I like to see it lap the Miles: Structure & Language Techniques

Structure and Language Techniques for “I Like to See it Lap the Miles”

Use of Personification:

The poem treats the train as a living creature, giving it animalistic attributes.
Phrases like “lap the Miles” and “lick the Valleys up” suggest the train being portrayed as a creature drinking its way across the landscape.

Metaphor and Imagery:

Dickinson uses striking imagery to make abstract concepts more concrete.
She likens the movement of the train to various natural phenomenon, such as a horse (“like a horse”) or a creature feeding (“superb around a curve”).

Rhyme and Rhythm:

The poem has a distinct rhyme scheme of ABCB, creating a rhythm that mirrors the train’s movements.
Use of rhythm is essential in poetry and can be seen in particular with the iambic tetrameter in the poem.

Use of Assonance:

The repetition of vowel sounds (“lap the Miles”, “lick the Valleys up”) gives the poem a musical quality.

Binary Oppositions:

There is a constant juxtaposition between natural and artificial elements in the poem.
One can see this binary opposition between the train and the landscapes it passes.

Remember to examine both the content and the form of the poem, as well as consider how these various techniques contribute to the overall theme and narrative of the poem.