Started Early - Took My Dog, by Emily Dickinson :: essays research papers

Started Early- Took My Dog, by Emily DickinsonSuicide was non a widely discussed topic in the 1800s although, it commonly appe ard as a theme in many literary works of that time. The save of killing ones self is not a classified psychological disorder, but in that location are many disorders where suicide is the end result. This is why suicide is a commonplace subject within the psychological field in present day society. The poem "I Started Early- Took My Dog," by Emily Dickinson, can be interpreted as making strange reference to a suicide. Freud says, "Suicide is a response to sack (real or symbolic), but one in which the persons sorrow and rage in the face of that loss are not vented but remain unconscious, so weakening the ego."(Freud p.246). Dickinson uses several elements in her poem to relate this theme such as tone, imagery and poesy. It is told through the first person point of view of an cabalistic speaker.     Dickinson begins the first line of her poem by writing in iambic tetrameter. In the second line she switches to iambic trimeter and proceeds to alternate between the two. This rhyme scheme proves to be particular(a)ly effective in complimenting the subject of the poem-- the ocean. When a reader looks at the poem it is easy to see the lines lengthening then shortening, around in the same fashion that the tide of the ocean flows and ebbs.                    I started Early- Took my Dog                    And visited the sea-                    The Mermaids in the Basement                    Came out to look at me. (Dickinson 1-4)The waxing and waning action of the text might symbolize the constant cycles of life. The fact that the text recedes then elongates in rhythm make the reader think the speaker of the poem is not sure what steps to take in their life. The speaker might not have convinced him or herself about the suicide attempt. Many suicidal thoughts are stopped short of action and then thought about later. Dickinson writes in this style to show the opposing forces of every situation. Suicide would likely be the nigh contemplated decision the narrator has ever had to make.      Through metaphors, the speaker proclaims of her longing to be one with the sea. As she notices The mermaids in the basement,(3) and frigates- in the upper floor,(5) it seems as though she is associating these particular daydreams with her house. She becomes entranced with these spectacles and starts to contemplate suicide.