Strategies for teaching poetry

1/1/2022

Karin Fourie
west coast education district 0
 The POETS acronym stands for the following

Preview 1. Read the title, notice illustrations The title may contain important clues
2. Number lines and stanzas for understanding/ an introduction to
3. Read a stanza at a time, make a sketch of the details in that stanza guide you.
4. Find the rhyme scheme by noticing pattern of rhyming words Read the poem aloud.
5. Identify the type of poem: narrative, lyrical, free verse, ballad, sonnet

Occasion 1. Identify the topic of the poem – what the poem is all about/ what is happening that the poet is PARAPHRASING
writing about? Write in your own words what the
2. In a narrative poem, the occasion is the story the poet is telling. poet is saying in each line of the
3. In a lyrical poem, the occasion is the topic the poet is describing. poem.

Emotions 1. Poetry is chock-full of emotions, many of them inferential. TONE: a poet’s attitude toward the
2. Find evidence that can help infer the emotions in the poem. subject of the poem. E.g.– sarcastic,
serious.
MOOD: the feeling that a poem creates in the reader. The mood colours the whole poem. E.g. –
dark, mysterious, cheery, happy

Theme 1. This is the most challenging part. INFERENCE

2. Look for clues to help conclude the theme. Reading between the lines
3. What is the message the poet is sharing with the reader? Searching for clues
Thinking beyond the words and
Look up those words that you do not understand. pictures
Focus on the larger meaning of the poem. Drawing conclusions

Speaker 1. Identify the point of view the poem is told from – 1st person, 3rd person limited/omniscient. Do not confuse the poet with the
2. Whose voice is speaking in the poem? “speaker” of the poem.
The speaker is often a character.

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 LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY STRUCTURE RHYME SCHEME: the pattern of
Images and symbols all have a purpose in the overall meaning of the poem. Stanzas: a group of lines that rhyme in a stanza or poem will
usually develop one idea. Poets use usually be shown by using a
SYMBOLS: anything that stands for or represents something else. stanzas to give their poems structure different letter for each final sound.
Examples – eagle/freedom; heart/love; dove/peace. and to help emphasize different In a poem with an aabba rhyme
ideas. Stanzas can signal the scheme, the first, second, and fifth
IMAGERY: language that appeals to the five senses – sight, hearing, smell, beginning of a new image, thought, lines end in one sound, and the third
taste, and touch; sensory details. or idea. and fourth lines end in another.
Punctuation guides the voice of its
reader. The end of a line is often not
the end of a sentence (enjambment).

SOUND AND RHYTHM FIGURES OF SPEECH

Rhyme: the occurrence of the same of similar sounds at the end of two or SIMILE: comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as,” e.g.,
more words. When words rhyme, they have the same sound. “Her eyes were as sparkly as diamonds.”
Alliteration: the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning
of words. Some famous examples of alliteration are tongue twisters such as METAPHOR: direct comparison between two things. It does not use “like”
She sells seashells by the seashore and Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled or as,” e.g., “Her eyes were diamonds.”
peppers
Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close to each PERSONIFICATION: human qualities given to an animal, object, or idea,
other e.g. The wind exhaled. The sky is crying. Dead leaves dance in the wind.
Repetition: the repeating of a word, sounds, or phrases to add rhythm or to Blind justice.
focus on an idea.
Refrain: a line or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually HYPERBOLE: a purposeful exaggeration for emphasis or humour.
after every stanza. Example – tons of money, waiting for ages, a flood of tears.
Onomatopoeia: Words sound like the noises they describe. E.g.- buzz,
hiss, zing, clippity-clop, cock-a-doodle-do, pop, splat, thump, tick-tock,
whirl

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WHAT DO
YOU SEE?

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 Introduction to Poetry
BY BILL Y C OL L INS

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

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 Introduction to Poetry – by Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem Poetry is meant to be studied and looked at closely – what images is
and hold it up to the light the poet creating.
like a color slide. - Shed light on the poem to view it more clearly.
- Look at all the words to view it holistically.
- Appreciate all parts of the poem.

or press an ear against its hive. What do we think of when we read the word ‘hive’?
- Listen to the poem’s special sounds.
- The poem should stay closed and not opened (like a hive)
- Listen closely to the details of a poem.

