A narrow Fellow in the Grass (1096)

The form of the poem matches its tone. The diction and syntax are sparse, reflecting the brevity of the moment in which the speaker catches a glimpse of the snake. The poem is written in Dickinson’s own version of Common Meter. Traditional Common Meter usually alternates between iambic tetrameter (eight-syllable lines of alternative stressed and unstressed syllables) and iambic trimeter (six-syllable lines); however, Dickinson alters this, alternating seven- and six-syllable lines instead. Her decision to reduce the amount of syllables highlights the rushed nature of each snake encounter and the breathlessness of the speaker.

One of Dickinson’s most idiosyncratic stylistic choices is her use of dashes. The dashes are interesting because they have a variety of sometimes opposing functions. They can be end-stop punctuation that divides thoughts or, conversely, bridges connecting ideas together. They are often rhetorical devices, used for conveying emphasis or instructing readers to take a breath; however, at the same time, the dashes also permit enjambment—or the lack of end-stop punctuation which hurries readers from one line to the next. In “A narrow Fellow in the Grass (1096),” the dashes reflect the fear and trembling of the speaker’s stunting, tight-chested breathing, making the experience of reading the poem more visceral.