We Grow Accustomed to the Dark by Emily Dickinson 1 We grow accustomed to the Dark
When light is put away
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye
5 A Moment -- We uncertain step
For newness of the night
Then -- fit our Vision to the Dark
And meet the Road -- erect
And so of larger -- Darkness
10 Those Evenings of the Brain
When not a Moon disclose a sign
Or Star -- come out -- within
The Bravest -- grope a little
And sometimes hit a Tree
15 Directly in the Forehead
But as they learn to see
Either the Darkness alters
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight
20 And Life steps almost straight.
How does the word choice in stanzas 4-5 affect the tone of the poem?

A.
The phrase “hit a tree” makes the tone even more serious and tragic as the speaker considers the pain that darkness causes.

B.
The phrase “learn to see” shifts the tone from gloomy to more joyful when the speaker realizes that darkness initiates a learning process.

C.
The words “learn” and “Adjusts” shift the tone from uncertain to hopeful as the speaker affirms the ability for people to withstand difficulty.

D.
The words “Either” and “alters” make the tone even more mysterious as the speaker reveals the disorienting effect that darkness can have.