Starter quiz
- Emily Dickinson's poem featured in the Eduqas poetry anthology describes grief as being...
- 'imperceptible' ✓
- Which words from the list below would you associate with Emily Dickinson's 'As Imperceptibly as Grief'?
- summer ✓
- time ✓
- joy
- death ✓
- flowers
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- In 'As Imperceptibly as Grief', Dickinson uses the fading summer as a ______ for the passing of time.
- 'metaphor' ✓
- Which of the following statements about Emily Dickinson is true?
- She wrote most of her poetry after the American Civil War.
- She wrote most of her poetry during the American Civil War. ✓
- She wrote most of her poetry before the American Civil War.
-
- At what time of the day does twilight occur?
- morning
- afternoon
- evening ✓
- night
-
- At what time of day does dusk occur?
- morning
- afternoon
- evening
- night ✓
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Exit quiz
- In 'As Imperceptibly as Grief', Dickinson uses ______ imagery throughout her poem.
- 'light' ✓
- Which of the following is a relevant interpretation of Dickinson's use of "dusk" in 'As Imperceptibly as Grief'?
- It represents hope of a new day.
- It represents the darkness of grief. ✓
- It represents that grief will never end.
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- In 'As Imperceptibly as Grief', Emily Dickinson employs a ______ structure, as the reader knows summer will return again.
- 'cyclical' ✓
- In 'As Imperceptibly as Grief', Dickinson juxtaposes the morning sun with the phrase "harrowing Grace". What does harrowing mean?
- extremely distressing ✓
- well earned
- hopeful
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- In 'As Imperceptibly as Grief', Dickinson uses a ______ rhythm, through use of iambic metre.
- 'regular' ✓
- In 'As Imperceptibly as Grief', why might Dickinson choose to use near rhyme?
- to put the reader on edge
- to reflect the imperceptibility in the poem ✓
- to show how painful grief is
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Perhaps Dickinson uses light imagery in her poem to represent hope within the darkness of grief.
- The cyclical nature of her poem illustrates that life, and grief, come and go - a natural process.
- Dickinson uses a regular rhythm to represent the predictability of the passing of time.
- Subtle shifts in rhythm and near rhyme could represent the imperceptibility of time passing and healing from grieving.
Common misconception
Rhythm and rhyme are used to make the text sound poetic.
Pupils should always link the poet's use of rhythm and rhyme back to their intentions. How does this help explore some of the messages the poet is trying to convey?
Keywords
Cyclical - repeating in a predictable pattern or cycle
To lapse - to temporarily fall into a state of inactivity or failure
Harrowing - extremely distressing or traumatic, causing intense emotional pain
Liminal - relating to a transitional or intermediate stage
Metre - a rhythmic pattern or arrangement of syllables in poetry
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