Read the poem.

I Dwell In Possibility

by Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility –
A fairer House than Prose –
More numerous of Windows –
Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –
Impregnable of eye –
And for an everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –
For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –


Question 1

Part A

What is a key theme of "I Dwell in Possibility"?

Just a small amount of interaction can sustain life.

People can handle isolation only in small doses.

Imagination is a powerful force of creativity.

Pent-up feelings can be deadly to the soul.

Question 2

Part B

How does Emily Dickinson develop the theme indicated in Part A?

Dickinson views her hands as narrow and weak.

She compares prose to a house with many windows and doors.

She only occasionally visits the "house" of poetry.

Dickinson compares the "roof" of poetry to the limitless sky.