I say drop a mouse into a poem Imagine a mouse in a maze – he has to explore the space and figure it
and watch him probe his way out, out. That is what readers of poetry have to do. Look at the structre of
the poem.
- Each reader must interpret the poem in his own way.

or walk inside the poem’s room Did you know that “stanza” is Italian for “room”?
and feel the walls for a light switch. Sometimes we may not understand everything in a poem, but keep
looking for a part that you do get – it could be the “light switch” that
helps make the whole thing more clear!
- Explore the room (which is the poem) with all your senses.
- Each sentence is important.

I want them to waterski Waterskiing is FUN! So what is Collins saying about poetry?
across the surface of a poem - Enjoy the poem.
waving at the author’s name on the shore. - Rely on your own thinking when reading the poem.

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 But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope Torture is NOT fun. So what is the
and torture a confession out of it. speaker saying that students tend to do
with poetry?
- Students read the poem in a
superficial way – not trying to
understand its real meaning.
- Readers just want to be told
what the meaning of the poem
is. They do not want to
experience it as it is.

They begin beating it with a hose Ouch! Beating is NOT fun either!
to find out what it really means. So according to this speaker,
summarise how readers should and
should not approach poetry.
- They attach the poem
instead of really exploring
what it means.
- Readers want things to be clear – they do not want to read
between the lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi0Lbjs5ECI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wey8nauEyA4
Dead Poet’s Society Links to the movie clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye4KFyWu2do

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM

1. What is the subject of the poem? The subject of the poem is how to read a poem/ is how to teach a poem/is how to approach a poem.
2. Which two opinions on the subject are presented? Divide the Lines 1- 11: The opinion of the poet. He describes how he would want readers to read a poem.
poem into two parts to represent the two opinions. Lines12- 16: The opinion of the readers. They want to find out the meaning of the poem as fast as
possible.
3. (a) To whom does the word ”I”(line 1) refer? (a) “I” refers to the poet, the speaker.

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 (b) To whom do the words “them” (line 1) and “they” (line 12) (b) “them” refers to the readers (teachers, students)
refer? “they” refers to the readers (teachers, students).
4. Find the lines in the poem where the speaker: (a) And hold it up to the light like a color slide
(a) suggests that the poem has colour, but the readers must look
closely to see. (b) Or press an ear against the hive
(b) asks the reader to listen to the poem carefully
(c) invites the reader to explore the poem (c) Or walk inside the poem’s room and feel the walls for a light switch
(d) suggests that students/teachers should give some recognition
to the poet (d) Waving at the author’s name at the store
(e) describes what teachers/students want to do to the poem
(e) To find out what it really means
5. According to the last two stanzas, how does the speaker feel He disapproves of their approaches. He says they ruin it by trying to over analyse it. They don’t
about the way students/teachers usually try to interpret poetry? explore it themselves but ask teachers to make it clear to them. The students attack the poem and
Explain. immediately begin to analyse it. They become frustrated when they don’t get the meaning
immediately. Then they begin to force the meaning out of the poem instead of letting it come to
them gradually.
6. Billy Collins describes a poem as if it were human or had human The poem is personified. It is compared to a prisoner who must be tortured in order to extract a
qualities. This is called personification. Find the lines in which confession (lines 12 – 16).
he does this. What does this add to the poem, in your opinion? This strengthens the poet’s message and helps the reader identify with the poor poem.
7. What is the message of the poem? A poem should be experienced for its language and images before being analysed for its meaning.
If it is read with careful attention, its meaning will be revealed. Students are not usually taught to
experience the poem. They immediately begin analysing it and miss out on much of its internal
effect.

