Analysis of I was the slightest in the House

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



I was the slightest in the House—
I took the smallest Room—
At night, my little Lamp, and Book—
And one Geranium—

So stationed I could catch the Mint
That never ceased to fall—
And just my Basket—
Let me think—I'm sure—
That this was all—

I never spoke—unless addressed—
And then, 'twas brief and low—
I could not bear to live—aloud—
The Racket shamed me so—

And if it had not been so far—
And any one I knew
Were going—I had often thought
How noteless—I could die—


Scheme XXXX XAXXA XBXB XXXX
Poetic Form
Metre 11010001 110101 11110101 010100 11011101 110111 01110 11111 1111 11010101 011101 11111101 010111 01111111 010111 01011101 11111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 495
Words 91
Sentences 1
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 5, 4, 4
Lines Amount 17
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 88
Words per stanza (avg) 22
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 22, 2023

27 sec read
455

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

All Emily Dickinson poems | Emily Dickinson Books

51 fans

Discuss this Emily Dickinson poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "I was the slightest in the House" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/11826/i-was-the-slightest-in-the-house>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    27
    days
    17
    hours
    6
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "No Man Is An Island"?
    A Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    B John Donne
    C Ezra Pound
    D Robert Browning