Possibility in Dashes

Emily Dickinson’s “I dwell in Possibility” is an optimistic poem about the wonders of possibility. In the poem, the author makes good use of dashes in conjunction with visual imagery to deliver her message.

A number of the dashes serve the role of commas by encompassing a modifying adjective. Several times in the poem, a word is followed by a phrase describing that word. In such a sense, the dashes are serving mainly a connective function by describing a key word in greater detail. In the first stanza, the first dash comes after the word “possibility” which is subsequently described as “A fairer house than prose”. In the context of the passage, this dash links the two concepts through a comparison. “Possibility” is described in relationship to “prose”. Since a poet is typically very fond of prose, the author clearly has a very high opinion of possibility. This relation between the two words serves to enhance the excellence of possibility. On the other hand, the comparison also implies that these two words are separate entities. As a result, the dashes also divide.

This use of dashes is also employed twice in the last 3 lines where the author describes her “occupation” in the dwelling house of possibility. Here “occupation” is modified by “this” which is further modified by “The spreading of my narrow hands to gather paradise”. Ironically, the word “this” is grammatically redundant; however, it serves an emphasis function. The dashes further highlight the word, thus forcing the reader to pay more attention to the last 2 lines of the passage. These last lines give an important conclusion to the poem.

The dashes also divide ideas and images. In lines 3-8, the author uses metaphoric imagery. As used in context, some of the dashes separate one metaphoric image from another. Specifically, the dashes after lines 3-4, after line 6, and after line 8, separate the 3 main visual metaphors. However, since these metaphors are describing the same concept, possibility, the dashes also serve a unifying function.

Ultimately, the dashes make the strongest argument for the author’s message. The dashes can serve multiple functions and give the reader more information than words alone. As a result, the dashes open numerous possibilities for this short 12 line poem and allow the author to enhance prose (reference to line 1-2).

Source: Emily Dickinson's "I dwell in possibility"
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/ed-possibility.html