How to eat a poem by Eve Merriam (1916 – 1992)

In this free-verse poem, Eve Merriam uses eating fruit as a metaphor for reading poetry.
1 Don’t be polite. Stanza 1 L1: The poet addresses the reader directly, giving a command almost. She is
2 Bite in. communicating that there is no need for manners here. Approach poetry without
3 Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that Enjambment = run- any preconceived conventions. Read poetry on instinct, forget any rules of
4 may run down your chin. on line poetry.
5 It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are. L2: The poet encourages the reader to get stuck into the poem without hesitation.
Enjoy the ripe fruit Approach the poem without fear. Don’t be intimidated by poetry.

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 – the poem. L3: Pick up the poem, get a hold of it to grasp it. Be prepared for what juices
could come from it. A poem is more than what we might think. Sweet meaning
lies beneath the surface, and one should be prepared for it.
There are connotations of enjoyment in this.
L4: There is more to a poem than first appears. Enjoy it and have fun with it.
L5: The poem is waiting for readers whenever they are ready. The first four lines
are an encouragement to jump in and enjoy the poem. The last line of the stanza
positions the reader right in front of the poem.

6 You do not need a knife or fork or spoon Stanza 2 The poet wants to reassure the reader. We do not need anything else to enjoy a
7 or plate or napkin or tablecloth. poem. This stanza provides further encouragement to the reader.

8 For there is no core Stanza 3 The last stanza is used to persuade the reader of the merits of poetry.
9 or stem This is a nod to the simplicity of consuming poetry.
10 or rind List format to get It can be eaten whole, without anything ‘to throw away’.
11 or pit her point across. Poetry leaves no waste. Everything in the poem is there for a reason, to be
12 or seed consumed by the reader.
13 or skin It is the reader’s job to chew on it and break it down and digest it.
14 to throw away. Just as one would do with a delicious piece of fruit.

THE SONNET

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9
 Shakespear
eaneyessonnet
My mistress’ are nothing like the sun - William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616
https://www.educationquizzes.com/gcse/english/poetry-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun/

1 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

2 Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

Dun: of a dull greyish-brown colour

5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

Damasked: patterned or streaked red and white

9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go;
12 My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

Goddess: a woman who is greatly

admired, especially for her beauty.
13 And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare In a conventional love poem, the writer would exaggerate how
14 As any she belied with false compare. beautiful his mistress is. In this sonnet the speaker is underplaying
her beauty.
Invoking
Made out to be God
something she is
Detailed
not
Questions
She is a real woman
and he loves her for
who and what she is.
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1. Name two things to which the speaker compares his mistress.
2. Outline two features of a Shakespearean sonnet that you can identify.
3. How does the metaphor of music in stanza 3 impact on your understanding of the poem?
4. Explain what the speaker means when saying his mistress “treads on the ground”?
5. Discuss whether you think the speaker’s love is sincere.
Possible Answers
1. The mistress is compared to the sun, coral, snow, wires, golden thread, roses, perfumes, music, or a goddess.
2. A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines, rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg, 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet, 10 syllables per line, rhythm pattern
of iambic pentameter (unstressed followed by stressed syllable), elevated language about love.
3. Whereas most sonnets use elevated language about love and to idealise women, Shakespeare writes that although music is easier to listen to, he does
sincerely “love” to hear his mistress speak
4. The object of affection for the speaker is not an elevated goddess or angel who floats or glides above the ground; she is a more grounded and physical
person who walks with him on earth and has her feet on the ground. Can also imply that she is heavy and stomps in an unladylike manner.
5. The love expressed in this sonnet is very sincere and not false. Although the speaker seems to unflattering and critical, he maintains that his love is “rare”
as he is able to interact with and share his life with his mistress.

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Literature: Unseen poetry
Here are some guidelines to help you answer the unseen poem.
Remember, a poem is not a riddle that you have to solve.
All you have to do is explain your reactions to the poem and explain how it caused those reactions.

The title is a key part of the poem.

Terminology you have to know:

Title

Theme

A theme is a concept, or idea, that the poem explores.

Tone When we say tone, we mean the emotions expressed and explored in the poem.
What is the tone of the poem? Does the tone change?

