A Little Dog That Wags His Tail
A Little Dog That Wags His Tail - meaning Summary
Playful Modest Contentment
Dickinson uses small animal and child images to map different kinds of lives. She likens herself to a little dog and a boy who find spontaneous, uncomplicated joy. The cat and mouse represent indifference and predatory habit, while a final group embodies muted, passive existence that avoids attention. The poem contrasts instinctive pleasure with quieter, constrained lives, inviting readers to consider varieties of being and emotional tone.
Read Complete AnalysesA little Dog that wags his tail And knows no other joy Of such a little Dog am I Reminded by a Boy Who gambols all the living Day Without an earthly cause Because he is a little Boy I honestly suppose – The Cat that in the Corner dwells Her martial Day forgot The Mouse but a Tradition now Of her desireless Lot Another class remind me Who neither please nor play But not to make a ‘bit of noise’ Beseech each little Boy –
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