Emily Dickinson - My Life Had Stood - A Loaded Gun

This video is part of the Perfecting Poetry series, focusing on Emily Dickinson's poem 'My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun.' It explores the poem's themes, including the persona's potential for destruction, gender dynamics, and power. The analysis covers the use of extended metaphors, visual imagery, and historical context, highlighting Dickinson's unique style and the poem's deeper meanings. The video concludes by inviting viewers to engage with Dickinson's work.

What is the primary form of Emily Dickinson's poem 'My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun'?

• Haiku

• Ballad

• Free Verse

• Sonnet

In the first stanza, what does the persona reflect on?

• Her future ambitions

• Her past isolation

• Her childhood memories

• Her dreams

What does the persona's use of 'we' signify in the poem?

• Her confusion

• Her independence

• Her unity with her owner

• Her isolation

What does the 'sovereign woods' symbolize in the poem?

• A place of danger

• A realm of freedom and authority

• A mystical forest

• A forbidden land

What historical event is alluded to with the 'Vesuvian face'?

• The Great Fire of London

• The fall of the Roman Empire

• The eruption of Mount Vesuvius

• The sinking of the Titanic

What does the persona consider better than sharing a bed with her master?

• Writing poetry

• Hunting in the woods

• Guarding his head at night

• Traveling the world

What does the persona's 'cordial smile' mask?

• Her fear

• Her sadness

• Her volcanic anger

• Her happiness

What is the paradox presented in the final stanza of the poem?

• Having the power to speak but not to be heard

• Having the power to see but not to understand

• Having the power to kill but not to die

• Having the power to love but not to be loved

What does the 'yellow eye' imagery in the poem likely represent?

• A sunset

• A rifle's flash

• A cat's eye

• A golden coin

What does the persona's reliance on her master reflect about her?

• Her dependence on male authority

• Her desire for solitude

• Her independence

• Her love for nature