Emily Dickinson uses several literary devices in this poem to give it form and meaning. A few important literary devices Dickinson uses in “There is no Frigate like a Book” are simile, overstatement, imagery, and connotation. First, Dickinson uses the literary devices simile and overstatement. The similes Dickinson uses help the reader better understand what she was thinking when she was choosing her words for the poem. The words “Frigate like a Book” (1) help the reader understand that a book, though small in size, is capable or delivering vast amounts of knowledge.
Since one does not usually move anywhere while he or she reads a book, the statement “Coursers like a Page” (3) helps the reader understand that a page in a book or poem actually moves one along mentally. Next, the overstatements in Dickinson’s poem are important literary devices. In the overstatement “To take us Lands away” (2), Dickinson does not actually mean that a book carries one to another place as a vehicle does.
The overstatement is actually referring to the way one’s mind imagines being in a different place when reading a book. Second, the imagery Dickinson uses in “There is no Firgate like a Book” is an important literary device. Imagery, while connecting with one’s senses, helps the reader grasp more feeling about what he or she is reading. For example, Dickinson’s words “Coursers like a Page” (3) help the reader feel that he or she is actually moving with the pages in a book or poem.
In another example, the words “prancing Poetry” (4) help the reader imagine himself dancing and jumping through each line of the poetry he reads. Also, imagery helps the reader to imagine himself in certain situations. Also, one can imagine a scene better when he can visualize his surroundings. For these reasons, the imagery Dickinson uses in “There is no Frigate like a Book” is important. Finally, the connotations Dickinson uses in “There is no Frigate like a Book” is important.
When Dickinson writes, “Frigate like a Book” (1), she is actually telling the reader that a book is an enormous transportation vessel, and that it is capable of moving information into the human mind the same way a giant ship transports people and goods across vast oceans. Next, Dickinson chooses to paint a certain picture in her reader’s head. For instance, she writes, “How frugal is the Chariot” (7) to suggest that a book is a cheap way to move one’s body to another place.
Dickinson uses literary devices such as simile, overstatement, imagery, and connotation in her poem “There is no Frigate like a Book. ” She uses similes and overstatement to give her reader a better understanding of what she was thinking when she wrote. Dickinson uses imagery to help the reader imagine how important a book can be. She uses connotations to make sure the reader understands that a book has much value to its reader. Dickinson carefully uses literary devices so the reader will understand what she means when she writes.
