19. There is No Frigate Like a Book
There is no frigate like a book
To take us away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry:
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears the human soul!
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
This
poem is in the third chapter, the one dedicated to Denotation and
Connotation. In it's lines, Dickinson connotates that a book is akin to
an armored warship, lending the impression that words hold great
power. Even though this poem fits quite well into the theme of this
certain chapter, it also provides great insight into the entire world of
poetry. Dickinson utilizes many rhetorical devices, including
allusion, alliteration, and metaphor- all of which greatly support her
main argument on the importance of books. Dickinson also chooses her
diction carefully, paying attention to both what the words mean and what
they sound like to arrive at the epitome of beauty in poetry.
Two
aspects of the poem to consider is the speaker and the audience. There
is no immediately clear speaker, one that jumps out at the reader and
proclaims its presence. However, if you read more deeply into the text,
one may find a hint of someone who is definitely well-read. The
speaker may be quite learned, with a lot of years of experience reading
and analyzing text. For example, Dickinson uses "this traverse may the
poorest take without oppress of toll" (lines 5 and 6) to convey the
journey a reader might take when reading a book. This is most likely
learned from at least a bit of experience. As far as an audience, the
intended readers may be students or people not so likely to read without
being given a push first. This poem emphasizes the importance and
beauty of reading, the "prancing poetry" (line 4) flowing like a river
into the reader's ears and mind. This poem is meant for an audience
that may otherwise not choose to read for pleasure. The central,
presiding purpose of "There is No Frigate" is to lure in these types of
readers and entice each to change their ways.
I
personally agree with the poem a lot, in that books provide and
distribute knowledge no matter if you want to obtain it or not. If you
are reading, you are learning what that particular book has to say.
There's no way around it. Yes, you may ignore what you're taught, but
you were still taught it and that can never be reneged. Dickinson makes
her point about the importance of books well in "There is No Frigate",
providing the reader with flowing diction and a strong purpose.
The description of the poem's possible intention and the background of the speaker is very interesting. You mentioned a lot of factors in the introduction that you didn't expand on, however, and I think discussion of those literary devices could benefit this post. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI like how your post gives an analysis of the meaning of the poem, as well as its impact on its audience. I like how you interpreted the speaker's experiences to connect with Dickinson's. The only thing I think your post could have benefited from is more examples of how specific wording that she used was better than alternatives, and further explanation of the literary devices used. Good job!
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