Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue. For example, the three female characters-the wife, the nun, and the jockey-might be the incarnation of excellence.

What a great way to capture the sudden, darting movement of flies around a room – especially when they’re attracted to light! The use of dashes really helps to convey that sense of movement, and it’s something that Dickinson does really well in her poetry.ĭashes are often used to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused with the rest of the sentence. You might likeWhat Is The Definition Of Sonnet In Poetry What effect do the dashes in this stanza from Dickinson’s I heard a fly buzz when I died have? It’s not entirely clear why she made these choices, but they add to the eccentricity of her poems. In this context, it is used as a placeholder, indicating there is more to come.ĭickinson’s use of dashes and capitalization is unique and interesting. The dashed line often represents something that is in a temporary or transitional state. When using a dash, there is typically no space on either side of it. That said, dashes are often used instead of commas, colons, and brackets in informal writing. Dashes are generally considered to be more informal than commas, colons, and brackets, and as such, they should be used carefully in formal writing. When used judiciously, the hyphen can be a powerful way to add impact to your writing.Ī dash is a horizontal line that typically represents a pause or break in meaning. The hyphen can be a very useful tool in writing, as it can produce a sudden jolt of emphasis or an abrupt pause that draws attention to a particular word or phrase. You might likeWhat does emily dickinson say about finding yourself? Instead of using pentameter, she was more inclined to use trimester, tetrameter, and even dimeter at times. She used extensive dashes, dots, and unconventional capitalization, in addition to vivid imagery and idiosyncratic vocabulary. “It’s a way of saying, ‘You complete me.’”Įmily Dickinson’s writing style is most certainly unique. Martha Nell Smith, a professor of English at the University of Maryland and the author of five books on the poet Emily Dickinson (the original em dash obsessive), said that Dickinson used the dash to “highlight the ambiguity of the written word” “The dash is an invitation to the reader to make meaning,” Dr. The dashes help to create a sense of urgency or importance, and add to the overall meaning of the poem. This creates a more engaging and thoughtful reading experience.ĭickinson uses dashes in “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” to emphasize particular words or phrases. By breaking up the flow of lines, they are forced to take stock of the poem as they go. The dashes in Emily Dickinson’s poems create a sense of pause and reflection for the reader. You might likeWhere is emily dickinson from? Why does Emily Dickinson use dashes in Hope is a thing with feathers This emphasizes the phrase “that oppresses” and makes it resonate with the reader. When they are used as commas, like in the stanza above, they shift the focus to the words that follow the dash. The dashes compel the reader to contemplate and ponder over the lines.ĭashes can be used for emphasis in a sentence, in place of commas or parentheses. The dashes set apart specific words and phrases, forcing the reader to slow down while reading.

They highlight important key words of the poem. The capitalized words draw the reader’s attention. Why does Emily Dickinson use dashes and capitalization? Additionally, dashes can create a feeling of abruptness or choppiness in a sentence, which may have been another effect Dickinson was going for in her poems. By interrupting the flow of her thoughts with dashes, she was able to create a sense of anticipation in her readers, who would have to wait to see how she would finish her thought. The most likely explanation for why Emily Dickinson uses dashes in her poems is that she wanted to create a sense of suspense or tension in her writing.

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