"We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" (Villilo @ MHS)

Reread these lines: "Either the Darkness alters —Or something in the sight/ Adjusts itself to Midnight/ —And Life steps almost straight." What sound device is this an example of?

Alliteration

Which of the following best states the author's claim about darkness?

Darkness is something we adjust to over time.

What is the effect of Dickinson's use of syntax devices?

Dickinson's dashes make the poem feel a little tentative, as though it is fumbling about in the dark to find its footing.

Which statement best expresses a theme in the poem?

It takes time and courage to endure unfamiliar circumstances.

How to the "bravest" deal with the darkness?

They learn to see in the dark by trying to move through it

The other important thing to note here is that the speaker mostly uses the first-person plural, and talks in general terms about what "we" experience throughout the poem. What is the effect of this?

This implies that the poem describes a universal truth about life, one that "we" can all relate to.

What is the effect of mostly using slant rhymes— like away/goodbye and brain/within- subtly linked by a shared sound, but not by a clear rhyme?

This is a clunky, sudden rhyme, as though the poem is tripping over itself—just like the "Bravest" people do as they "grope" though the metaphorical darkness of life and run smack into a tree / if the rhymes were bright and obvious, they wouldn't match the poem's tone / the scheme isn't actually all that noticeable at first

What sound device is used when noting how "Tree" is related to "Directly" and "see" in the line, "And sometimes hit a Tree/ Directly in the Forehead —/ But as they learn to see —"

assonance

The speaker is using an __________ that compares human resilience through tough times to the way that people's eyes adjust to darkness.

extended metaphor

What is the commonly accepted symbolism of darkness?

fear, sadness, the unknown, and so on.

What is the commonly accepted symbolism of light?

knowledge, warmth, and understanding

Which sound device creates a sense of forward motion and expectation as readers wait for that second B rhyme to appear?

rhyme scheme

How does the diction devices used with "learn" and "Adjusts" change the tone from uncertain to hopeful as the speaker affirms the ability for people to withstand difficulty?

shift

Which of the following best describe the speaker's point of view?

that of a removed or distant narrator who speaks for humanity.

What detail contributes to the mysterious mood?

the lack of specifics about the neighbor

What is the relationship between the structure and form?

there's a tension between the poem's neat form and the untidy way in which life, according to the poem, usually unfolds.