Final answer:
Alliteration in Emily Dickinson's poetry serves to create sensual and auditory experiences for the reader, emphasizing rhythmic qualities and contributing to the poem's overall mood and tone.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Emily Dickinson's poetry, the use of alliteration is a stylistic choice that adds a sensory element to her work. Alliteration can emphasize the rhythmic qualities of a poem and enhance its auditory appeal, creating patterns of sound that complement the meaning of the words.
For instance, the repetition of consonant sounds in the poem you mentioned helps delineate the speed and movement of the flies in contrast to the bees, adding a tactile and sensual quality to the stanza. It is a way to draw readers into the poem's atmosphere, engaging them not just intellectually but also sensually.
Alliteration is not just for aesthetic pleasure; it can deeply affect the rhythmic pattern of a poem, contributing to its overall mood and tone.
In Dickinson's work, this might be related to how her poems echo the rhythms of popular nineteenth-century songs, further immersing readers in the era's musicality and enhancing their understanding of the poem's context and emotional depth.