As imperceptibly as Grief Essay Questions

Why does Dickinson choose summer as the seasonal focus of the poem?

Dickinson chooses to focus on summer because its elapsing appears to be acutely felt by the speaker. In her descriptions of summer, the speaker conjures an image of the season as beautiful and comforting. This is particularly noteworthy in the passages about summer's departure. It is clear that the speaker is clinging onto its remaining days of warmth. This is what makes summer such an effective choice for the poem's subject matter. Its absence is so clear and striking in the movement away from long days and high temperatures. This allows to Dickinson to more easily capture how time creates absence and change, only being noticed in the moments where it takes something away.

What is Dickinson trying to reveal about time in the poem?

She is trying to show how time passes imperceptibly but has a major impact on so many things. In the view of the poem, transitional moments occur without being perceived (the change of seasons, the shift from day to night) but as soon as a moment passes a loss is felt. This is clearest in the speaker's disappointment about the end of summer. The speaker describes summer as a valued guest, slowly and quietly making an exit. This portrait serves to solidify this impression of time passing slowly but surely. The speaker doesn't see summer in the process of concluding, but notes the absence with sadness when it finally comes.