In Emily Dickinson's 419th untitled poem, more commonly known by its first line, "We become accustomed to the darkness-," the speaker describes two distinct situations in which people have to gradually adapt to "darkness". The first part is quite lucid and portrays through concrete images a simple nocturnal farewell that describes the time needed for the eyes to adapt to the lack of light; however, although the final stanzas comment on the same theme of reorienting oneself in the darkness, this last part is steeped in symbolism and conspicuous abstraction. Only by examining the similarities and differences of both can a clear message be extracted from the poem. Using the ease and palpability of the poem's first two stanzas as a foundation, Dickinson makes the metaphorical analogy that people need time and courage to adjust not only to the physical darkness of the night, but also to the emotional darkness of the mind . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The poem begins with two stanzas containing concrete, perceivable imagery that establishes the mood, theme, and foundation for the message the poem will build upon. He begins in broad strokes (“We get used to the darkness –/ When the light is pushed away”) and goes on to describe how we “adapt our vision to the darkness –” as the “newness of the night –” demands. In these few banal observations, the speaker immediately establishes a communal point of view, thus implying a collective importance to the act of adapting to darkness. By using the word “dark,” the speaker forgoes softer, darker synonyms like “night” in favor of a word that has extremely negative connotations, ranging from sadness to evil and even death. The capitalization intensifies the power and absoluteness of the word, an effect compounded by the phrase "the light is put away." The verb phrase “put” implies that light, and therefore darkness, is beyond our control. “Dark” also suggests feelings of isolation (a lack of light correspondingly implies a lack of people), as well as a sad skepticism (we can't be sure of much without our sight). Both of these emotional connotations are amplified by the specific scene created by Dickinson. “The neighbor holds the lamp/ To witness her farewell – / A moment –” and unadapted to the darkness, “We pass uncertainly.” Like darkness, farewell forces the literal isolation of “We” and makes that same collective markedly fearful. The trepidation and darkness created by the diction and imagery of the first two stanzas is reinforced by their structure. The stanzas have no rhyme scheme; such a form would diminish the anxiety and restlessness present in other parts of the poem. The poem's repeated use of hyphens at line breaks and in the middle of sentences creates a frenetic slant on narration (as in the line "A moment -/ Let us take an uncertain step"). When read aloud, hyphens create an intriguing choice for readers: speed up quickly and pant and attribute a frenetic nature to the speaker's uncertainty, or leave an eerie pause and contribute to the trembling atmosphere and overall feeling of sadness of poetry. The dashes also create moments of stopping in an otherwise constant rhythm and in an alternating meter of tetrameter and iambic trimeter. This however raises an interesting question: why use such a rigid meter when it betrays other aspects of the poem? The answer is twofold. The speaker says that "we meet the Road - stand tall -", implying that there is a relatively well-trodden path out of the physical darkness and courage to call upon for the journey. Subsequently, theregular marching of iambs could be used to mimic the simple steps one can take to escape physical darkness; just put one foot in front of the other. But there is also a simpler option: it was made to be broken. In the last two stanzas of the poem, the structure undergoes several key changes that indicate not only that several "Greater Darknesses" are being discussed, but also help to clarify key aspects of these new nights. In general, the form begins to interact with the poem on a sensual level. When the speaker describes how some try to get out of the darkness “And sometimes they hit a tree / Right on the forehead,” meter and rhythm mimic these tactile interactions. There are multiple accents on top of each other in "sometimes hits" so that the sound when pronounced is noticeably harder, as if a real hit had taken place. The symmetry of "Directly in the Forehead" indeed seems like two objects about to collide with each other and the difference in meter between its iambs and the imperfect accents of the previous lines - as well as having five short syllables preceding two long - it makes a decidedly arresting line. Both of these formal points emulate the actual content of the verse, creating a heightened connection between poem and reader that indicates that these obscurities are much more sensual and personal in nature. Rhyme is also used to symbolize aspects of adaptation to these new darknesses. The second line of stanza four, which ends with “Tree,” actually rhymes with the fourth line, “But as they learn to see –.” The second and third lines of the last stanza also rhyme: "something in sight / Fits midnight -". These rhymes indicate the closeness to the realization of true sight; in the first example they are learning to see and are separated by a line; in the second example the adjustment is achieved and the lines create a couplet. Yet the role of the last line in this new pattern creates an added dimension to the reading: "And life walks almost straight." If life goes straight, you would expect a rhyme to accompany this happy ending, but there is none. Instead, although the suffix “ight” is repeated in the last verse as in the previous two, there is no rhyme. It's surprisingly close, but not quite, to a rhyme, just as life can "almost" come out of the darkness. The form of the final stanzas indicates that the new darknesses within the poem are of a more intimate and tragic nature, but to ascertain their exact composition as mental darknesses it is necessary to unpack the abstract images that Dickinson uses to describe them. For example, the plural concept of "darknesses" that are "bigger" - more painful, darker - than the "Darkness" described above is an invaluable characterization. The darkness is also characterized as "Evenings of the Brain", and when "The Bravest" try to escape it, they end up getting hit in the "forehead". The metaphor of the "Evenings" as well as the plurality of darkness suggests that these darknesses repeat regularly, and the use of two cerebral nouns, "brain" and "forehead", indicates that they occur in the mind. This reading of darkness is supported by the following lines: "When a Moon reveals not a sign - / Or a Star - goes out - in -". The moon and star, possible solutions to physical darkness, are converted into an undefined nature and used as metaphorical solutions to multiple evenings of mental darkness. The fact that potential solutions could be internal in nature also speaks to the mental aspect of the darknesses. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Dickinson's poetry uses an amalgam of form, rhythm, and imagery that are all based on the various connotations of the word "dark"; however, the.