The wind tapped like a tired man,
And like a host, "Come in,"
I boldly answered; entered then
My residence within
A rapid, footless guest,
To offer whom a chair
Were as impossible as hand
A sofa to the air.
No bone had he to bind him,
His speech was like the push
Of numerous humming-birds at once
From a superior bush.
His countenance a billow,
His fingers, if he pass,
Let go a music, as of tunes
Blown tremulous in glass.
He visited, still flitting;
Then, like a timid man,
Again he tapped—'t was flurriedly—
Dickinson’s use of figurative language in this poem expresses the idea that
A. the speaker is worried about the wind’s damaging power.
B. the speaker is frightened by the wind’s ghostlike appearance.
C. the speaker dislikes visits from unwanted guests.
D. the speaker enjoys this unexpected visit from the wind.
To determine the answer to this question, we need to analyze the figurative language used in the poem. Dickinson describes the wind as tapping "like a tired man" and likens it to a host inviting someone in. This suggests that the speaker is welcoming the wind. Additionally, the wind is described as a "rapid, footless guest" and its countenance is compared to a billow. These descriptions create a sense of beauty and awe rather than fear or worry.
Therefore, the correct answer is D. the speaker enjoys this unexpected visit from the wind.