summary of poem a narrow fellow in the grass
Answers
In the opening quatrain, Dickinson cleverly disguises the subject of the poem, a snake. This creature sounds harmless enough as it is introduced in line one. The term “narrow Fellow” is a nice use of colloquial language, “narrow,” meaning small in width as compared to length, and “fellow” being a familiar term for a man or a boy, with an undertone that suggests commonness. The choice of the word “rides” is also interesting because it sounds like “glides” and “writhes” but gives the impression that the snake is being carried, or that it is floating along. In addition, the word can also mean torment, harass, or tease, and this definition fits the snake’s reputation as a sly tempter. The speaker goes on to ask readers if they, too, have ever encountered snakes, noting that these “narrow fellows” always seem to take people by surprise.
This second quatrain vividly describes the way a snake moves through tall grass. In line one, the grass is compared to hair and the snake to a comb moving through it. In line two, only part of the snake is seen, “a spotted shaft.” The snake is long, slender, and marked with spots, and it is quickly glimpsed as it passes at the speaker’s feet. After the flash of snake, the grass closes up and then is “combed” apart again as the snake moves on. There is something invisible, or ghost-like, in the way the snake slithers along, for the creature is mostly unseen but evidently there.
The snake likes “boggy,” or wet and marshy, land. Corn grows best in hot, dry soil, so the snake’s favourite environment is not suitable for growing corn. The speaker goes on to reminisce about one of many childhood encounters with a snake during a morning walk. The speaker’s detail about being barefooted is particularly provocative, for the thought of a snake slithering across one’s naked extremities would make most people cringe.
Answer:
hope it will help you mark as brainlist please
