I Cannot Live with You by Emily Dickinson Questions and Answers

I Cannot Live with You by Emily Dickinson Questions and Answers

1. “And Life is over there-

Behind the Shelf-”

What is the source of the line? What is meant by the phrase ‘Behind the Shelf”?

Ans. The line is from Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You. Here the speaker, a woman, denies to live with her lover, though the life with him will life, but to her it will be inaccessible and a pent up life.

1. When was the poem I Cannot Live with You published? What does the poem deal with?

Ans. The poem I Cannot Live with You was published in 1890. It deals with the denial of the speaker to live a passive life with her lover, and also not to have her right to die, to rise, to be judged and to be condemned with him.

2. I cannot live with You- Why does the speaker say this?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the speaker, a woman, says this as she thinks that the life would be passive and pent up in that case.

3. “Our Life- His Porcelain”

What is referred to as ‘Our life’? Who is referred to as ‘His’ here”?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the conjugal life of the speaker and her lover is referred to as ‘Our life’. Here the Sexton, a metaphor of God Himself, is referred to as ‘His’.

4. Quaint – or Broke –

A newer Sevres pleases – What is meant in this line?

Ans. In this line, from Emily Dickinson’s poem Spring I Cannot Live with You, the futile, uncertain and unconfident and passive life of the speaker is described with bitterness through these lines.

5. Who is a Sexton? What is the literal meaning of ‘Serves’?

Ans. A Sexton is a church official whose duties include maintaining church property, digging graves, ringing the church bells.

‘Serves’ refers to a type of fine porcelain characterized by elaborate decoration on backgrounds of intense colour, made at Serves in the suburbs of Paris.

6. “I could not die – with You”- Why does the speaker say this?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the speaker denies to die with her lover as none of them can see the other to die.

7. And see You – freeze- What is meant by the word ‘freeze’?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the poetess refers to ‘death’ by the word ‘freeze’.

8. “Without my Right of Frost”- What does the line signify?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the speaker denies to be a part of her lover’s life without her right to share death with him.

9. What is meant by the phrase ‘Death’s privilege’?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the phrase ‘Death’s privilege’ refers to the speaker’s freedom to chose death according to her own wish.

10. “Nor could I rise – with You”- What is meant by ‘rise’?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the word ‘rise’ refers to resurrection of the soul.

11. “Nor could I rise – with You” – What does the speaker mean here?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the speaker denies her resurrection together with her lover as she might violate the religious faith by regarding the Grace of love’s face brighter than that of Jesus.

12. What is meant by ‘that White Sustenance”?

Ans. In Emily Dickinson’s poem I Cannot Live with You, the despair to live in permanent separation from the beloved is referred to as ‘that White Sustenance’.

13. “I cannot live with you”-Who is referred to as “You” here?

Ans. The poet’s beloved is referred to as “You” in the quoted line.

14. Who is addressed to in the poem I Cannot Live with You?

Ans. The poet’s beloved is addressed to in the poem I Cannot Live with You.

15. What does the poet mean by “Behind the Shelf”?

Ans. The poet means locked by “Behind the Shelf.”

16. What is locked behind the shelf?

Ans. The poet’s life, and the lives of human beings in general, are locked behind the shelf as the showpieces.

17. What is compared to life in the second stanza of the poem I Cannot Live with You?

Ans. Porcelain is compared to life in the second stanza of the poem I Cannot Live with You.

18. What does Sexton literally mean?

Ans. Sexton is an officer of a church who is responsible for the care and upkeep of church property and sometimes for ringing bells and dig- ging graves.

19. What does Sexton stand for in the poem?

Ans. In the poem, I Cannot Live with You, Sexton stands for religious authority, or the religion itself, or God who restricts human life with religious duties and rules.

20. What does the Sexton do to Porcelain?

Ans. Serves is a French town famous for fine porcelain.

21. I could not die-with You-Why cannot the poet die with her beloved?

Ans. The poet and her beloved cannot die together because one has to wait for a natural death and other’s death.

