Question

with those same boots of lead, again, then space—began to toll, as all the heavens were a bell, and being, but an ear, and i, and silence, some strange race wrecked, solitary, here— and then a plank in reason, broke, and i dropped down, and down— and hit a world, at every plunge, and finished knowing—then— —emily dickinson (1830 - 1886) questions 1. what senses are being evoked by the imagery? can you account for the fact that one important sense is absent from the poem? 2. in sequence, what aspects of a funeral and burial are represented in the poem? is it possible to define the sequence of mental events that are being compared to them? 3. with respect to the funeral activities in stanzas 1 - 3, where is the speaker imaginatively located? 4. what finally happens to the speaker? living in sin she had thought the studio would keep itself, no dust upon the furniture of love. half heresy, to wish the taps less vocal, the panes relieved of grime. a plate of pears, a piano with a persian shawl, a cat stalking the picturesque amusing mouse had risen at his urging. not that at five each separate stair would writhe under the milkmans tramp; that morning light so coldly would delineate the scraps of last nights cheese and three sepulchral bottles; that on the kitchen shelf among the saucers a pair of beetle - eyes would fix her own— envoy from some village in the moldings... meanwhile, he, with a yawn, sounded a dozen notes upon the keyboard,

Explanation:

1. In the Emily Dickinson poem, "toll" and "a Bell" evoke the sense of hearing. The absence of the sense of taste can be accounted for as the poem focuses more on internal and auditory - related experiences rather than sensory experiences related to eating or tasting.
2. The poem may represent aspects like the solemnity of a funeral procession (with "Boots of Lead" suggesting heaviness) and the descent into the unknown like a burial. The mental events could be a descent into madness or a loss of rational thought, paralleling the physical actions of a funeral.
3. The speaker seems to be in a state of isolation, perhaps in a liminal or other - worldly space, imagining the funeral activities.
4. The speaker's "Plank in Reason" breaks, and they drop down, losing knowledge and perhaps descending into a state of unconsciousness or a new, unknown mental state.

For "Living in Sin", the poem describes the disillusionment of an idealized living situation. The woman thought the studio would be clean and romantic but is faced with the reality of dirt, noise from taps, and a less - than - perfect environment.

Answer:

1. The sense of hearing is evoked. The sense of taste is absent as the poem focuses on other experiences.
2. Aspects of solemnity and descent are represented. Mental events parallel a loss of rationality.
3. In an isolated, liminal space.
4. The speaker loses reason and descends into an unknown state.