Emily Dickinson-443
I tie my Hat—I crease my Shawl—
Life's little duties do—precisely—
As the very least
Were infinite--to me—
In the first four lines of Dickinson's 443, she references simple everday objects and how she interacts with them. Her punctuation emphasizes her assertion that she is doing each action "precisely." The everday actions that she does are simple and seemingly ordinary. They are "life's little duties" and seemingly overlooked as unimportant. However, Dickinson expresses at the end of the poem her intention in such precise attention to tiny details.
Therefore—we do life's labor—
Though life's Reward—be done—
With scrupulous exactness—
To hold our Senses—on—
The use of the dashes, again, insists on a measured and slowed reading. Each exact detail of her final message is set off. "We do life's labor" and "be done" as well as "To hold our Senses." Dickinson draws out the reason for her descriptions with careful diction that tells the reader that the ordinary everyday and boring actions of life are what we measure time in. These are the details that measure our life. The human life is measured in countless day to day and seemingly meaningless or tedious actions. For Dickinson, life is a series of tedious duties, but duties that also tether you to this life.