Diction: choice of words

Imagery: using language to convey an atmosphere

Figurative language: discuss its effectiveness

Pre-reading: The poet is sitting on the beach observing her children surfing. She is also reading a newspaper.

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Children by Nancy Keesing

Long-summer scorched, my surfing children

Catch random waves or thump in dumpers,
Whirling, gasping, tossed, disjointed.
I, watching, fear they may be broken –
That all those foaming limbs will never 5
Reassemble whole, together.

All under such a peaceful sky.

All under such another sky.

The pictures show some village children

Caught at random, tossed, exploded, 10
Torn, disjointed, like sticks broken,
Whose jagged scorching limbs will never
Reassemble whole, together.

Some pointers:
The poet uses repetition along with contrasting stanzas, powerful imagery and figurative language to emphasise and highlight the drastic differences
in lifestyle between children who grow up in safe and privileged environments and the children who live devastated and dangerously as victims and
casualties of war. In the first stanza, she watches her children playing happily in the ocean on a summer’s day. She expresses her worry that her
children may be hurt in the surf, articulating her parental instincts. As the poem transitions into the second stanza, the poet uses powerful imagery to
change the scenery of the poem, illustrating village children deprived by battle, being caught at random, tossed, exploded as repercussions of a war
which they live in the midst of.
The poet has created a bridge between the first and last stanzas that allows a transition between the two incompatible stanzas.

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1. In your own words describe what is happening in the first six lines of the poem.
Dumping wave (dumper)
2. What does ‘long-summer scorched’ (line 1) tell you about the poet’s children? This wave breaks with tremendous force and
can easily throw a swimmer to the bottom. It
3. What do you understand by ‘foaming limbs’ (line 5)? usually occurs where the sea floor inclines
steeply causing the wave height to increase
4. Refer to line 2: “Catch random waves or thump in dumpers” quickly and dump sharply at the shore.

4.1 Identify the figure of speech in line 2.

4.2 Comment on its effectiveness.

5. Why is the poet afraid for her children (line 4)?

tone noun (VOICE EXPRESSION)
6. How does the poet prepare the reader for a change of scene?
a quality in the voice that expresses the
7. Discuss the change in tone in the second part of the poem.
speaker's feelings or thoughts, often towards
8. What evidence can you find in the second part of the poem to suggest that there is a war in the person being spoken to:
progress?
I tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice.
9. Explain the difference between ‘catch random waves’ (line 2) and ‘caught at random’ (line
10).
Don't speak to me in that
tone of voice (= angrily), young lady!
10. Why are the village children ‘…disjointed, like sticks broken’ (line 11)? Discuss the
It wasn't so much what she said that annoyed me - it was
effectiveness of the imagery in this line.
her tone.
11. With close reference to the poem as a whole, critically discuss the validity of the poet’s
fears.

the quality of being

based on truth or reason,
or of being able to be
accepted

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CIII by Emily Dickinson CIII = 103
written in 1863
The moon was but a chin of gold
A night or two ago, This lyric poem
And now she turns her perfect face contains
Upon the world below. metaphors,
Her forehead is of amplest blond; personification,
Her cheek like beryl stone; and imagery
Her eye unto the summer dew
The likest I have known.
aplenty. In
comparing different stages of the moon to a beauteous
Her lips of amber never part; woman’s face, Dickinson opens new doors of imagination
But what must be the smile
Upon her friend she could bestow and teaches readers to observe the world in different
Were such her silver will! ways. In a light, imaginative tone, she personifies the
moon as a woman in a beautiful gown, smiling and
And what a privilege to be
But the remotest star! looking down at the world like a queenly figure. The
For certainly her way might pass depiction of the “moon” showcases her keen sense of
Beside your twinkling door.
observing nature.
Her bonnet is the firmament,
The universe her shoe,
The stars the trinkets at her belt,
Her dimities of blue.

