In Emily Dickinson's poem "The Cricket Sang," the line "The twilight stood as strangers do / With hat in hand, polite and new" employs simile as a figurative language device. By comparing twilight to polite, hat-in-hand strangers, Dickinson evokes an image of solar warmth in the evening that embodies both familiarity and formality, much like a beetle cautiously approaching yet unknown territory. This comparison enhances the poem's exploration of transitions and the interplay between comfort and the unknown, suggesting a moment of respect as day gives way to night. Through such figurative language, Dickinson conveys a sense of peace and contemplation in the natural progression from day to night, inviting readers to reflect on the themes of change and acceptance.
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Question
Read "The Cricket Sang" by Emily Dickinson.
The cricket sang,
And set the sun,
And workmen finished, one by one,
Their seam the day upon.
The low grass loaded with the dew,
The twilight stood as strangers do
With hat in hand, polite and new,
To stay as if, or go.
A vastness, as a neighbor, came,—
A wisdom without face or name,
A peace, as hemispheres at home,—
And so the night became.
In 3-5 sentences, give an example of figurative language from the poem and identify the type of figurative language being used.
Include the words "solar" and "beetle" in this response.
Next, explain how the poet's use of figurative language added meaning to the poem.
1 answer