This is a commentary on Emily Dickinson's "I Like to See It Lap the Miles" #585 and is intended for educational use only. The final stanza compares the train to thunder (“Boanerges” means “sons of thunder”) and a star. • Freed from the tunnel, it eagerly goes downhill. This reminds readers that the train moves through the natural world, but doesn’t belong to it. Start studying I like to see it lap the miles vocabulary. After all, back in Dickinson’s day, the railroad was brand new, and it wasn’t exactly clear what its future impact on everyday life would be. ( Log Out /  Time 0:00: Score my Quiz: Win 0: Fail 0: Score my Quiz. 30 seconds . In horrid, hooting stanza; Though “I like to see it lap the Miles” doesn’t overtly engage with the question of technology and modernization, it’s definitely lurking in the background. How can something “chase itself”? I like to see it lap the Miles — • “Paring” a “quarry” makes it sound as though the thing slices through rock as effortlessly as a knife through an apple. • “Paring” is a word you’ve probably heard before. To fit its sides, and crawl between, Complaining all the while In horrid, hooting stanza; Then chase itself down hill It looks like your browser needs an update. How does it interact with the familiar world around it? size. She only says that she likes to see “it” as it travels. Why do you think that is? • After its pit stop, the creature goes onward, to step effortlessly around mountains – not just one, but a “pile.” • The creature lets out a rumbling cry, or “neigh,” which reminds us of its horse-like qualities from the first lines. What action is the train performing in lines 4-5 of "I Like to See it..."? I like to see it lap the Miles - Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson, Edited by R.W. steam. 1. 2. Again poetry and science are linked in a certain way but in contrast to Whitman her poem has some negative connotations. And neigh like Boanerges — • Line 3: The creature “stop[s] to feed itself at tanks” – literally, to refuel itself for the journey ahead. • “Quarry” is a place where stone is cut from the ground. The speaker describes the train as “supercilious” (6) when it looks into human habitations (“shanties”). It neighs loudly and returns peacefully to its stable. • The speaker admires the speed and stamina of – what exactly? After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family’s house in Amherst. Line 13  Animals Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content. The Amherst and Belcher town Railway had already been established. 4. Line 2 • Lines 1-4: The train-animal (tranimal?) answer choices So maybe the speaker is no supporter of America’s technological … 3. Change ), I Like To See It Lap The Miles – Emily Dickinson. Stop — docile and omnipotent At its own stable door. What abstract idea does the horse represent? Lines 11-12 What kinds of terms does the speaker use to describe the train? Sure, she’s all about its effortless movement and amazing feats of strength, but there’s still something that feels a little off…she can’t exactly say what. I like to see it lap the miles Personification: Poem form Dickinson compares the train to many animals, shown by the ambigious term 'it' in order to portray it as powerful Dickinson uses parallel structure 'And lick..And stop...And then' to structure the poem as she sees the Have you ever really admired someone – a friend, a teacher, a celebrity – but had the uneasy feeling that, try though you may, you just might not like them very much? I like to see it lap the miles, • Again, we wonder what this thing is; it’s large enough to require tanks of food, and to skip lightly around mountain ranges. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999) What is the conductor doing in the mountain? There’s some interesting mixed feelings here; while the speaker claims to “like” watching it, the hungry animal is a little menacing in its devouring path through the countryside. I like to see it lap the miles, And lick the valleys up, And stop to feed itself at tanks; And then, prodigious, step. Whatever or whoever “I” happens to be isn’t quite so sure what to make of this newfangled invention, and it’s this feeling of ambiguity that’s the most important characteristic of the speaker. In horrid — hooting stanza — And lick the Valleys up — Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. • Some of the words here are a bit strange. Both? • The double-edged verb used here, “lap,” immediately brings to mind two different actions. To ensure the best experience, please update your browser. Here, all we know is that the speaker is a keen observer, who’s watching the train as it courses through the landscape. Complaining all the while And crawl between 3. ( Log Out /  • Lines 11-12: The train is a vocal creature, and the description of its complaints in “horrid—hooting stanza” (12) emphasize its wildness and incomprehensibility. ( Log Out /  Then chase itself down hill. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. “I like to see it lap the Miles” captures both the beauty and the menace of this new technology by emphasizing just how strong and mighty it is. Lines 6-7 In shanties by the sides of roads; Just imagine living in a world without planes, trains, and automobiles, where the fastest thing going was a speedy horse. noise. The poem I like to see it lap the Miles was written in 1862 and was published for the first time in 1891. Questions About Technology and Modernization Start studying I Like to See It Lap the Miles. What kinds of animals eat out of “tanks”? • The creature “superciliously” (that is, haughtily or condescendingly) looks into the ramshackle buildings by the roadside. rhythm of the railway. I Like to See It Lap the Miles” In “I Like to See It Lap the Miles,” Emily Dickinson uses metaphoric comparisons of a train to a horse. the industrial revolution could get out of hand. speed. