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| Neb English Support Class 12 |
Section 2: Literature (Poems)
A Day Exercise | Emily Dickinson
A Day by Emily Dickinson
MAIN INTRODUCTION
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A DAY BY EMILY DICKINSON CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE ANALYSIS & DETAILED INFORMATION
Hello, dear students I’m Suraj Bhatt, and today I’ve brought you the first poem from Class 12 in this article. This poem is very meaningful and super important for your exams, so please read this article line to line from start to the end.
ABOUT POEM
This meaningful poem "A Day" is a short poem written by the American poet Emily Dickinson. The title comes from its first line, “I’ll tell you how the sun rose.” Emily Dickinson’s poems usually don’t have titles, and the first line often becomes the title. She wrote this poem in 1862, and after her death, it was published in 1890 in a small collection called "Poems by Emily Dickinson", edited by Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd.
This poem, "A Day", has four stanzas, each with four lines, called quatrains. It beautifully describes a day, focusing on sunrise and sunset, using vivid and clear imagery to show these natural processes.
WRITING TECHNIQUES
In terms of writing techniques, the poem uses literal meanings (what it says directly) and symbolic meanings (deeper ideas). It also uses figures of speech like metaphors, similes, and personification, making it lyrical, musical and sonorous.
For rhyming, the first stanza has no rhyme scheme, but the second, third, and fourth stanzas follow an ABCB rhyme scheme, like “began” “sun” , “stile” and "while“, "gray" and "away”.
NARRATION
The poem is narrated from the perspective of an innocent child.
SETTING
The setting is a lovely village with beautiful church steeples, hills, and little bobolink birds singing sweetly in a peaceful environment.
THEMES
The poem’s themes include nature, life and death, innocence, and experience. It beautifully shows a journey from innocence to experience, using sunrise and sunset to represent the cycle from birth to death.
MAIN MESSAGE
The main message is about the cycle of life and death - sunrise symbolizes birth, and sunset symbolizes death.
LITERAL MEANINGS
For literal meanings, the poem describes sunrise in the first and second stanzas with lively imagery, and sunset in the third and fourth stanzas with a sense of mystery.
SYMBOLIC MEANINGS
For symbolic meanings, sunrise stands for the start of life, and sunset for death. The “purple stile” in the third stanza symbolizes life’s journey, and the “Dominie in gray” in the fourth stanza represents a guide after death, like a priest or God.
SHORT INTRODUCTION
This meaningful poem "A Day" was written by Emily Dickinson in 1862. The speaker, an innocent child, describes a beautiful day with vivid imagery and symbols, showing the journey from innocence to experience. It uses sunrise and sunset to represent the transition from birth to death, blending literal and symbolic meanings.
SUMMARY
Now, let’s move to the poem’s summary.
FIRST STANZA
The poem starts with an innocent child speaking. In the first line, the child says, “I’ll tell you how the sun rose”.
Literally, it’s about the child starting to talk about sunrise. Symbolically, it represents the beginning of life, like birth. A hyphen at the end adds excitement and suspense, showing the child’s eagerness.
In the next line, “A ribbon at a time”, the child says the sun’s rays spread like ribbons in the sky during sunrise. Literally, it’s about the first rays of sunlight. Symbolically, it shows life’s colorful and gentle start.
Then, “The steeples swam in amethyst”, means church steeples glow in purple light as the sun rises. Literally, the first rays hit tall buildings like church steeples, making them look like they’re glowing in amethyst, a precious purple stone. Symbolically, it shows life’s pure and holy beginning.
Next, “The news, like squirrels, ran”, means the news of morning spreads fast, like squirrels running. Literally, it’s about how quickly everyone learns it’s morning. Symbolically, it represents life’s energy and freshness.
SECOND STANZA
In the second stanza, “The hills untied their bonnets”, means the hills clear up as fog lifts when the sun’s warm rays hit them. Literally, the fog (like bonnets or hats) disappears due to the warm rays, making the hills clear. Symbolically, it shows life’s clarity as it progresses.
