1. “If you were coming in the Fall”
- Dickinson

2. Group Questions
Summarize the poem. How does the speaker feel about the situation they are in?
What figure of speech is being used in the first stanza? Describe the comparison taking place.
How do “brush by” and “spurn” reveal the speakers feelings in the 1st stanza?
What is being compared in the second stanza?
Paraphrase the third stanza. (Van Dieman’s Land = also refers to those places on the globe farthest away from the U.S.)
Define tone. How would you describe the speaker’s tone in stanza’s 1-4. How does the tone change in the fifth stanza?
Explain lines
In the fifth stanza, a Goblin is a tormenting creature. What might Dickinson be suggesting when she says that the bee is a goblin and will not “state” its sting?

3. Poem Vocab. Tone = author’s attitude toward subjects, characters, etc.
Tone of each stanza + evidence:
Divide the front of your paper into 6 squares. Title each square using the following: stanza 1, stanza 2, stanza 3, stanza 4, stanza 5, and overall.
Choose an adjective to describe the tone of each stanza. Write that tone in the appropriate square for stanzas 1-5.
List evidence from each stanza to support the tones you choose. Just listing line numbers is NOT appropriate.
In the 6th square, describe the tone of the poem overall. Explain what evidence from the poem led you to choose this tone. Just listing line numbers is again NOT appropriate.