How does Emily Dickinson use imagery in these lines from Musicians Wrestle Everywhere to paint a vivid picture of the sounds she hears around her?

MUSICIANS wrestle everywhere:
All day, among the crowded air,
I hear the silver strife;

A)by describing the strife as silver she implies that she hears mostly silver colored instruments

B)by describing the wrestling musicians she lets us know the musicians are not playing music, but fighting among themselves and this is what she hears

C)all three lines imply that it is very quiet where she is standing

D)by describing the air as crowded she implies there is a lot of noise around her

A

And silver has value, so she values the music she hears in nature. I think you are correct.

To understand how Emily Dickinson uses imagery in these lines, we need to analyze the text and consider the possible meanings behind the images she presents. The question asks how the imagery creates a vivid picture of the sounds around her.

Let's break it down:

Line 1: "Musicians wrestle everywhere" - This line sets the scene by introducing the idea of musicians wrestling. We can interpret this as a metaphor for the clash or interaction of different musical sounds.

Line 2: "All day, among the crowded air" - Here, Dickinson uses the image of crowded air to convey a sense of bustling activity and a multitude of sounds. This implies that there is a lot of noise around her.

Line 3: "I hear the silver strife" - The phrase "silver strife" introduces a sense of musicality and creates a vivid sonic image by associating the wrestling sounds with the color silver. It implies that the instruments producing the sounds are silver-colored and perhaps high-pitched or metallic in nature.

Based on this analysis, the correct answer would be D) by describing the air as crowded, she implies there is a lot of noise around her. This is because the phrase "crowded air" suggests a busy and loud atmosphere, contributing to the vividness of the sounds she hears.