22. One must wait-What for should one wait?

Ans. One should wait for other’s (his/her beloved’s) death.

23. What does the cup mean in the poem I Cannot Live with You?

Ans. The cup symbolises human life in the poem.

24. Why cannot the poet live with her beloved?

Ans. The poet cannot live with her beloved she does not want a life bound by restrictions from religion.

25. Find two images in the poem symbolise death.

Ans. In the poem, we find “freeze” and “frost” that stand for death.

26. What does freeze symbolise?

Ans. Freeze symbolises death here.

27. What does frost symbolise?

Ans. Frost symbolises death here.

28. “my Right of Frost”-What does the speaker mean here?

Ans. The speaker means her right to death by “my Right of Frost”.

29. “Death’s privilege”-What does the poet mean here?

Ans. The poet means that death is an advantage or a desirable state to her.

30. “Nor could I rise-with You”-What does the word rise mean in this line?

Ans. The word rise means resurrection here. The word alludes to the resur- rection of Lazarus whom Jesus raised after his death.

31. “Nor could I rise-with You”-Why can’t the poet rise with her beloved?

Ans. The poet cannot rise with her beloved because his face is so graceful that it would obscure the face of Jesus. Thus she would not be able to see paradise.

32. What would deprive the poet from seeing the face of Jesus?

Ans. Her beloved’s face would deprive her from seeing the face of Jesus.

33. Why would the beloved’s face deprive the poet from seeing the face of Jesus?

Ans. Her beloved’s face is so graceful that it would obscure the face of Jesus.

34. What is considered as the “New Grace” in the poem I Cannot Live with You?

Ans. The beloved’s face is considered to the New Grace to the poet, as such she would not look for any other Grace in Heaven.

35. Why would the poet be homesick in Heaven?

Ans. The poet would be homesick unless her beloved were near her.

36. Which land is called foreign in I Cannot Live with You?

Ans. Heaven is called the foreign land in I Cannot Live with You.

37. What is “sordid excellence”?

Ans. The poet describes Paradise as sordid or dirty. The Paradise is of excellence for its bliss, delight and peace. But it is sordid to the poet in comparison to the joys of her relationship with her beloved. That is why Paradise is called sordid and excellent at the same time.

38. Why is Paradise called “sordid excellence”?

Ans. The Paradise is of excellence for its bliss, delight and peace. But it is sordid to the poet in comparison to the joys of her relationship with her beloved. That is why Paradise is called sordid and excellent at the same time.

39. Name the figure of speech in the phrase “sordid excellence.”

Ans. The phrase “sordid excellence” is an example of oxymoron.

40. How does the poet finally decide to meet her beloved?

Ans. The poet finally decides to meet her beloved leaving a distance between them with just a door ajar.

41. Define Hell according to Emily Dickinson as you find in I Cannot Live with You.

Ans. Hell is not a specific place for Emily Dickinson. It is rather a state-a state for her without her beloved.

42. What does Ocean signify in the poem?

Ans. Ocean signifies great distance in this poem.

43. What does the poet finally find for making love?

Ans. The poet finally finds despair at last for making love.

44. Why is Prayer significant here?

Ans. ‘Prayer’ is a way of ‘meeting’ God but at the same time, it reminds us of a separation that spans from heaven to earth. Thus the poet compares this relationship to the relationship between a submissive and God.

45. Which glory is more desirable to Emily Dickinson as we find in the poem I Cannot Live with You?

Ans. As we find in the poem I Cannot Live with You the joys of the poet’s relationship with her beloved is more desirable that the glory of Paradise.

46. What is called White Sustenance?

Ans. The final way of making love, that is, despair, is called White Sustenance.

47. Why does the poet consider Sustenance as white though ultimately it calls on despair?

Ans. For the poet, sustenance is despair here. But it is not painted black rather it white as it the ultimate expression of love.

Somnath Sarkar

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