My Life had
The speaker has alot of
stood - a Loaded
Gun -
My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun -
In Corners - till a Day
The Owner passed - identified -
And carried Me away -
And now We roam in Sovreign Woods -
And now We hunt the Doe -
And every time I speak for Him
The Mountains straight reply -
And do I smile, such cordial light
Opon the Valley glow -
It is as a Vesuvian face
Had let it’s pleasure through -
And when at Night - Our good Day done -
I guard My Master’s Head -
’Tis better than the Eider Duck’s
Deep Pillow - to have shared -
To foe of His - I’m deadly foe -
None stir the second time -
On whom I lay a Yellow Eye -
Or an emphatic Thumb -
Though I than He - may longer live
He longer must - than I -
For I have but the power to kill,
Without - the power to die -
Literal Interpretation
The gun is powerful but needs the
owner to have a purpose.
Purposeless without owner
Waiting to be used
The owner picks up the gun
Every time the gun shoots
the noise echoes
Personifies gun, smile = gunshot
Volcanic eruption
At night,
the gun protects its master
Its better to sleep inside than
outside with the Eider duck
Deadly to enemies
the gun kills instantly
yellow eye = opening in the barrel
Mechanism of loading the gun
Mortal master vs immortal gun
No purpose without master
has control over other
but not itself
Female Intelligence
Dickinson cannot publish her
poems without male approval, she
holds a lot of power with her
words, but cannot share it alone.
Men have to publish her poems
has to wait for a mans recognition
to get published
We live in a mans world
where women are not valued
Everytime she writes a poem
she is met with criticism
She pretends to not mind
Irony - a civilization annihilated
said to be happy
She doesn't want to share the bed
of men
Her words carry a lot of power
her critical views
and bold words are unstoppable
Women live longer than men
men must live longer
she cannot publish poems
without men
Surpressed Anger
surpressed anger that they cannot
control and that hurts people. The
gun represents the emotions,
which are completly governed by
rage.
suppressed anger needing a vent
Carried away with rage
Every time they try to stop
it just echoes
When violent, they enjoy it
release of frustration
At night,
they cannot sleep/ suicide?
because of regret created by them
They have no self-control
Black eyes can heal yellow
physical force
Their rage may leave
The person must die first
since it will take longer for them
to stop raging