"In the Garden" is a beautiful and insightful poem by Emily Elizabeth Dickinson that portrays an intimate moment in nature through the perspective of the speaker, who silently observes a bird. The poem begins with a bird descending.......
In the Garden - Oxford Reading Circle - Class 8 - English
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Back Exercises - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Literature | English | Class 8
Dickinson uses some unusual and surprising images in the last three stanzas. Work in a pair or as a class to ‘unpick’ some of them. Use the questions to analyse the lines.
Like frightened beads
What is being described? Why is it frightened? How are they like beads?
The bird's eyes are being described as "frightened beads." The poet is referencing the bird's alertness and fear of potential danger which is conveyed through the rapid movement of its eyes. They are likened to 'beads' perhaps due to their small size and glossy surface, and their movement may also remind the speaker of beads being slid or moved about on a string.
Stirred his velvet head/Like one in danger.
What does ‘stirred’ mean? What are the associations of velvet?
Why might they be feeling as if they are in danger?
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Sign up nowUnrolled his feathers
What is being described? Is this a quick action or a slow one? Can wings (made of feathers and bone) be unrolled? What nautical things can be unrolled? What impression is created here?
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Sign up nowOwed him softer home
What rows him home? What is similar about rowing and a bird taking flight? What connotations does the word ‘home’ have? Comment on the word ‘softer’.
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Sign up nowYou have one minute to write down the names of as many birds as you can think of, Share your list with the class and add to it any that you didn’t have. Talk about a few of the birds and discuss what they eat, describe their flight, movements and behaviour, and any other remarkable features about them. Choose a bird and do some research on it.
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Sign up nowWrite a short passage, or a poem if you like, in which you describe a particular bird. Try to use personification.
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Sign up nowBack Questions - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Literature | English | Class 8
In the first two stanzas, which words and phrases personify the bird? Of these, which makes him seem gentlemanly?
The words and phrases that personify the bird include: “He bit an angle-worm in halves”: This phrase makes the bird look like a person who carefully bites into their food. “He ate the fellow, raw”: The word ‘fellow’ is often used to refer to people. By calling the worm a ‘fellow’, Dickinson is personifying the bird.
“And then he drank a dew from a convenient grass”: Drinking dew from the grass is personified as this is what humans might do - drink from convenient sources. “And then hopped sidewise to the wall to let a beetle pass.”This makes the bird seem considerate and gentlemanly, as it seems like he’s politely allowing the beetle to pass, much like a human stepping aside for someone else to pass.
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What word, which might be more appropriate, does ‘grass’ remind you of in the phrase ‘a convenient grass’? (Note that Dickinson has deliberately used the article a-we don’t say a grass!)
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Sign up nowIn which stanzas is the bird unaware of being watched/ When does it become aware?
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Sign up nowEach stanza contains (at least) one noun for a man-made object – list these items.
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Sign up nowPick one verb to describe the bird’s action in each stanza.
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Sign up nowWhat are two of the narrator’s actions?
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Sign up nowWhat are the bird’s wings compared to and what are their movements softer than?
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Sign up nowLook at the mixture of earth, air and water images used by Dickinson. Can you find a possible reference to the sight of swimming fish?
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Sign up now‘And ate the fellow, raw.’
a. Who is ‘the fellow’? What effect is created by the use of this word?
b. What is not unusual about the fact that he is eaten ‘raw’? What effect is created by the use of this word?
c. What response(s) or effect(s) do you think Dickinson aimed to achieve here?
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Sign up now‘Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim’
a. What other thing, already mentioned by the poet, is signalled by the use of ‘Or’?
b. In the final line, what are the two actions performed by the butterflies?
c. What do these lines make the bird’s flight seem like to you? (Think of sight and sound.)
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Sign up nowDoes the poem have a rhyme scheme? Are there any half-rhymes or sight rhymes?
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Sign up nowCount the syllables in each line. What do you notice? What is the significance of the change?
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Sign up nowRead the poem out loud. Does the pace and rhythm change? How has Dickinson maintained the ‘flow’ of the poem?
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Sign up nowExtra Questions - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Literature | English | Class 8
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
How does the poet use imagery to describe the bird’s actions?
Why does the poet mention that the bird ‘does not know I saw’, and how does it contribute to the theme of the poem?
How does the poet personify the bird in these lines, and what does this tell us about the poet’s perspective?
How does the poet use the event of a bird eating a worm to induce a sense of realism?
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
How does the poet use imagery to describe the bird’s actions?
Why does the poet mention that the bird ‘does not know I saw’, and how does it contribute to the theme of the poem?
How does the poet personify the bird in these lines, and what does this tell us about the poet’s perspective?
How does the poet use the event of a bird eating a worm to induce a sense of realism?
Imagery is used vividly in this stanza to represent the bird’s actions. The poet describes the bird’s eating habits in a detailed manner - “bit an angle-worm in halves and ate the fellow, raw”, which not only gives the readers a clear picture but also indicates towards the raw nature of survival in the animal world.
The line “He did not know I saw” suggests that the bird was unaware of the observer, thus behaving naturally in their environment. The poet is likely indicating the genuine and unsullied actions of the bird, which also adds an element of authenticity to the poem.
The bird is personified in these lines as eating the worm “in halves” and displaying a certain level of sophistication in its actions. This personification brings out the dual essence of nature’s rawness and elegance at the same time and reflects poet’s vision of finding harmony in the brutality of survival.
The depiction of the bird eating a worm is a very real and routine occurrence in nature, yet the way it is described in the poem it elevates the ordinary into something fascinating; the poet’s skilful use of sharp imagery and personification makes the event captivating and engrossing to the reader.
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And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
What does the phrase “drank a dew from a convenient grass” suggest about the bird’s natural habits and adaptability to its environment?
How does Dickinson use the beetle in this stanza? What might it symbolize or represent?
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Sign up nowQuiz - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
About the Poet - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830 – 1886) was an American poet who remains one of the most influential figures in American literature. Known for her innovative use of form and syntax, Dickinson's poetry is often characterized by its introspective quality and focus on themes such as death, nature, love, and immortality. Although she penned nearly 1,800 poems, fewer than a dozen were published during her lifetime. Notably, her work became widely known only after her death, when her poems were discovered and published posthumously. Her enigmatic life and unique poetry have piqued the curiosity of readers and scholars alike, making her a subject of enduring interest and study. Dickinson spent most of her life in relative seclusion in her family's Amherst, Massachusetts, home, where she drew inspiration from her observations of the natural world.
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Themes - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
1. Nature and Its Observance: One of the central themes of the poem is the detailed observation and appreciation of the natural world. Dickinson carefully watches the bird's behaviour from the moment it arrives, consumes its food, drinks.....
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Unlock now 🔓Symbols - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
1. The Bird: The bird is a symbol of the natural world, representing freedom, peace, and the wild. It is the central figure of the poem and is described with exquisite detail and human-like qualities.
2. The Worm: The bird's consumption......
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Unlock now 🔓Poetic Devices - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
1. Imagery: Dickinson uses vibrant and pictorial language to evoke the senses, creating a vivid image in the reader's mind. For instance, "He bit an angle-worm in halves" is a powerful piece of visual imagery.
2. Simile: Dickinson uses simile.....
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Unlock now 🔓Vocabulary - In the Garden | Oxford Reading Circle | Class 8 Literature | English
Angle-worm: a worm that is used as bait in fishing
The kids enjoyed digging in the garden and finding angle-worms.Sidewise: sideways
The cat approached the mouse sidewise, trying not to startle it.Aboard: over a wide area
The fireworks..........................
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