The Poem’s Impact – What does it mean to you?

• Does Dickinson’s poem, written over 100 years ago about her brief encounter with a bird, have any significance for a young person today?

Points to think about

• This poem reveals not only the unpredictable and dangerous side of nature but also its beauty. To what extent do you believe that nature is as dangerous as it is beautiful?
• Does the poem remind us that we tend to overlook ‘simple’ things around us because they are everyday occurrences?
• Does the poet have anything to say about how we tend to consider ourselves as superior to other creatures with whom we share the planet? After all, this bird with its capacity for flight is, with this one ability, superior to the earth-bound poet – and the rest of us. Is the poet warning us about our arrogance?

Here are some othe r questions / issues that you could consider

• Did you find some of the imagery unusual in the poem? Which images? Why?
• How do you think that the rhythm and punctuation in stanzas three to five help to create a sense of both imminent danger and then awe in the poem?
• What might Dickinson 's purpose be in having the narrator see the bird in "civilised" terms?
• Does the poet, in the last six lines, help us to see afresh the magical quality of flight?