1. The word ‘bandage’ has both positive and negative connotations. Write a list of positive connotations and a list of negative connotations for this word.
2. List as many words as you can that are connected with imprisonment.
COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING
1. How do you think the speaker is feeling in the first two lines of this poem? Explain your answer.
2. ‘There is a sense of violation in stanza two of “The Soul has Bandaged moments”’ Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
3. What, in your opinion, is the ‘ghastly Fright’ in line three? Give reasons for your answer.
4. The tone of stanza three contrasts with the previous two stanzas. What is the impact of this contrast upon the reader, in your opinion?
5. Explain the simile ‘She dances like a Bomb, abroad,’ in your own words.
6. Why do you think Dickinson compares the ecstasy of an escaped soul with a bee? Did you find this comparison effective?
7. How did you feel about the recapture of the soul in stanza five? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
8. Write a list of the words connected with imprisonment that Dickinson uses throughout this poem, and analyse their impact on the tone of the poem.
9. Explain what is happening in the last two lines of this poem in your own words. 10. How would you describe the tone of this poem? Give reasons for your choice.
11. What theme or themes can you find in this poem? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.
12. ‘”The Soul has Bandaged moments” is one of the most important Dickinson poems to study because, unlike the other poems on the Leaving Certificate course, it does not just give a one-sided view of her personality.’ Do you agree with this statement? Discuss with reference to at least two other Dickinson poems you have studied.
CREATING
1. Write an A-Z Guide for a health pamphlet to be made widely available to teenagers in which you advise them on how to cope with the ups and downs of teenage life.
2. Write a short story beginning with a character who wakes up to find themselves in a dungeon.
3. ‘By being open about their own mental health struggles, many celebrities have helped to make the topic of mental illness less taboo.’ Write an opinion piece for a national newspaper in which you discuss whether or not you believe this statement to be true.