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“The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful lyric, which opens
new corridors of imagination and encourages readers to explore nature innovatively. In this
poem, the speaker idolizes the moon on different days of the month as a smiling woman
looking down at the miniaturized world. She admires and describes the different phases of the
lunar cycle in consecutive stanzas. Dickinson traverses the conventional boundaries of
literary associations when she imagines the moon as a lady’s face and the celestial objects
like stars as her ornaments and jewels. However, through the glorification of the moon, she
also underlines the impression of distance and remoteness between the speaker and the moon.

Form
“The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” is an iconic lyric poem with five quatrains and
Dickinson’s trademark use of dashes. It expresses one speaker’s perceptions regarding the
moon. She compares the different phases of the moon to a pretty woman’s face. Unlike other
poets, Dickinson does not follow any conventional pattern to organize her thoughts but
instead designs her own way of expression. She implements the third-person point of view to
portray the image of the “moon” as an elegant lady. In this poem, readers can find the poetic
techniques of unconventional dashes, capitalization, and slant rhymes to delineate quixotic
ways of observing the world.

The use of multiple dashes and unusual capitalizations makes the sudden pauses (caesura)
more prominent and engages the readers in the process of imagination along with the poetic
persona. While the capitalized words in the middle of sentences catch readers’ attention, the
dashes, on the other hand, make them halt and think. Her distinct use of elliptical language
shows how ideas that may not be real can be imagined creatively.

Rhyme Scheme
While reading the poem, it appears that Dickinson unpremeditatedly follows the rhyme
scheme of ABCB. However, in the opening and ending stanzas, the second and fourth lines
perfectly rhyme: “ago” and “below”; “Shoe” and “Blue”. In the rest of the stanzas, Dickinson
uses her unique slant rhymes: “hewn” and “known”; “smile” and “Will”; “Star” and “Door”.
The presence of a regular rhyme scheme somehow invests a sing-song-like quality to the
poem.

Meter
“The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” is also written in a regular meter; Dickinson uses iambic
tetrameter and iambic trimeter alternatively.

Literary Devices & Figurative Language

Though the main literary device of Dickinson’s “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” is
personification, there are several other devices strewn across the text. Some of the important
figurative devices used in the poem include:

Metaphor
Dickinson takes her ideas to another realm when she compares the image of a crescent moon
with the “Chin of Gold.” In the title “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold,” she uses the
metaphor of the charming face of a lady and extends the metaphor to the three consecutive

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stanzas. Words like “forehead,” “cheek,” and “eye” are used to compare the moon to the
countenance of a woman.

The phrase “Her Lips of Amber” contains a personal metaphor. Dickinson describes the
moon at the horizon as having lips made of amber. Amber is a hard, translucent fossil
substance, typically yellowish to brownish in color. “Her Cheek – a Beryl hewn –” is used to
describe its color as “Beryl,” a pale blue, green gemstone consisting of beryllium and
aluminum.

In the last stanza, Dickinson depicts the cosmos representing the moon’s colossal dress. Its
“Bonnet,” “Shoe,” “Trinkets,” and “Dimities” are compared to the “Firmament” (heaven or
the uppermost part of the sky), “Universe” (earth), “Stars,” and “Blue” (sky).

Personification
In this poem, Dickinson personifies the moon as an attractive woman, watching over the
world from the sky. This device is used throughout to strengthen the analogy between the
moon and a lady. In the third and fourth lines, the moon represents a full, round face of a
woman. According to the speaker, it’s the most “perfect” face she has ever seen. She paints
the features of the moon’s face through the colors of “Blonde” (golden), “Beryl” (pale blue),
and “Dew”.

In the third stanza, the moon is depicted as having amber lips. The speaker speculates how
her smile would look if her “Silver Will” permits. Dickinson invests the moon with the act of
walking beside Sun’s palace door. So, the “Sun” is also personified. Through the costume
imagery, Dickinson depicts the moon in a massive dress encompassing the sky, earth, and
stars.

