1
The Wind Begun to Rock the Grass
Emily Dickson
Stanza 1
1. The wind begun to rock the grass
2. With threatening tunes and low-
3. He flung a menace at the earth-
4. A menace at the sky.
Stanza 1 describes the commencement of the storm, showing its gradual building in
intensity.
Diction: the diction suggests vigorous, even violent action and the threat or potential for
even more violent force. This is suggested by the words ‘rock’ (to move forward at a high
speed - https://www.merriam-webster) while the potential for destruction is conveyed by
the repetition of the word ‘menace’ (meaning threaten) and the present participle
‘threatening’.
Personification: the poem is filled with examples of personification. The study-guide
suggests that word ‘rock’ could suggest that the wind wind gently cradles the grass, like a
person rocking a baby and singing a low-tuned lullaby. The multiple possible meanings
of the word ‘rock’ suggests some ambivalence - between tender nurturance and violence,
possibly alluding to the ambiguous character of the natural elements.
A further instance of personification is seen in the use of the personal pronoun ‘he’ to
describe the action of the wind as it flings up dust (‘flung’ is also a verb with strong
connotations of violence).
Antithesis and parallelism: notice the antithesis in the opposition of ‘earth’ and ‘sky’ -
and the parallel sentence construction of lines 3 and 4. This would suggest the force of
the wind in its defiance of the other elements - an overbearing force of nature.
Raphaela De Ascensão Study Notes
1
, 2
Stanza 2
5. The leaves unhooked themselves from trees-
6. And started all abroad;
7. The dust did scoop itself like hands
8. And throw away the road.
Diction:the diction in stanza 2 continues to reinforce the sense of the force of the wind
and its disruptive power: ‘started’ is a synonym for ‘startle’ or ‘surprise’. This suggests
the impact of the wind’s might on the humans. In ‘All abroad’: abroad does not mean
foreign but rather ‘scattered in different directions; over a wide area’ - suggesting the
ability of the wind to startle or surprise people across a wide area.
Simile and personification: the dust is personified in having hands that appear to scoop
away the road but ‘like’ is the operative word here (indicating a simile) - Dickinson
implies that the wind is ‘like hands’ gather up the dust and sand of the dirt road.
Thematic element: by ‘throw away the road’ Dickinson suggests how the forces of nature,
which seem at first to be almost random and arbitrary, are able to destroy the
human-created world. (The term used in social science to describe the man-made world
is the anthropocene.)
Punctuation: throughout the poem, Dickinson makes use of dashes. Lines 2, 3 and 5 all
end with dashes. This creates a sense of urgency and intensity as the storm grows in
potency. Dickinson also uses a semi-colon, rather than a full-stop or a conjunction in line
6, to retain the sense of momentum - the growing force of the storm.
Raphaela De Ascensão Study Notes
2
The Wind Begun to Rock the Grass
Emily Dickson
Stanza 1
1. The wind begun to rock the grass
2. With threatening tunes and low-
3. He flung a menace at the earth-
4. A menace at the sky.
Stanza 1 describes the commencement of the storm, showing its gradual building in
intensity.
Diction: the diction suggests vigorous, even violent action and the threat or potential for
even more violent force. This is suggested by the words ‘rock’ (to move forward at a high
speed - https://www.merriam-webster) while the potential for destruction is conveyed by
the repetition of the word ‘menace’ (meaning threaten) and the present participle
‘threatening’.
Personification: the poem is filled with examples of personification. The study-guide
suggests that word ‘rock’ could suggest that the wind wind gently cradles the grass, like a
person rocking a baby and singing a low-tuned lullaby. The multiple possible meanings
of the word ‘rock’ suggests some ambivalence - between tender nurturance and violence,
possibly alluding to the ambiguous character of the natural elements.
A further instance of personification is seen in the use of the personal pronoun ‘he’ to
describe the action of the wind as it flings up dust (‘flung’ is also a verb with strong
connotations of violence).
Antithesis and parallelism: notice the antithesis in the opposition of ‘earth’ and ‘sky’ -
and the parallel sentence construction of lines 3 and 4. This would suggest the force of
the wind in its defiance of the other elements - an overbearing force of nature.
Raphaela De Ascensão Study Notes
1
, 2
Stanza 2
5. The leaves unhooked themselves from trees-
6. And started all abroad;
7. The dust did scoop itself like hands
8. And throw away the road.
Diction:the diction in stanza 2 continues to reinforce the sense of the force of the wind
and its disruptive power: ‘started’ is a synonym for ‘startle’ or ‘surprise’. This suggests
the impact of the wind’s might on the humans. In ‘All abroad’: abroad does not mean
foreign but rather ‘scattered in different directions; over a wide area’ - suggesting the
ability of the wind to startle or surprise people across a wide area.
Simile and personification: the dust is personified in having hands that appear to scoop
away the road but ‘like’ is the operative word here (indicating a simile) - Dickinson
implies that the wind is ‘like hands’ gather up the dust and sand of the dirt road.
Thematic element: by ‘throw away the road’ Dickinson suggests how the forces of nature,
which seem at first to be almost random and arbitrary, are able to destroy the
human-created world. (The term used in social science to describe the man-made world
is the anthropocene.)
Punctuation: throughout the poem, Dickinson makes use of dashes. Lines 2, 3 and 5 all
end with dashes. This creates a sense of urgency and intensity as the storm grows in
potency. Dickinson also uses a semi-colon, rather than a full-stop or a conjunction in line
6, to retain the sense of momentum - the growing force of the storm.
Raphaela De Ascensão Study Notes
2