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. And neigh like Boanerges; That’s kind of how the speaker in “I like to see it lap the Miles” feels about the object of her admiration, the powerful railway train. Around a Pile of Mountains — It seems like the horrible sounds coming from this thing are rhythmic too. Start studying I Like to See It Lap the Miles. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. And lick the valleys up, What are the speaker's feelings about the train? 0. Discussion of themes and motifs in Emily Dickinson's I like to see it lap the Miles—. FAIL. Emily Dickinson invests the mechanical product of technology with aesthetic effects. Theme of Man and the Natural World The inspiration for this poem – The speaker describes a train winding its way over miles, dipping through valleys and around an... Sound Check Even before we figure out that "I like to see it lap the Miles" describes a train in motion, we can already feel the "chugga chugga (choo choo!)" 137 times. 2. And supercilious peer “It” is eager to eat up (metaphorically speaking) the distance it covers. It was an age of rapid growth of technology. Questions About Admiration 7th - 8th grade. Why do you think the speaker chooses to describe the train in such lively, animal-like terms? If this is a poem about a train, a manmade invention, why bother with all of this animal imagery? Are they all positive or admirable? • Hmm. • Line 15: The simile comparing the train to a star speaks again to its power; the trains moving along the railway are a manmade equivalent to the celestial bodies (sun, planets, stars) that move predictably through the heavens. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. After all, something powerful enough to devour landscapes and plow through mountains is certainly deserving of careful observation and meditation. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence. • The speaker in this riddle is even more mysterious than the subject of the riddle itself. Line 1 We’re not sure what exactly to make of it…but maybe that doesn’t matter. Dickinson also uses distinctive vocabulary to emphasize objects and places in the poem, perhaps to confuse the reader on what the poem is truly about. The poem is a record of the poet's reaction of the coming of the train. Line 3 answer choices . How do we know she is talking about these two things? And stop to feed itself at tanks; Lines 15-17 I like to see it lap the miles WIN.  Consumption (eating, drinking) Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Theme of Power Furthermore, Dickinson’s crisp alliteration (“star,” “stop,” “stable”) brings a kind of clipped precision to this stanza, kind of like a horse trotting briskly home. The simile Dickinson employs in line 14 is also a bonus Biblical allusion (“Boanerges” is an Aramaic nickname that Jesus once gave two of his vociferous disciples. Put your knowledge to the test. I like to see it lap the miles, a hint of criticism. It’s up to you, dear reader, to figure that out from all of these clues – Dickinson never comes right out and gives an answer. When the speaker of "I Like to See It..." says "I Like to see it lap the Miles--" she is referring to the train's I Like to See it Lap the Miles DRAFT. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. I like to see it lap the miles, And lick the valleys up, And stop to feed itself at tanks; And then, prodigious, step Around a pile of Mountains, And, supercilious, peer In shanties by the sides of roads; And then a quarry pare To fit its sides, and crawl between, Complaining all the while In horrid, hooting stanza; Then chase itself down hill You know, you respect this person and all, but you just can’t feel totally comfortable around him or her. Questions About Power Then, punctual as a star, • The speaker compares it to Boanerges, a somewhat Biblical name that means “son of thunder,” and generally refers to a booming, loud preacher or public speaker. In your opinion, do you think the speaker depicts that train as the most powerful thing in the world she describes, or is there something else that might challenge it? Aside from admiration, what other feelings do we see towards the train in this poem? I like to see it lap the miles Emily Dickinson I like to see it lap the miles, And lick the valleys up, And stop to feed itself at tanks; And then, prodigious, step Around a pile of mountains, And, supercilious, peer In shanties by the sides of roads; And then a quarry pare To… This line has a light, playful quality. • The speaker’s feelings are ambiguous, and seem intentionally unclear; the opening declaration that “I like to see it lap the Miles” (1) is kind of a red herring. I like to see it lap the Miles — The speaker admires the speed and stamina of – what exactly? • But it also raises more questions about what the heck this thing is. • The mystery creature whines horribly as it moves through the rock, making a loud ruckus. 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