Literary Analyses / 255Probably, Dickinson admires the variations Mother Nature sweeps into the sunsets, variations
like those in Dickinson’s own poem. The rhyme is sprung to avoid a singsong effect, and the
result emphasizes Dickinson’s message. For instance, in verse one, “behind” almost rhymes
with “pond,” and in verse two, “thread” almost rhymes with “emerald,” but in verse three, “fly”
fails completely as a rhyme with “away.” Instead, as the reader listens for a near rhyme, thinking
“fly,” his thought, jolted by the absence, carries “fly” with “away.” Dickinson, the recluse, relied
on the spiritual world to take her away from the domestic, and watching the sunset made her
own spirit soar until the stars emerged. Then she returned to this world, her garden, her home,
her own room. As biographer Van Wyck Brooks said, Dickinson domesticated the universe.ANALYSIS of THE SAMPLE LITERARY ANALYSIS of A
PoEM
The preceding three-paragraph composition analyzes a single poem. Note some of
the specific features in this paper:
• As a three-paragraph paper, the sample illustrates a format unlike others
this section examines. The first paragraph is both an introduction and the
development of the first point.
• The thesis statement, the second sentence in the first paragraph, suggests the
three topics to be discussed.
• The paper follows an order of importance, beginning with the most important
idea, the extended metaphor, and building other ideas on that.
• By looking at a combination of extended metaphor, potential problems with
meaning (such as irreverence), and the impact of missing rhyme, the analysis
deals adequately with the poem’s total effect. In this manner, too, it sets itself
apart from an analysis that deals with only a single literary element.
• Transitions help the reader see connections between ideas within and between
paragraphs.
• Varied sentence structure enhances the quality of the paper. The main ideas
appear in main clauses.
• The paper maintains a formal style, aided by the consistent use of a third-person
point of view and accurate verb tense, the present to discuss the work and the past
to discuss the background.
• The conclusion, the final part of the third paragraph, not only emphasizes the
points in the paper but also broadens its message by applying the techniques
evident in this one poem to much of Dickinson’s poetry.The many explanations, examples, and analyses in this chapter and online should
provide an ample foundation on which to build your own literary analysis. Regard-
less of topic, length, or kind of work you must analyze, you will surely find an exam-
ple to guide your work.