Consonance
Consonance is the recurrence of a consonant sound in neighboring words. It occurs in the
second line, “A Night or two ago –” where the “t” sound is repeated. It also occurs in the
following instances:

 “And now she turns” (line 3)

 “Forehead” and “Blonde” (line 5)
 “Her Lips of Amber never part –” (line 9)
 “Upon Her Friend she could confer” (line 11)
 “such” and “Silver” (line 12)
 “remotest Star” (line 14)
 “Bonnet” and “Firmament” (line 17)
 “The Stars – the Trinkets at Her Belt –” (line 19)

 Enjambment
 Enjambment occurs when one line of a poem runs over to the other line without any
break. For instance, it occurs in the following lines, “And now she turns Her
perfect Face/ Upon the World below –” This device is also used in the third and
fourth stanzas:
 But what must be the smile
 Upon Her Friend she could confer

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  Were such Her Silver Will –
 And what a privilege to be
 But the remotest Star –
 For Certainty She take Her Way
 Beside Your Palace Door –
 Anaphora
 An anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines.
It can be found in the first three lines of the second stanza and lines 18-19:
 Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde –
 Her Cheek – a Beryl hewn –
 Her Eye unto the Summer Dew
 …
 The Universe – Her Shoe –
 The Stars – the Trinkets at Her Belt –

Lines 1-4
Dickinson’s persona collates the crescent moon to a “Chin of Gold.” The speaker refers to the
lunar cycle and says that the moon’s visible arc appeared golden a few days ago. While the
full moon looks like a “perfect face” of a woman who looks “Upon the World below –”.
Dickinson personifies the moon as an iconic lady and adulates her beauty. She uses the
ascension motif to display a “perfect” feminine figure, standing above the material world and
observing it remotely. Her adulatory language heightens the moon’s stature. Thus, it appears
like a goddess observing humankind from the heavens.

Lines 5-8
Through the image of a human face, Dickinson details the moon’s appearance. She compares
the top of the moon to the forehead and depicts its “Amplest” blonde color. The first line
hints at the moon’s perfection. At dusk, the moon looks golden due to the refraction of
sunlight. She further uses the phrase “Her Cheek” to refer to the moon’s circumference. She
imagines its rounded shape to be hewn with “Beryl” or pale blue color. In the early evening,
the moon’s golden tinge changes into cloudy-aquamarine color.

In the third line, “Her Eye” implies the moonshine. Dickinson uses the extended metaphor of
the rare “Summer Dew” that sparkles in the moonlight. In the last line, the speaker expresses
her inability to draw any other comparisons that could aptly describe its luster in words. She
finds only the “Summer Dew” as the “likest” metaphor for the moon’s “Eye”.

Critics link “blonde” with the perennial feminized connotations of innocence, youth, purity,
and delicacy. Gregory Alan Phipps interprets “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” as a
“veneration of feminine beauty”. He writes:

… the poem offers familiar thematic concerns in literary treatments of feminine beauty,
including depictions of ephemerality (“The Moon was but a Chin of Gold/A night or two ago
-”; “Her Eye unto the Summer Dew/The likest I have known -”) and images of a face that is
at once beautiful, remote, and inscrutable (“Her Cheek – a Beryl hewn -”; “Her Lips of
Amber never part -”; “And what a privilege to be/But the remotest star -”). The general
portrait is one of ideal albeit fleeting beauty suspended above the world.

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Source: “Gilded Creatures Straining and Dying: Performances of Blondness and Feminine
Ethereality in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry”

Lines 9-12
In the third quatrain, the speaker sketches the “Lips of Amber” of the full moon. The colors
amber, blonde, and gold reinforce the femininity applied to the moon. These colors also
symbolize the traditional ideals of feminine virtue. The line “Her Lips of Amber never part”
could also be interpreted as an allusion to the gender inequality prevalent in nineteenth-
century America when women were conditioned to appear shy in front of men and not smile
unless spoken to. It subtly reflects the extent of the moon’s loneliness that she has no friends
to share her feelings with.

