Emily Dickinson had a passion
for nature. It served as the muse for a lot of her work. In “Bring Me the Sunset
in a Cup”, Emily Dickinson describes her excitement when waking up on a dew
covered morning. She uses a very cheery tone for the rhythm of the poem which
shows the readers how positively she feels for the time of day. The rhythm of a
poem can have a huge impact on the story because the reader is given a emotion
without the author straight up telling them the feeling in the poem. It is a
literary tool that enhances the poetry and the mood of the story. Just as one
would want to know more about their idol or passion, Dickinson has questions
about nature. She strives to learn more about her muse and is quick to show her
curiosity over the topic. She asks, “Who leads the docile spheres withes of
supple blue?” (Dickinson).
Another commonly used literary
technique in “Bring Me the Sunset in a Cup” was imagery. Her words are so
beautifully described that they allow the reader to picture what is taking place
in the poem. In line twelve, Dickinson says, “How many trips the tortoise makes,
How many cups the bee partakes” (Dickinson). The reader can picture these
creatures, and ultimately get the feeling of spring. Both are outdoor animals
that come out in warm weather conditions. The reader can also imagine the slow
moving tortoise and hear the buzzing of the bee. Dickinson uses imagery to point
out the time of day because the story sets in the morning and dawns at the end
of the day. She says, “Bring me the sunset in a cup, Reckon the morning’s
flagons up” (Dickinson). The comparison of a ‘sunset in a cup’ refers to the
coffee that most drink in the morning, and the raising of the flag is also a job
for the early morning. To inform the reader that the day is coming to a close,
Dickinson says, “And shut the windows down so close, My spirit cannot see?
Who’ll let me out some gala day, With implements to fly away” (Dickinson). The
closing of the windows shows how the residents are in for the night. She
includes her want to be free from the enclosed house, showing once again her
love for the great outdoors. The greatest part of the chronological imagery is
that Dickinson used items that one might not necessarily consider when thinking
of a specific time of day. Raising the flag is a brilliant way to describe the
morning, but it’s not what first come to mind. The closing of windows gives
readers a wonderful picture to imagine. One that they probably hadn’t considered
with night time before. This clever technique of hinting to the reader the time
of day by using hidden imagery is what makes Emily Dickinson such a great artist
of her craft. She didn’t have to state on paper every point, and instead she
allowed her audience to read between the lines.
Dickinson,
Emily. “Give Me the Sunset in a Cup”. The Complete Poems of Emily
Dickinson. Boston: Little, Brown, 1924; Bartleby.com, 2000.
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