Then, “The bobolinks began”, means little bobolink birds start singing. Literally, it’s about nature’s beauty as birds sing in the morning. Symbolically, it represents the joy and fun of childhood.
Next, “Then I said softly to myself”, means the child thinks quietly about the scene. Literally, the child reflects. Symbolically, it shows innocent thinking.
Finally, “That must have been the sun”, confirms the child’s realization that the sun caused all this. Literally, the child understands it’s the sun. Symbolically, the sun is life’s source.
In these first two stanzas, the child sounds confident about sunrise.
THIRD STANZA
In the third stanza, the child says, “But how he set, I know not”, using personification by calling the sun “he”. Literally, the child admits he doesn’t understand sunset. Symbolically, it shows death’s mystery, which is hard for anyone to grasp.
The child sounds less confident here.
Then, “There seemed a purple stile”, means a purple stile appears during sunset. Literally, it’s a purple path that appears there. Symbolically, it’s the path of life from birth to death, like a journey through childhood to old age.
Next, “That little yellow boys and girls”, refers to small children in yellow light on the stile. Literally, it’s small boys and girls in the sunset’s glow. Symbolically, it’s all people at different stages of life under the sun.
Then, “Were climbing all the while”, means the children keep climbing the stile. Literally, they’re moving along the path. Symbolically, it shows people moving through life’s journey, with ups and downs, joys and sorrows.
Finally, “Till when they reached the other side”, means they reach the end of the stile. Literally, they get to the other side. Symbolically, it’s reaching death, the end of life’s journey.
FOURTH STANZA
In the fourth stanza, “A Dominie in gray”, means a priest or guide in gray clothes appears. Literally, it’s a figure at the end of the stile. Symbolically, it’s God or a guide after death, leading souls forward.
Then, “Put gently up the evening bars”, means the priest closes the evening’s gates. Literally, it’s the end of daylight as night begins. Symbolically, it’s the end of life, with God closing life’s door.
Finally, “And led the flock away” means the priest leads the group away. Literally, the guide takes the children. Symbolically, God leads souls to the afterlife, starting their journey beyond.
The first and second stanzas describe sunrise’s liveliness, symbolizing life’s start and innocence. The third and fourth stanzas describe sunset’s mystery, symbolizing death and the afterlife. Emily Dickinson’s "A Day" beautifully uses sunrise and sunset to show the cycle of life and death. It presents nature’s beauty and life’s deep message through an innocent child’s view.
SHORT SUMMARY
A Day by Emily Dickinson
Write a short summary of the poem "A Day" by Emily Dickinson.
The poem "A Day" is a wonderful poem that has a perfect blend of both literal and symbolic meanings. This poem was composed by the American poet Emily Dickinson.
There are altogether eight stanzas here in this poem. This poem has been narrated by an unnamed child. Here, the speaker has described two beautiful and natural aspects, the sunrise and the sunset, using various images and symbols. This description of a beautiful day leads the children from innocence to experience.
According to the speaker, a day begins with the morning sun. As the sun rises, the golden colours' ribbon is seen in the sky, the deep violet colour like amethyst falls on churches' steeples, the news of sunrise spreads as quickly as squirrels run, and the hills untie their bonnets due to the rays of the sun. The bobolinks start their morning songs. All these tremendous changes are seen when the sun rises in the east. The speaker, as a child, realises the sun as the main reason behind all these wonderful changes in nature.
These two stanzas present the concept of the beginning of life in its symbolic meaning. The comparisons of images present various literal meanings.
Next, in the third and fourth stanzas, we find the speaker less confident in describing the sunset. According to him/her, as the sun sets, there is a purple stile, the boys and girls seem yellow, and they climb the stile and reach the other side. The dominie in grey leads them by closing the bars quite gently and securely.
These two stanzas present the journey as well as death. The speaker seems less confident in describing the sunset. He or she doesn't know what happens after the sunset, i.e., death. The colours in stile and kids present the changes that appear in life as well as its journey. The stile that the kids' climb presents the journey of humans from birth to death. On the other side, the dominie in grey presents the holy God. He leads them, closing the bars, and gently presents him as taking charge of all after the death.
