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There is No Frigate like a Book by Emily Dickinson
This simple poem reveals Dickinson's fascination
with reading. To her, there is nothing quite
adventurous as a good book. She makes the case
that there is no means of transportation that can
take somebody "…lands away" (line
two) like a literary work. Dickinson goes on to
say that regardless of one's financial status,
they have the same ability to take "This
traverse…" (line five). In short,
Dickinson is fascinated and happy with the way
words can move a person. She views reading as a
gift to humans, a gift that is beyond wealth. To
her, the ability to read is the greatest gift of
all.
Dickinson makes a reference to some sort of
transportation in every other line. She does this
to juxtapose the places books take you with the
necessary physical means required to venture to
the same place. The poem is written in upbeat
manner, with the final four lines of the poem
providing an enjambment-like effect. This upbeat
style of writing coincides with the excitement
Dickinson feels that when reading about an
exciting event or something that awakens her
adventurous nature.
The theme of this poem is that the imagination,
spawned by a fascinating work of literature, is
better than any physical trip to the same
location because in the imagination, anything is
possible.
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