The dash is a powerful symbol that represents the time a person has spent on earth. What does the dash represent in the poem? In an interview, Smith 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. Martha Nell Smith, a professor of English at the University of Maryland, is the author of five books on the poet Emily Dickinson. In a sense, Dickinson is playing a big game of “Red Light, Green Light” with her readers, using the dashes to control the pace of the poem. The dashes in Dickinson’s poem act as pauses, breaking up the flow of lines and forcing the reader to take stock as they go. You might likeDid william blake support the french revolution? Why does Emily Dickinson use dashes in Hope is a thing with feathers

This allows the reader to contemplate and ponder over the lines, which is important for understanding the poem.ĭickinson uses dashes to draw attention to a particular word or phrase in “Much Madness is Divinest Sense.” By doing so, she emphasizes the importance of that word or phrase in the poem. The capitalized words, dashes, and specific words and phrases all work together to draw the reader’s attention and force them to slow down while reading.

Why does Emily Dickinson use dashes and capitalization? Ultimately, it is up to the reader to interpret the use of dashes in Dickinson’s writing.

Finally, dashes can also be used for comedic effect, or to lighten the tone of a piece. Additionally, dashes can be used as a way to create intrigue or mystery, by hinting at something without fully revealing it. One reason could be to create a sense of pauses or breaks in the text, which can be used for dramatic effect or to emphasize certain words or phrases. There are a number of reasons why Emily Dickinson may have used dashes in her writing.

Dash poem