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War Poetry of Dickinson
Learning Targets
●I can use resources to gather word knowledge when needing a word important for
comprehension and/or expression. (L6)
●I can use context clues to figure out word meanings, verify what I think a word means
by using reference materials. (L4)
●I can interpret figures of speech in context, analyze the role of a figure of speech in a
specific text.(L5)
●I can analyze nuances (connotations) in the meaning of words with similar
denotations. (L5)
Annotation Directions for on your own paper
●Make a list of words you don’t know and figure out what you think they mean in
context and then look them up. Choose which definition is best suited to the context of
the poem.
●Make a stanza-by-stanza list of all the ways that war is presented as a destructive force
in the poem. Remember to cite the lines
●Break the lists into categories (suggestions: social events, family events, daily life,
commerce, school, rural areas, urban areas, and the legal system)
Success is counted sweetest by Emily Dickinson
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of Victory
As he defeated--dying--
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
Q1: Did the poem present war as a literal destructive force or metaphorical destructive force?
Provide a short list of quotes that support your stance.
Q2: In one word, what is the author’s tone regarding war? Provide a short list of quotes that
support your stance.