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POEMS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A Day by Emily Dickinson
"A Day" Exercise
BEFORE READING
Answer the following questions:
a. What kind of day do you like: rainy, sunny or foggy? Why?
Answer:
I like foggy days too much. The fog in my surroundings, especially in the hills, makes me feel so happy.
b. How does the sun tell us about different stages of a day?
Answer:
The sun tells us about different stages of a day with its appearance from morning until evening. Its initial appearance in the east as sunrise tells us about morning time. It is seen around the middle of the sky, telling us about noontime. And when it sets in the west, it tells us about evening time.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions:
a. How does the poet describe the morning sun in the first stanza?
Answer:
In the first stanza, the poet describes the morning sun presenting the stripe of ribbons in the sky, the deep violet colour like amethyst in the steeples of the churches, and the quick natural process of squirrels' running, which makes everyone aware of the morning.
b. What does the line ‘The news like squirrels ran’ mean?
Answer:
Here in this line, ‘The news like squirrels ran’, we find the use of simile where news, i.e., the sunrise, has been compared with squirrels' run using 'like'. This line has been applied to present the natural process of sunrise in the morning. Here, the sunrise, as well as the morning time, have been compared with squirrels' runs, i.e., the quick natural process of sunrise. This process is as quick as the run of squirrels, which makes everyone realise the arrival of a tremendous morning.
c. What do you understand by the line ‘The hills untied their bonnets’?
Answer:
By the line 'The hills united their bonnets', we understand the natural changes that appear in different places on this planet due to the presence of the sun. This line has been presented with metaphorical meanings. The poet has presented hills using personification. Here, the hills' bonnets have been metaphorically presented as the mists over the hills. As the sun rises, the heat rays of the sun untie the mists over the hills. The hills seem clear as the rays of the sun fall on them.
d. Is the speaker watching the morning sun? Why? Why not?
Answer:
No, the speaker isn't watching the morning sun. He or she is only describing the natural processes of sunrise and sunset and various changes that seem to affect beings and things that exist here on this planet. He or she seems quite innocent while saying, "That must have been the sun!" Here, he or she seems to guess about the possibility of the sun.
e. How does the sunset?
Answer:
The sun sets quite mysteriously and confuses the speaker a lot. He or she has less confidence in describing the sunset. According to him or her, the sun's rays seem purple and yellow during the time of its setting in the west. The sun takes away all the happiness and joy of daytime and leaves the unhappy and gloomy dark for all. At this point, he or she doesn't have an idea of what happens next.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. What, according to the speaker, is a day?
Answer:
According to the speaker, a day is a perfect blend of various changes in nature. For him or her, a day consists of all the things within it that appear, from a wonderful sunrise to a mysterious sunset. The duration of the daytime from sunrise to sunset presents various literal and symbolic meanings regarding tremendous changes in nature and different stages of life from birth to death.
b. What purpose does the hyphen in the first line serve in the poem?
Answer:
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that's used to join words or parts of words. Here in this poem, the poet has used a hyphen in the very first line to create a more pronounced pause in reading. By using a hyphen, she has allowed herself greater control over the first line of the poem’s pace. The purpose behind this unique technique of using a hyphen is to present the speaker's deep emotions regarding being innocent. The speaker seems to emphasize her description of sunrise by pausing herself at the end of the first line.
c. What makes this poem lyrical and sonorous? Discuss.
Answer:
The poem "A Day" by Emily Dickinson is a wonderful creation that is full of both literal and symbolic meanings. This poem has tremendously presented a description of two beautiful aspects: the sunrise and the sunset. These two natural aspects have provided us with deeper meanings related to life and death. Following are some of the factors that make this poem lyrical and sonorous:
1. Description of Images:
The description of images with the use of literary comparisons sounds so lyrical and sonorous.
2. Symbolic meaning:
The deep symbolic meaning of the poem regarding life and death makes this poem so sonorous.
