Emily Dickinson 419 Analysis

Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost both write about darkness, structuring their poems in an uncertain and cynical tone stringing along the reader by using consistent rhyming and vague details. The authors also use extended metaphors and fearful imagery to implement the ominous feel that comes with darkness. Although both poems use different devices to achieve their purpose, the message is almost parallel.
In Emily Dickinson's “419” she grabs your attention by using the pronoun “we”, in doing this she relates to the reader and makes the poem more personable. Her point of view allows her to describe just how vast her darkness is, all the while putting us at the center of the action. In contrast, Frost repeats the pronoun “I” so much that it creates a conceited tone. Instead of putting you in the poem, he gloats by using hyperboles to prove that he has conquered “the night”. Through boasting his heroic actions, he demonstrates just how hard it is to overcome the night and all

She also puts hyphens after words as if there is more to the sentence that isn't included in the poem. By doing this she creates uncertainty and keeps the reader engaged with confusion. Her unorthodox grammar habits also leave room for interpretation, instead of spoon feeding the story she provides an outline and leaves the rest up to imagination so that the we can fill in whatever darkness haunts our own life. Frost uses different methods to leave the reader confused. The title of his poem is “Acquainted with the night” and typically the word acquainted doesn’t instill fear. In fact, the definition of acquainted is to be aware of or familiar with. The title of the poem sets a detached and unemotional tone instead of immediately opposing the night. He recalls depressing events that would usually bring bitterness and despair against the night he walks around in, but instead evokes