The speaker’s awe at the moon’s “Amber” lips can be discerned in the following lines. She
speculates what “Her” smile must be upon “Her Friend” that she could “confer”. But, there is
a catch. She is too proud to smile at anyone in a romantic sense, including “Her Friend,” the
sun. Such is the aura of the moon in the night sky. The sun may rule the day, but she is the
empress of the night. Thus, she must maintain her “Silver Will” of not yielding to her
Friend’s precedence. Thus, the “Lips of Amber” is a fit metaphor for the moon’s self-
confidence and pride.

Lines 13-16
These lines of “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” explicate the remoteness of the sun in
comparison to the moon. The speaker glorifies the moon by saying it is a “privilege” for the
Sun, “the remotest star,” as the moon takes her way beside his “Palace Door.” She uses the
phrase “For Certainty” to emphasize her point. In these lines, the moon is pedestalized to an
icon of perfection.

Dickinson uses the imagery of the moon taking the place of the sun at dusk in the last two
lines. The “Palace Door” could be a reference to the west where the sun goes. She imagines it
is the door to the sun’s palace from where the moon emerges or rises above gradually. This
apparent movement is described in “She take Her Way/ Beside Your Palace Door –”.

Lines 17-20
The “Firmament” means the dome shape of the sky. Dickinson uses costume imagery to
portray the dark blue night sky and celestial objects. Dickinson was an acute observer of
nature—she noticed the details of nature and the night sky by heart. In this quatrain, the
speaker describes how the moon wears a “Bonnet” of “Firmament.” Its shoe is the
“Universe,” “The Stars” are the trinkets of its “Belt,” and the “Dimities” comprise the sky.

She imaginatively dresses the moon in a bonnet, shoes, belt, and dimities, thereby making it
look entirely like a 19th-century woman. Interestingly, “the Trinkets at Her Belt” can be
associated with the Orion’s Belt, which can easily be recognized in the night sky. The
“Dimities,” a kind of woman’s garment, is a metaphor for the sky and the “Trinkets at Her
Belt” is an ironic reference to the shining stars that appear as tiny glittering trinkets on the
moon’s belt.

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Themes
The Moon, an Emblem of Femininity
The Moon is often associated with femininity. The pivotal image of the moon as a woman
benignly looking down on earth has inspired poets and writers of various ages. “The Moon
was but a Chin of Gold” can be linked with the idea propounded by the Greek Poet Sappho;
she compares the moon to the round face of a woman in a short song: “When, round and full,
her silver face,/ Swims into sight, and lights all space.”

Similarly, Dickinson uses the imagery of a woman’s face and costume to personify the moon
as a “perfect” woman. Not only does the lunar cycle enable Dickinson to compare it to a lady,
but also the calm and soothing shine it emits makes her use it as a symbol of sensitivity,
purity, and heavenly beauty. She pedestalizes the moon by depicting it as a proud and iconic
woman viewing everyone below from an elevated position. Dickinson uses the phrases “Chin
of Gold,” “Her perfect Face,” “Amplest Blonde,” and “Her Silver Will” to venerate the
model of femininity.

Physiognomy of the Moon

A critical reading of “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” unfolds another interesting theme.
In the poem, the moon’s “perfect Face” in the dark night sky evokes an act of gradual
uncovering of a woman’s face as an idealized icon. The dreamlike aspects of its dress are
exhibited in the last quatrain. However, the description does not take a burlesque turn as the
speaker exalts the moon to the heavenly heights of adoration.

Nature & Imagination

Dickinson was a great artist and a keen observer of nature. Her mind was a rich terrain of
new and innovative ideas. In comparing the moon’s arc to a “Chin of Gold” and other
celestial bodies to her dress and trinkets, she enlightens the imaginative capacities of readers.
Undoubtedly, her idea to call “The Universe” as “Shoe” of the personified moon is outlandish
and bold.

The “Moon” is the center of Dickinson’s imagination and inner feelings. She concretizes
abstract ideas and shows the vast canvas of her poetic capacities. The emphasis on the
“Silver” color gives great insight into Dickinson’s mind. It is considered a symbol of
illimitability, pride, and purity. This poem stirs the imagination of readers to dream of far-off
celestial objects.

Loneliness & Solace

The “Moon” in the poem could be interpreted as a representation of Dickinson herself.

