The Soul Has Bandaged Moments

First two verses - moments of great horror - soul is overcome by fear and unable to act. these are "bandaged moments" injury and constriction. filled with dread and fear - unable to move "too appalled to stir"
In these vunerable times - visited by a horrible being "goblin" takes adv of her. greets her "with long fingers" caresses her "freezing hair" and kisses her. vulgar, appals the reader, uninvited advances. aggresstive sexual act contracted with the lover who hovers from a distance.
verse 3 and 4 - ecstatically free and joyful - moments of escape - uninhibited unrestricted. "bursting all the doors" "dances like a bomb" "swings upon the hours" momentary freedom, estatic, compared to a bee kept "from his rose" transported to some "paradise" when reunited.
ecstacy is short lived. poem finished with soul once again overcome by despair. likens the return to depression to the recapturing of a criminal being led back to prison. soul is likened to a bird. feet have been shackled and staples now prevent it from singing. led back to the where "Horror" is waiting for her again.
Mental anguish - great fear and anguish. overwhelmed by fear. vunerable, unable to act.
numbness and constraint - ice numbness, lack of vitality, hair "freezing" unable to "stir". contained - likens her mental suffering to being taken prisoner. powerlessness. constant threat of recapture during freedom
manic depression - estatic highs and terrible lows, some form of manic depression. dangerous almost manic happiness. dances like a bomb. recklessness - lack of control.
personification - personifies the speaker psyche or soul and the fear she experiences. she describes her experiences of horror as though her psyche/soul were a vulnerable person facing a sinister goblin.
strange adjectives and metaphor that convey well the atmosphere of the poem - hair "freezing" and dancing "like a bomb" - vivid images of the idea she's trying to get across

	Created by niamhmoynagh over 11 years ago

Emily Dickinson Note on The Soul Has Bandaged Moments, created by niamhmoynagh on 27/05/2013.