The post civil war era was wrought with sexism and backwards thinking. Emily Dickinson was born in 1830, wrote 1800 poems in her lifetime. She has become known for unfolding the social boundaries surrounding women in this time period. Most of her life was shrouded in seclusion and mystery. In the realm of poetry, authors are creative with their usage of literary techniques in order to illustrate their point of view to the reader. Emily Dickinson is especially known for her precise diction, powerful imagery, and obscure timing or rhythm.
In her poem My life had stood A loaded Gun, she is heavily dependant on the use of images, eloquent diction and tone to convey both the literal and symbolic meaning or themes to the reader. The authors use of certain images is important to the theme of the poem because they define the setting and they set the mood for the different parts of the poem. The first image introduced to the reader is that of the loaded gun. This is one of the most powerful images throughout the poem as it is, as we find, out also the speaker. A the first thing that is brought to the readers mind is the aurora of potential.
The sheer potential for destruction and death that is associated with a loaded gun sets the mood for the rest of the poem to build from. The next image that is introduced is that of the Corners. This can be understood in multiple contexts. The first being a crossroads, a corner is an intersection between two walls or metaphorically two paths. The second interpretation is that of a dark and shadowy place for someone to lye in wait. Both of the interpretations are equally significant and the authors diction here was surely intentional.
This image is particularly important because it defines the opening setting of the speaker. The following images such as Sovereign Woods, Doe, and Mountains serve to change the setting. In the next stanza images such as cordial light, valley glow, and Vesuvian face serve to change the mood to an eerie almost frightening allusion to power. The next images Yellow Eye, and emphatic Thumb are incorporated into the poem to further the setting of this mood. The authors diction and tone in the second stanza move the poem thematically forward by building rhythm.
This change in rhythm indicates a change in the authors tone. The author builds this rhythm by the repetition of the word And and the repetition of the word now. This change in tone indicates a change in the speakers mood and a change in the speakers setting. The faster pace and constant beats provide for a significant change from the broken up stand still qualities of the first stanza. The mood portrayed here is that of eventfulness, even usefulness, it is apparent that the speaker feels more fulfilled or somehow more whole.
Also in the second stanza the author introduces the theme of unity between speaker and master by use of her diction. Albert Gelpi, anther notable critic of Dickinsons work, points out that already by the second stanza I and he have become wethe rhythm and repetition underscoring the momentous change of identity. By doing this the author introduces the theme of possession vs. possessed and the inherent contradiction of the concept, referencing the fact that one cannot be without the other.
The second notable use of interesting diction can be found in the speakers description of her smile. She compares her smile to the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. This notable according to Christine Miller, a notable commentator of Dickinsons work, because she does not compare it to an event but to a completed action. She says the past perfect verb is more chilling than the present tense would be. Miller notes this same technique later in the poem when the speaker describes guarding as more fulfilling than sharing her masters pillow.
Miller describes this technique as contrasting action with effect rather than action with action, and says the change in tense alerts the reader to the peculiarity and the importance of the comparisons. The literal meaning of the poem alludes to the deeper thematic significance, which breaks down to a metaphoric resolution to the authors inner struggle for identity in the midst of the overwhelming endeavor that is being a female artist in the nineteenth century. The literal meaning of this poem can be described as the interaction between a hunter and his gun, from the guns point of view.
The first indication of the authors thematic intentions involving identity can be found in the first stanza of the poem when she says The Owner passed identified And carried me away. This sets the stage for the author to build upon thematically. According to Adrienne Rich, this is a poem about possession by the daemon, about the dangers and risks of such possession if you are a woman, about the knowledge that power in a woman can seem destructive, and that you cannot live without the daemon once it has possessed you. The theme of possession shows up throughout the poem through the usage of words like master and owner.
The authors intentions here were most likely to reference the subservient position of women in her time period. Claudia Yukman comments that Already in the second verse the gun speaks for the master, which is to say she perceives her function as an extension of his power: his will and figuratively, his voice. The paradox here is that the speakers role is not feminine at all, it is almost the dominant figure serving as the protector and the one who does the killing, yet she is still the possessed or owned item in the relationship.
This conflict is resolved in the last stanza with the speakers final words. She declares her independence and singularity from her master with the realization that she has the power to die. She says for I have but the power to kill, without the power to die , or I would only have the power to kill, if I did not have the power to die. By this statement she affirms her own significance even though her only true act of autonomy is her own death.