Despite its graceful description throughout, the loneliness of the moon in a sky full of stars
and other cosmic bodies cannot be denied. The quiet environment of the place, where the
moon resides, interconnects with how Dickinson liked to take repose in the peaceful and
noiseless shades of nature. Her seclusion can also be understood as her need for solace. Like
the moon, she dressed in “Silver” white and separated herself from contemporary fashion.
She liked the purity and ethereality associated with the moon’s color. However, she was also
distant and solitary like the moon.

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Imagery
In “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold,” Dickinson uses visual imagery throughout. She
compares the arc of the crescent moon to a golden “chin” and the full moon to a “perfect”
woman’s face. Through facial images, she describes the moon: its forehead is “of Amplest
Blonde” and cheek is “Beryl hewn.” These images are used to describe different aspects of
the moon and depict the slow act of unveiling a woman’s face. Instead of using “sapphire” to
describe its blue colour, Dickinson uses “Beryl hewn” to depict its cloudy pale-blue colour.
In the last stanza, she paints the moon’s attire taking colours from heaven, earth, stars, and
sky.

What is the tone of the poem “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold”?
In “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold,” Dickinson uses the light-hearted, soft, adulatory tone
to describe the moon as a “perfect” lady. She uses recurrent dashes and unusual
capitalizations in the middle of lines to give impetus to her ideas. The lunar phases are
compared to a lady’s face viewed from different angles—the moon as a human, watches and
smiles at the world from above. However, in elevating the moon, she not only describes it as
an incomparable model of beauty but also implies the solitariness associated with such an
elevation. However, the overall tone does not take a monotonous turn. It remains warm and
light-hearted.

What does the line “Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde –” mean?

“Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde –” is a metaphorical way of describing the moon’s color
during sunset. The “Forehead” is defined as “Blonde” in order to imply how the dim rays of
the sun illuminate the surface of the moon. Therefore, “Amplest Blonde” implies the orange
sunlight, making the moon’s “Forehead” appear “Blonde”.

What is the meaning of “Beryl hewn”?

In “Her Cheek – a Beryl hewn –”, Dickinson depicts the moon’s cheek as hewn or heralded
with “Beryl”. It is a transparent mineral of pale green, blue, or yellow color. Dickinson uses
the pale yellow variety of beryl in order to describe the moon’s golden color during sunset. It
seems as if the moon is jeweled with gold.

What is the meaning of the line “Her Lips of Amber never part –”?
Dickinson personifies the moon through the phrase “Her Lips of Amber”. Amber is a hard
fossilized yellowish-orange substance that is used to define the color of the full moon.
According to the speaker, the moon never parts her amber lips to smile.

What is the meaning of “The Stars – the Trinkets at Her Belt –”?
In this line, Dickinson draws readers’ attention to the moon’s belt of stars. She wears a
magnificent belt that has stars for trinkets. In this way, the poet describes the moon’s colossal
dress.

What does the line “Her Dimities – of Blue –” mean?

Dickinson uses the metaphor of “Dimities”, a kind of women’s clothing, to describe the blue
color of the sky. She ends the poem by employing dress imagery to describe how the moon
appears in the night sky. It seems as if it wears the sky as dimities.

How does Emily Dickinson use personification in “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold”?
Dickinson starts using personification from the third line of the poem, “And now she turns
Her perfect Face.” She describes the moon as a beautiful woman’s face. Then she goes on to

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describe its facial features and its colossal dress comprising of heaven, universe, stars, and
sky.

What figurative language is being used in the line “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold”?
In “The Moon was but a Chin of Gold,” Dickinson uses a metaphor. She compares the
crescent moon to a human “Chin” made of gold.

What figurative language is being used in the line “And now She turns Her perfect
Face”?
In this line, Dickinson uses personification and applies human features to the moon. She
invests it with the ability to turn its face.

What is the moon’s face compared to?

The moon’s face is compared to that of a pretty woman. Dickinson uses a number of
metaphors to depict each part of the moon’s face.