“I like to see it lap the Miles” Summary

“I like to see it lap the Miles” Themes

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  The Wonder of Technology

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “I like to see it lap the Miles”

• Lines 1-2

  I like to see it lap the Miles —
  And lick the Valleys up —

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 3-5

  And stop to feed itself at Tanks —
  And then — prodigious step
  Around a Pile of Mountains —

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 6-7

  And supercilious peer
  In Shanties — by the sides of Roads —

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 8-12

  And then a Quarry pare
  To fit its sides
  And crawl between
  Complaining all the while
  In horrid — hooting stanza —

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-14

  Then chase itself down Hill —
  And neigh like Boanerges —

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 15-17

  Then — prompter than a Star
  Stop — docile and omnipotent
  At its own stable door —

  

  

  

  

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“I like to see it lap the Miles” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Anaphora

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Extended Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Simile

  

  

  

  

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“I like to see it lap the Miles” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Lap
• Tanks
• Prodigious
• Supercilious
• Peer
• Shanties
• Quarry
• Pare
• Boanerges
• Prompter
• Docile
• Omnipotent
• Stable

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “I like to see it lap the Miles”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“I like to see it lap the Miles” Speaker

“I like to see it lap the Miles” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “I like to see it lap the Miles”

More “I like to see it lap the Miles” Resources

• External Resources

  • In Our Time Podcast — Experts talk about Emily Dickinson's life and work on the BBC's In Our Time podcast/radio show.

  • Dickinson's Biography — A valuable Dickinson resource from the Poetry Foundation. 

  • A History of the Steam Train — A look at the story behind this much-loved mode of transport. 

  • The Dickinson Museum — The Emily Dickinson Museum, situated in the poet's old house, offers many resources for students.

  • A Dickinson Documentary — Watch a short educational film on Dickinson's life and poetry.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Emily Dickinson

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