1. There are different stages to emotional events such as bereavement or heartbreak. Discuss what you think these stages might be, from how someone feels in the immediate aftermath of a devastating event, to how they might feel some time after.
2. What connotations does the word ‘formal’ have for you?
COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING
1. What type of feeling do you think the ‘formal feeling’ in line one is? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Why do you think Dickinson compares ‘Nerves’ (feelings) to tombs in line two? 3. What question is the ‘stiff Heart’ asking itself in stanza one? Explain your answer.
4. How does stanza two convey an impression of someone who is going through the motions? Support your answer with reference to the stanza.
5. Write a list of all the words in the poem that convey a lack of feeling, and explain what impact this word choice has on the poem.
6. ‘This is the Hour of Lead –/ Remembered, if outlived …’ Explain this line in your own words.
7. The last two lines of this poem are ambiguous. Do you think Dickinson is describing recovery or the opposite? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.
8. ‘“After great pain, a formal feeling comes” is a hopeful poem about the process of healing.’ Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer.
9. Do you think this poem is similar to, or different from, the other Dickinson poems that you have studied? Support your answer with reference to the poems you discuss.
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. Contrast this poem with another poem that you have studied by Dickinson.
CREATING
1. There is a competition on Twitter for the best tweet about any Emily Dickinson poem on the Leaving Certificate course. Write the tweet that you would submit to this competition.
2. Write the text of a dialogue between two Leaving Certificate students in which they discuss their experience of reading Emily Dickinson’s poetry.
3. We are often encouraged to be kind and patient to others, but you think people should also be kind and patient with themselves. Compose a blog post in which you encourage your readers to show themselves kindness and patience.
4. Write a speech to be delivered to your year group on the insights Dickinson’s poetry gives into mental health. Include quotations to illustrate your points.
