Study Notes

This One Need Not Be a Chamber to Be Haunted summary turns a ghost story inward. On Poetry Catalog the poem appears under the title Ghosts. Emily Dickinson argues that the mind can be more frightening than any haunted house, abbey chase or armed assassin. Read the full text of Ghosts (One Need Not Be a Chamber to Be Haunted) on Poetry Catalog. One Need Not Be a Chamber to Be … [Read more...] about One Need Not Be a Chamber to Be Haunted Summary and Analysis

This An Awful Tempest Mashed the Air summary watches a storm turn into something almost alive, then fade. On Poetry Catalog the poem appears under the shorter title A Tempest. Emily Dickinson’s speaker describes a black sky, roof-top creatures that act like monsters, and a morning that restores peace. Read the full text of A Tempest (An Awful Tempest Mashed the Air) on Poetry … [Read more...] about An Awful Tempest Mashed the Air Summary and Analysis

This The Echoing Green summary follows a day of children's play from sunrise to evening. In William Blake's poem, birds, bells and games fill a shared green with sound. Older people remember their own childhood, and the children eventually settle beside their mothers. The day's movement quietly suggests the passing of a human life. Read the full text of The Echoing Green on … [Read more...] about The Echoing Green Summary and Analysis

This Fame Is a Fickle Food summary begins with a warning disguised as a meal. Emily Dickinson presents reputation as food served on an unstable plate. The invitation may not last, the crows prefer something more nourishing, and human diners meet a bleak end. Read the full text of Fame Is a Fickle Food on Poetry Catalog. Fame Is a Fickle Food Summary Lines 1–4: an … [Read more...] about Fame Is a Fickle Food Summary and Analysis

This The Only Ghost I Ever Saw summary follows a surprisingly delicate haunting. Emily Dickinson's speaker describes a ghost whose clothes, movements and laughter resemble lace, snow, animals and wind. Only at the end does the encounter become explicitly frightening. Read the full text of The Only Ghost I Ever Saw on Poetry Catalog. The Only Ghost I Ever Saw … [Read more...] about The Only Ghost I Ever Saw Summary and Analysis