Emily Dickinson’s poem “I like to see it lap the Miles”, is greatly comparable to Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “Manner’s “I like to see it lap the Miles” is about a train that is moving along a track in the mountains, while “Manners” is about a grandfather teaching his grandchild about manners while driving a wagon. Within both of the poems there is a theme of new technology, however the authors describe this theme from contrasting perspectives, with Bishop being more hopeful of the future than the fearful Dickinson.
However while the two authors have very different perspectives they use multiple common techniques to exemplify their ideas including the onomatopoeias, the structure of their poems, and a difference in vocabulary. The first way that the two poems compare is through onomatopoeias. In both poems the author exemplifies animals as a symbol of the past through the use of onomatopoeias. In “I like to see it lap the Miles” Dickinson uses the onomatopoeia “… neigh… “(15) to exemplify that the subject, which originally seems to be a train, is actually a horse.
By making this connection Dickinson exemplifies how quickly things are changing and how common work animals like the horse are being replaced. The use of the onomatopoeia is once again seen in Bishop’s poem when “… the crow/ gave a ‘Caw! and flew off”(18-19). Alike to Dickinson, Bishop uses the onomatopoeia to exemplify an animal, although instead of using it to support the symbolism of the subject, Bishop also uses it to exemplify how the crow, alike to developing technology, is not controllable.
It can make noise and go anywhere it wants and no one can control it even if they want too. While this is worrying at first, the narrator later describes the crow as “A fine bird……. ‘and… is well brought up”(20-21). By explaining the bird in a positive and controlled way Bishop is exemplifying that the bird, which symbolizes new technology, is good and controllable. This description of future technology further adds to the idea of it being good and contrasts with Dickinson’s idea of future technology being bad which she exemplifies with the replacement of horses with trains.
Another way that the two poems compare is through the difference in structure between the two poems. While the poem “Manners” has a continuous structure, “I like to see it lap the Miles” is more unpredictable and not as straightforward. As seen within the lines: “My grandfather said to me as we sat on the wagon seat, ‘Be sure to remember to always speak to everyone you meet’ We met a stranger on foot. My grandfather’s whip tapped his hat. ‘Good day, sir. Good day.
A fine day’ And I said it and bowed where I sat” (2-9) Bishop uses assonance at the end of the second and fourth line in each stanza by using words like “seat” and “meet” to form a rhyming couplet with a abcb structure. The poem also continuously has four lines within each stanza and therefore consists of a tetrameter. By using a mixture of the rhyming couplet, the abcb structure and the tetrameter Bishop forms a continuous and repetitive mood that creates a predictable and comforting tone.
By constructing this comforting tone Bishop is able to add to her eventual interpretation of hope for the future of new technology. On the other hand Dickinson uses the unpredictable structure of “I like to see it lap the Miles” to add to her contrasting theme of fear of future technology. Within Dickinson’s poem while the third stanza randomly has five lines, while the rest of the stanzas each have four lines. By at first using a tetrameter and then randomly adding a stanza with five lines Dickinson is able to draw the reader into a comforting tone and then throws them off by adding a line with a different structure.
Dickinson does this to add to the poem’s mood of unease about the new technology. This unpredictable and unclear structure adds to the tone and outlook of uncertainty within Dickinson’s poem. Therefore both Dickinson and Bishop use structure to help develop the ideas within their poems, but they do so in contrasting ways, with Dickinson using it to create a tone of uneasiness and Bishop creating a comforting tone. The last way that Dickenson’s and Bishop’s poems compare is through their use of vocabulary.
In Dickinson’s poem there is a large amount of words with negative meanings and connotations like: “To fit it’s sides And crawl between Complaining all the while In horrid – hooting stanza – Then chase itself down the Hill -“(9-13) By using words with a negative connotations like “complaining” and “horrid” to describe the train Dickenson is forming a negative correlation with the train. Through this negative correlation Dickinson is able to form a antipathetic tone towards new technology.
On the contrary, Bishop creates a positive tone through her use of vocabulary, as seen when the grandfather says: “and he’s well brought up. See, he answers nicely when he is spoken to. Man or beast, that’s good manners. Be sure that you both always do. (17-20) As seen within this stanza, along with the rest of the poem,Bishop uses words like “nicely” and “good” that have a positive connotations to form a positive connection to technology.. To further add to this Bishop also uses basic vocabulary throughout the poem, using non complex sentences and vocabulary.
This casual and simple vocabulary adds to the overall feeling of casual and simplicity in the poem. By using this tactic Bishop further develops the idea of the new technology not being complex or scary but intriguing and good. Therefore Bishop uses vocabulary to support the theme of technology being positive within her poem, while Dickenson contrastingly uses vocabulary to support her negative theme of technology. In conclusion, both of the authors use multiple common methods to develop their contrasting ideas about new technology.
Dickinson uses onomatopoeia to exemplify the radical change from horses to trains and then further constructs this idea through the use of random structure and the negative words to form an uneasy tone about the train to support he theme of worry for future technologies. Dickenson’s theme is social commentary on the future of humans, which was especially prevalent during her time because of the Panic of 1872 that happened when she was 59 years old. The Panic of 1872 was a financial crisis within the United States that many people blamed on the recent boom of railroad investments.
Because of the Panic of 1872 Dickinson feared what else the future of technology held for humans, which she explains within her poem. However while Dickinson lived in a time that feared the booming technology, Bishop lived in a post-war time that perceived technology and change to be a good thing. During World War 1 new technology was an extremely important factor that contributed to the winning of many battles and the win of the Allies. This need for technology and the post-war societal change created a positive outlook upon new technology during Bishop’s lifetime.
Within her poem Bishop uses onomatopoeias to symbolize the animals and change, the predictable and calming tone, and the use of positive words to exemplify her ideas. These tactics are the same as Dickinsons in her negatively toned poem, but utilized in an extremely different way. Therefore while in both poems there is the theme of new technology, dickinson uses her negative perspective to create a negative warning of technology while Bishop uses her positive outlook to construct a positive form of social commentary about new technology.
