By Group 2
Nichola, Ebony, Lucy, Isabel, Kristina, Janaya
Reading the Poem
A narrow fellow in the grass
Occasionally Rides.
You many have met him – did you not?
His notice sudden is.
The grass divides as with a comb,
A spotted shaft is seen,
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on.
He likes a boggy acre,
A floor too cool for corn;
Yet when a boy and barefoot,
I more then once at noon
Reading the Poem
Have passed, I thought, a whiplash
Unbraiding in the sun;
When, stooping to secure it,
It wrinkled and was gone.
Several of nature’s people
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality
But never met this fellow,
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing
And zero at the bone.
Context Overview
 The” narrow fellow” can be interpreted as a snake; this notorious creature
of nature is a long living symbol of treachery. As we know Dickinson is a
fond lover of nature, and expresses this throughout most of her literature.
The language and word choice from stanzas 3 – 6 shifts to words that come
across that the feeling towards the snake has changed. Its shifted from
being a fascinating creature, to be something impossible to love.
This is one of Dickinson’s riddle like poems, questions are raised such as
what appears to be and what is?
The poem also explores the notion of an infant male being "hidden" in the
grass, lines such as "you may have met him" and "did you not" invite the
reader to be told of how he moves. The infant becomes frightened and
uncertain of this creature that he thought once was a creature of no harm.
The imagery of the boy being "barefoot" gives a sense that he is innocent
and experiencing childhood imagination. It emphasises his sense of
comfort with nature and how he belongs to the natural word.
Structure
 A Narrow fellow in the grass is written in 6 stanzas
each with four lines per stanza. This is similar to a
folk/nursery rhyme, in it's repetition on rhythm and
beat.
“I more than once at noon”
While these lines follow the basic meter of the poem,
they produce a choppy affect because they are endstopped lines. This structure expresses the
disjointed form of thought produced by Dickinson and
the persona.
Language Techniques
 In poem '127' Dickinson uses a variety of language techniques to
portray meaning. The use of "fellow" throughout the poem is colloquial
language, which is a form of not formal language, which indicates a
connection between the persona and the snake. The snake is also
personified throughout the poem with constant reference to "him" and
"his" also showing the connection the persona feels to the snake, the
creatures of nature are also referred to as "natures people" another use
of personification to show the connection and perhaps sense of
belonging the persona feels towards nature. Onomatopoeia is also used
in poem "127" with the repetition of "s" used to mime the sound of the
snake; this is evident in the line "a spotted shaft is seen" and in most
stanzas of the poem. However, Dickinson also uses fear in the last
stanza to show a ambiguous feeling towards nature with the lines
"tightened breathing" and "zero at the bone" a recognition of death in
nature, and that sometimes a connection cannot be made.
Significant Quotes
 - A narrow fellow in the grass
imagery, used to give the reader an image in their mind of the content
of the poem (snake)
- The grass divides as with a comb
gives the reader an understanding about the snake, how it moves,
provides greater depth and understanding on the subject for the reader
- Unbraiding in the sun
describes the snakes nature
- Without a tighter breathing
describes the feeling of fear that the persona experiences, explores the
persona's emotions
- I know, and they know me
this quote shows that the speaker feels at one with the other presences
in the poem, and enjoys the feelings of belonging to them and the
reciprocity of their relationship
Key Ideas on Belonging
 Poem reflects a strong sense of connection to nature, depicted by the




environment (the field).
Stanza 5 also reinforces persona's familiarity with her surroundings,
thus demonstrating her sense of "belonging" with nature
Sense of fear towards the "snake" conflicting with her love of nature,
thus contradicting with her sense of identity
Also, it is suggested that there is a sense of connection with the
persona, and others who share a common fear of snakes. Providing a
small sense of connection to others
Alternatively, the snake in this poem is symbolic, representing
irrational fears in all people. This anthropomorphism not only
describes the nature of irrational fears, but also emphasises the
mystery surrounding the nature of our fears. The common behaviour of
people's fear creates a sense of connectedness between people, as they
all share common reactions
Links to Other Poems
 Dickinson’s poem, “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass”, can be said to be a
comparison piece to another one of her famous poems called “Nature
the Gentlest Mother”. Whilst “A Narrow Fellow” portrays the fierce and
threatening side of nature through the fear of being confronted by the
snake, the other poem, “Nature the Gentlest Mother”, looks at all
aspects of nature as being sweet and nice, whether it be a gentle
flowing river or Hurricane Katrina.
 She shows this fear when speaking of seeing the snake as a sudden
shock, a “whip-lash”, and only ever refers to it through the use of
similes and metaphors, as though the creature is too horrible to
actually speak about.
 The structure of, not only these two poems, but in fact many of
Dickinson’s poems, is a very noticeably clear aspect that links them
together. Many of her poems, including: A Narrow Fellow”, “A Long
Long Sleep”, “Nature the Gentlest Mother” and many others portray
these structural similarities in their rhyming patterns, rhythm and the
amount and lengths of the lines in each of their stanzas.
Our Opinions On The Poem
 Ebony - The poem, to me only highlights dickinsons sense of
belonging to nature and often the fear that comes with
belonging. In most of her poems, we gain the understanding that
she feels at one with nature and she feels that, that is where she
belongs. The poem is very disguised and does not highlight to
the reader that its about a snake, or young boy imagining a
snake. I didnt really enjoy the poem.
 Lucy - I personally really didn’t like this poem upon first
reading, and since studying it and analysing it a bit more in
detail, I still don’t like it. It is overly cryptic and this makes it
hard for the reader to make a connection with both the poet and
the poets words/meaning. It does a good job of showing a sense
of belonging between the boy and nature but that’s about it.
Our Opinions On The Poem
 Nichola – This poem is difficult to understand and analyse due to
its cryptic nature and disjointed phrases. Although it does
portray Emily Dickinson’s key ideas on belonging , feelings of
isolation and connectedness with nature. I did not enjoy this
poem. It was hard.
 Isabel - I think this poem accurately portrays emotions
associated with irrational fears. The persona is displays obvious
respect for the object of her fear (in this case, the snake) as she
feels most comfortable surrounded by nature. Her use of
imagery to describe of the effects of an irrational fear (without a
tighter breathing and zero at the bone) allow the reader to
experience these feelings themselves. Overall, I think the poem
is intriguing, however much of the poems meaning remains
overly cryptic, which results in over analysis by others which I
think, dilutes the actual meaning of the poem.