At the time the poem was written, in 1862 or thereabouts, restrictions on sexual expression would have been severe, especially within the Dickinson household, where father Edward and mother Emily kept tight reins on family affairs.

Connecting to this poem on a personal level, I do feel Wild nights – Wild nights!’ shows what a very passionate poet and how open Dickinson can be. While I was reading this poem, I felt drawn in by this poem immediately and almost in a way "shocked" after a few rounds of close readings.

Reading this poem once again, I wonder if this poem is hypothetical, it expresses wish or desire, or is she currently enjoying this kind of pleasure? This idea originates from the line ‘were I with you’ (that is, if I were with you) and ‘might I but.’ I wonder if the author is remembering past pleasures or yearning for more?

Is this the same "thee" as in the 'thee" in line 2?

Citations:

Lilia Mela. “Emily Dickinson Poem.” Index of /poems. Brooklyn College academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu.english (2010), 2010. http://amerlit.com/poems/.

“Emily Dickinson-Love.” Wild nights! wild nights! Accessed October 12, 2022. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/wild.html.

“Dickinson's ‘Wild Nights.’” Taylor & Francis. Accessed October 12, 2022. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00144940.1993.9937987?journalCode=vexp20.

It is interesting to note that at the time the poem was written, in 1862, restrictions on sexual expression is severe, especially within the Dickinson household. Because Emily's father Edward and mother Emily all kept tight reins on family affairs. They were very traditional parents, giving Emily's love mystery throughout her life, it makes the poem more significant and "mysterious."

In the historical context, interestingly, when the poem was first published in an 1891 collection of Dickinson's work. The publisher worried that the poem's eroticism might shock the general public and it took a while to be published.

The reference to Eden, or paradise, only confirms these hints provided by the dashes: the narrator is caught up in the passion of lust. The vibrant pounding of “Ah” was strengthened with a dash following it, as an explosion in the loop of pleasure that our body is exposed to during sex. The dash between “ah” and “the sea” also works to emphasize the author’s pulse before admiring the sea, showing the pounding of excitement in her to see the force of the sea--both for better and for worse. This emphasizes the fact that sex for women can be both painful and enjoyable, an idea which the poem circles back to with the “Ah” indicating a feeling that could be a mix of pleasure and pain.

Examining the phrase, “Done with the Compass-/ Done with the Chart!” (7,8), with a dash emphasizing the word “compass,” allows readers to see how the phrasing validates more of her desire and willingness to allow whatever happens to happen.

Dashes before and after the word “tonight” not only stress the word “moor” but also “tonight.” The word moor is understood as wildness in the natural world; the power of the word releases into the atmosphere, with the assumption of privacy and energy that all add together to build up to the climax of the physical relationship.

Moving further into the poem, more movements surface, but not in the form of waves. This is shown in the lines, “Rowing in Eden - / Ah - the Sea!/ Might I buy a moor - tonight - / In thee!” (lines 9-12). During this final stanza, the dashes intensify the poem, as readers hear a natural hush take place after each dash, comparable to the dead silence before a storm. In contrast to the passionate word choices which highlight the vigorous emotions and physicality of love, the simplicity yet the power of the dashes is their work to embody the thrusting motions of intercourse. Dashes before and after the word “tonight” not only stress the word “moor” but also “tonight.” The word moor is understood as wildness in the natural world; the power of the word releases into the atmosphere, with the assumption of privacy and energy that all add together to build up to the climax of the physical relationship.

While I was close reading into the dashes, I have found the eight dashes in Emily Dickinson’s poem “Wild nights - Wild nights!” possess different functions, yet they all work toward one purpose: to intensify emotions for readers. While reading the poem aloud, the dashes naturally shape the reader’s tones to reflect the rocking pattern of a boat in the stormy ocean. The boat is being pushed up and down in the gigantic waves, which can be heard rhythmically in the lines: “Futile - the winds - / To a Heart in port -” (lines 5,6) The dash following “port” simplifies the meaning of the metaphor in the line, allowing the reader time to ponder the metaphor’s meaning: the author herself is a boat sailing in the ocean, while her heart belongs to the port.

To me, this is one of the most interesting poem Emily Dickinson wrote. This poem is especially Unlike other punctuations, dashes in Emily Dickinson's poem serve to connect, rather than to separate. They not only connect words in a text but also connect our emotions, and especially seen in this poem. In Emily Dickinson’s poems, “Wild nights-Wild nights!” The dashes help readers experience emotions more fully. Dashes in Emily Dickinson’s poems work to break down the syntax while also simplifying the poem’s ideas, heightening the emotions expressed and thereby heightening those experienced by the reader.

I think this is a scene commonly seen in science fiction movies or thriller/horror movies.

I wonder if this is similar to the colors used earlier in the text, the color corresponds to the plans?

From the description, it almost has "cartoon vibes" while describing these large color blocks as apartments."

Bold colors. It pops out in the aticle.

This entire description seems like something is distorted. The ratio is off and everything is twisted in the narrator's vision. I wonder how this sets the pace for the rest of the article.