We Grow Accustomed to the Dark Analysis

Dickinson definitely had a particular style; in fact, she’s known for it. All those dashes and capitalized words certainly have an effect; they make us pause and consider each word. For example:...

The speaker seems to be pretty wise. After all, he or she knows if we hang out long enough, we’ll get used to the darkness all around us. They also see the results of our struggles against uncert...

We’re about to leave on a road with little but our neighbor’s lamp to light the way; it’s a dark and spooky night, for sure. Or is it? Because Dickinson is using figurative language, we aren�...

Easy-peasy, you might be thinking. There’s not much rhyming happening here. Not so fast, Shmoopers. While there isn’t many full rhymes, she does use slant rhyming. Check out the first stanza:W...

The original title of the poem was…nothing. Literally; it was called “Untitled,” like all of her other poems (talk about confusing). So, for organizational purposes, many publishers started g...

We grow accustomed – to the dashes – in Dickinson’s poems – but what do they – mean? Consider the way the dashes make you pause when you read; they could perhaps be a way to slow the rea...

There might not be any tricky words or allusions to look up, but Ms. Dickinson’s poetry isn’t always as simple as it looks. Her subtle form, random-seeming capitalization, and figurative langua...

Dickinson may have spent a lot of time at home, but she was not a fan of household chores like dusting. (Source)Despite being considered one of America’s most influential poets, only seven of Dic...

Many of life’s more salacious activities may be frequently set in the darkness, but this poem doesn’t have any of them. No need to cover your eyes with this one.