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"?

Nature is a spiritual teacher.

Paradise is both painful and sweet.

Pain reveals the deepest truths about life.

Poetry is superior to other genres of literature.
Question 2
Part B

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

Dickinson longs for visitors but has only poetry for company.

She compares poetry and prose to two homes, preferring the one with more doors and windows.

Dickinson observes that walls and roofs should be difficult to attack.

She describes paradise as a house with strong windows and thick walls.