Understanding Poetry in 8 Steps

Poetry can be hard to understand the first time that you read it since poets don't always follow traditional styles or use normal sentence structure. Understanding poetry though can open up a new realm of understanding. Here are eight steps to better interpret poetry using Emily Dickinson's poem "I dwell in Possibility". 

1. Listen to or read the poem aloud 

[I dwell in Possibility—]
by Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility –
A fairer House than Prose –
More numerous of Windows –
Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –
Impregnable of Eye –
And for an everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –
For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –


Reading it aloud lets me hear the tone and flow of the stanzas. The tone is encouraging and hopeful starting from the first line that says "I live in Possibility". Already I feel as if the world that is described is endless. The dashes make me pause as I read it--giving it an almost nostalgic feel.

2. Starting with the title, examine your expectations.

The title--or the first line of the poem--is "I dwell in Possibility". This immediately makes me imagine a boundless world. Knowing only the title of the poem, I would guess it to be about a person realizing that they are unbound by expectations and can live their life in any way that they choose.

3. Read the Syntax Literary. 

This step could be done in several different ways. For this poem, it would be best to "modernize" it and to look up words that I don't know.
"I live in possibility. It's a fairer house than prose (written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure). It has more numerous windows and superior (bigger or greater) doors. The Chambers (rooms) are like cedars (trees). Impregnable (unable to be defeated or destroyed) of the eye. And for an everlasting roof, the gambrels (a roof with two sides) of the sky. The visitors are the fairest. For an occupation (a job), the spreading of my narrow hands to gather paradise."

4. Look up any other ambiguous references. 

Once step three was done there were only a few phrases that I was left confused by. "Impregnable of eye" left me confused. I assume that it would mean that the outside eye can't look in on her.

5. Figure out who, where, and what happens.

The poem is stationary for the most part. We aren't introduced to any new characters or places. Dickinson describes the house that she lives in and shows different aspects of it. We know that the speaker is in the house than she is writing about. Since we can infer that the house is her poetry and her occupation in writing the poetry, we can guess that she feels as if poetry opens the entire world to her and allows her the chance of grasping at paradise.

6. Why does it matter? What does it all mean? 

This poem is extremely significant considering Dickinson's personal life. She was depressed for most of her life and became a recluse in her later years. She would refuse guests and stay locked in her room writing her poetry. Keeping that background in mind, this poem becomes even more meaningful. For Dickinson, poetry was her escape from the world. It opened up a place to live where the rooms were as open as a forest of cedars and the roof was as infinite as the sky. The guests that came to visit her were always fair and pleasant. The most significant line is the last one: "to gather paradise". Even though she was seen as depressed to the public eye, her poetry allowed her a chance to have paradise. This poem defines why Dickinson wrote poetry.

7. Consider how the form contributes to the effect and meaning.

Dickinson has a distinct style by using dashes in the majority. The dashes make the reader pause while reading and adds emphasis to certain words. For example, "for doors" is separated from the rest of the stanza. This emphasizes that the house was limitless. The doors were large and gaping as if there have no end. "The fairest" is also separated by dashes. This reveals Dickinson's own preference for enjoyable company or it could be simply flattery to the readers that we are all "the fairest". The last word that is emphasized by the dashes is "this" meaning her poetry writing.

8. How does the poem use or depart from traditional poetry styles?

I personally feel as if Emily Dickinson is a genre of her own. That may just be because I love her short verses that are packed with powerful and sometimes haunting metaphors. I think that her story is incredible and I adore her for writing poetry that she thought no one would ever read. She has such a distinct use of punctuation and capitalization. She almost always capitalizes the first and last words of a line which gives individual emphasis for each line. In the poem above she uses the occasional rhyme with "Windows" and "prose" then a slant rhyme with "Superior" and "for".


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