I started Early — Took my Dog —
By Emily Dickenson
I started Early – Took my Dog –
And visited the Sea –
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me –And Frigates – in the Upper Floor
Extended Hempen Hands –
Presuming Me to be a Mouse –
Aground – opon the Sands –But no Man moved Me – till the Tide
Went past my simple Shoe –
And past my Apron – and my Belt
And past my Boddice – too –And made as He would eat me up –
As wholly as a Dew
Opon a Dandelion’s Sleeve –
And then – I started – too –And He – He followed – close behind –
I felt His Silver Heel
Opon my Ancle – Then My Shoes
Would overflow with Pearl –Until We met the Solid Town –
No One He seemed to know –
And bowing – with a Mighty look –
At me – The Sea withdrew –
Summary of I started Early — Took my Dog —
- Popularity of “I started Early — Took my Dog —”: Written back in 1862, “I started Early — Took my Dog —” is not only simple but a symbolic poetic piece in terms of meanings. Emily wrote this poem having some unfulfilled desires in mind.The poem centers on a lady enjoying her walk near the seashore. It showcases the adventurous and curious nature of the speaker whose imagination presents the ocean as a tempting man. The popularity of the poem lies in its presentation of the theme of desires contrasted with other human desires.
- “I started Early — Took my Dog —” As a Representative of Adventure: This is a nature poem. It begins when the speaker sets out for a morning walk with her dog. While walking along the shore, she looks out at the water and notices mermaids’ rise from the deep sea. She feels as if the sea creatures are staring back at her. She also glances at the large warships as if the ships are reaching out to her. The speaker seems immovable as she says no man has ever evoked such strange feelings until the water surrounds her body as if it wants to cover her like a fine mist.
This breathtaking touch of the ocean makes her quiver for a moment. Surprisingly, the sea follows her even when she walks away from the water line and enters a nearby town. Although she leaves the seaside, the tempting water keeps her holding back, casting a powerful glance on the speaker until it finally leaves her alone. - Major Themes in “I started Early — Took my Dog —”: Wonder, temptation, natural beauty, and amazement are the major themes of the poem. This meaningful poem accounts for the speaker’s memorable morning walk where she surrenders herself to the bounties of nature. She imagines it as if everything around is there to make her feel special. The staring of mermaids, an erotic touch of oceanic water, and the strange pull of the warship give clues that she wants an escape from life. The poem’s imagery depicts the speaker as an intelligent human being. Unlike others, she also possesses physical desires but she feels afraid of fulfilling those desires. For this reason, she presents the sea as a male figure to express her unexpressed emotions and feelings.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in I started Early — Took my Dog —
literary devices are modes that present the writer’s ideas, feelings, and emotions in an impressive way. Emily used many literary devices in the poem to make it unique. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “But no Man moved Me – till the Tide” and the sound of /o/ in “Came out to look at me.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. Emily has repeated the word “and” in the second stanza of the poem to emphasize the point, such as;
“And past my Apron – and my Belt
And past my Boddice – too”
- Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. The following lines allude to sexual desires, such as;
“But no Man moved Me – till the Tide
Went past my simple Shoe –
And past my Apron – and my Belt
And past my Boddice – too”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “But no Man moved Me – till the Tide” and the sound of /n/ in “And past my Apron – and my Belt.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“And He – He followed – close behind –
I felt His Silver Heel
Opon my Ancle – Then My Shoes
Would overflow with Pearl”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Emily Dickenson used imagery in this poem such as “But no Man moved Me – till the Tide”, “And made as He would eat me up” and “And He – He followed – close behind.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet compares the ocean to a man throughout the poem, such as; “And made as He would eat me up” and “And He – He followed – close behind.”
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet has personified water in the poem such as; “And made as He would eat me up” and “I felt His Silver Heel/Opon my Ancle – Then My Shoes.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as desires, temptations, imagination, and wonder.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in I started Early — Took my Dog —
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices, symbolism, and impressive images.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are six stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote for people who love enjoying nature walks early in the morning.
“I started Early – Took my Dog –
And visited the Sea –
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me”