I like to see it lap the Miles

Quiz: "I like to see it lap the Miles" by Emily Dickinson

1. Recall – Form & Structure: What central metaphor structures the entire poem, and what two real-world subjects does it connect?

1. Recall – Speaker & Tone: How would you describe the speaker's attitude toward the train? Provide at least two adjectives supported by the analysis.

1. Recall – Key Image: What biblical name does Dickinson use to describe the train's thunderous whistle, and what does that name literally mean?

1. Recall – Key Image: What does the image of the "stable door" at the poem's end represent in literal terms, and what does it symbolize about the train's power?

1. Comprehension – Language Choice: The word "supercilious" is used to describe the train winding around mountains. What does this word mean, and why is it an appropriate choice for this moment in the poem?

1. Comprehension – Tone Shift: At what point does the poem take a comedic turn, and what causes this tonal shift? What real sound does Dickinson's language evoke here?

1. Comprehension – Symbol: Dickinson compares the train's punctuality to a star. What does this comparison suggest about the relationship between industrial technology and the natural or cosmic order?

1. Analysis – Metaphor & Theme: The poem ends with the oxymoronic pairing of "docile and omnipotent." What central tension in the poem does this phrase capture, and how does it reflect Dickinson's view of industrial machinery?

1. Analysis – Self-Referential Symbol: Dickinson refers to the train's noise as a "stanza." What is significant about this choice of word, and what does it suggest about the relationship between poetry and machinery?

1. Analysis – Historical Context: Dickinson wrote this poem around 1862, during a period of rapid American railroad expansion. How does her treatment of the train differ from that of many of her contemporaries, and what does this reveal about her perspective as an observer?

Answer Key

1. The extended metaphor of a horse (or large animal) structures the poem, connecting a steam locomotive to a living creature through language of lapping, licking, feeding, neighing, and returning to a stable.

1. The speaker is playful and admiring — genuinely delighted rather than fearful or critical, with a childlike sense of marvel and occasional wit.

1. Dickinson uses the name "Boanerges," a biblical name meaning "sons of thunder," bestowed by Jesus upon two of his apostles, which elevates the train's whistle to an almost mythical or divine roar.

1. The "stable door" literally represents the train station. Symbolically, it suggests that despite the locomotive's enormous power, it is ultimately controlled — it returns home, domesticated by human will and schedule.

1. "Supercilious" means arrogantly superior or disdainful. It suits the train winding around elevated terrain because the locomotive, high above the human world below, appears to look down on the small communities it passes — embodying both physical height and implied dominance.

1. The comedic turn occurs when the train must squeeze through narrow rock cuts in the quarry, groaning and "complaining" the entire way. This evokes the real hissing, clanking, and groaning sounds of a steam engine under pressure, adding humor to the otherwise awe-struck portrait.

1. The comparison suggests that the railroad's timetable is as reliable and predictable as the movement of celestial bodies, implying that human industrial achievement can attain an order and dependability on par with nature itself.

1. The phrase captures the poem's central tension between the train's immense, unstoppable force and its complete submission to human control and scheduling. Dickinson views the machine as both magnificently powerful and fundamentally tame — something to admire rather than fear.

1. Calling the noise a "stanza" — a unit of poetry — deliberately links the mechanical rhythm of the engine to the rhythmic structure of the poem itself, implying that both poetry and machinery share a fundamental quality: organized, repeating pattern and beat.

1. Unlike peers who either celebrated the railroad as pure progress or mourned it as a threat to nature, Dickinson neither praises nor laments — she observes, animates, and marvels. This reveals her as a detached yet deeply engaged observer who finds the modern world worthy of poetic transformation rather than ideological judgment.