3. Usage of sound devices:
This poem is packed with special sound tools that the poet has used to create certain effects in the poem. We find the perfect use of the four most common sound devices - repetition, rhyme, alliteration, and assonance - in the poem that has made this poem so lyrical and sonorous.
d. Who is the target audience of the speaker? Why?
Answer:
Here, the speaker of the poem is an innocent child who describes a day along with two beautiful aspects (sunrise and sunset) of this natural world through his or her perspective. He or she may be telling all these natural processes of the sunrise and sunset of a day to all his or her friends. Here, we find the description of children in the poem by him or her. This poem seems quite close to the children on one level. But on the next level, the literal and symbolic meanings that the readers get from this poem are so deep and useful for all the human beings on this planet. Thus, the target audience of the speaker is both children and adults.
e. The poem seems to describe a day for children. How would the adult people respond to this poem? Discuss this poem with your parents/guardians and write the answer based on their responses.
Answer:
This poem, "A Day" is a wonderful description of a day. The speaker of this poem is an innocent child who seems to describe a day for the children. The speaker has used the perfect description of sunrise and sunset from his or her perspective. The beautiful description of sunrise and sunset seems quite applicable and interesting for the children. They get various beautiful images, one after another, with the direct meaning of the poem. The speaker on portraying various beautiful changes in the natural world in his or her description.
The next aspect of this poem is its literal and symbolic meanings. These meanings are not suitable for kids. After reading this poem, the adults would try to analyse this poem and its meanings on a deeper level. They would try to get the deep meanings of the poem regarding sunrise and sunset. Their way of reading and grasping ideas is far different from that of children. The adults, as well as elderly people, would focus their attention on its literal and symbolic meanings. They would analyse the poem with the tremendous concepts of life and death.
The speaker simply describes the poem with two natural processes portraying different changes in this natural world, but the meanings behind this simple presentation are so deep and are related to the wonderful concepts of human life and death.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. Observe your surroundings of one fine morning and write a poem based on your own experience.
Answer:
MORNING RAYS
Your arrival erases the old into the new
Every being shall wait for your fresh view
Immense of hidden mysteries you have always
Nothing I think the greater than you.
You have only known to provide all
Letting grace in various means of calls
Immense of beauty can be seen all around
Hopes stretch their wings in different souls
Feelings always get the way of moving ahead
As you touch me in my morning bed
I know thy grandeur till my birth
Nothing can be more important than thy on this entire earth
b. Write a personal essay on A Day in the School.
Answer:
A Day in the School
School days are so important and precious in everyone's life. These days are quite difficult to forget. Most people who have experienced school life are directly connected to their school days' memories. School days are quite joyful and entertaining. These days are mostly remembered because they remind us of our teachers, friends, studies, joys and fun.
For all the students, a day in school is quite valuable. A single day for any student represents his or her overall activities in the school. A single day determines his or her daily classes, fun with friends, submission of class and home tasks, physical activities, manners, joy etc.
School days make everyone realise the value of hard work as well as fun. Among many remarkable days, I always remember a funny day in my school when I got deceived by my senior students.
I still remember that Tuesday at my school. That was my first day at my new school after passing SEE. I arrived at school a bit late. I didn't know anyone there. Feeling nervous, I started my way ahead to find the principal's office. I didn't find a notice board of principal's office in front of many doors. After some time, I met some boys who seemed quite friendly to me. They helped me show the principal's office. They directed me towards the next building just behind the school's building. I thanked them and immediately moved towards hem. I entered a two-story building and moved upstairs. When I reached the hall on the second floor, I found a lot of girls there. They started laughing at me when I attracted their attention and asked about the principal's office. I told them about the boys. All the girls laughed again and informed me about the girls' hostel. I felt so ashamed to know about this fact. I rushed from there immediately after that.
I always burst into laughter when I remember that funny incident in my life. That was "a day in my school", when I was fooled by the senior students.
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DETAILED SUMMARY OF EVERY MORNING I WAKE BY DYLAN THOMAS CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE
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COMPULSORY ENGLISH CLASS 12 GUIDE MODEL QUESTION PAPER
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