Final answer:
Emily Dickinson uses analogy in her poetry, including in "The Sky is Low the Clouds are Mean", to compare the elements of nature to human emotions, deepening our understanding of the atmosphere she describes. Similar to how Wordsworth uses similes and personification, Dickinson's analogies and rhythmic style connect human experiences with the natural world.
Step-by-step explanation:
Emily Dickinson's poem "The Sky is Low the Clouds are Mean" utilises analogy to draw comparisons between the moods of nature and human emotions. In literature, analogy is a comparison between two things that are otherwise unlike, but have some similarities.
Through analogy, Dickinson is able to evoke a deeper understanding of the atmosphere she describes by likening it to human behavior. For instance, mean clouds may suggest a sullen or angry disposition, a low sky could represent oppressive feelings, and so on. This method creates a vivid picture that resonates with the reader's own experiences.
Analogy is a powerful literary device that opens up new pathways in our minds, helping us to connect and explore relationships between different concepts or entities.
When we encounter a phrase such as 'lonely as a cloud' by Wordsworth, our brains immediately begin to understand the speaker's solitude by relating it to the isolation of a cloud in the vast sky. Similarly, Dickinson's analogies in her poetry challenge us to consider the natural world in a more personal and relatable way.
By comparing objects and elements in nature to human characteristics (anthropomorphism and chremamorphism), authors like Dickinson and Wordsworth blur the lines between humans and nature. Such comparisons make us question and understand our own place in the world and the value we assign to different aspects of it.
Dickinson's rhythmic style, often similar to that of nineteenth-century songs, further reinforces the human connection to her themes by providing a familiar structure that readers may subconsciously relate to.