s a riddle - to
guess the answer puzzles scholars, to access the answer men have allowed
themselves to be shunned by society for generations, and allowed themselves to be
crucified - faith falters - and laughs, and fights against it - faith blushes if anyone sees
it doing this - it picks at a random twig of evidence and asks a weather vane if it can
point the way to the answer - when a priest stands at a pulpit and gestures, strong
‘hallelujahs’, shouts of praise, roll back at them - drugs can’t stop the tooth that eats
away at the soul -
SPEAKER/VOICE
The speaker in this poem abstractly imagines the problem of providing a definite
answer to the question of ‘What happens when we die?’. She seems to spurn those
who feel that they are sure of the answer because she is aware of the wider debate
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