"I taste a liquor never brewed"

“I taste a liquor never brewed” by Emily Dickinson

Extended Metaphor

“I taste a liquor never brewed” is an extended metaphor and it compares being drunk to being drunk of nature. We know that the speaker is not literally drinking beer because the title, “liquor never brewed.” “Not all the Vats upon the Rhine Yield such an Alcohol!” (Dickinson, 797). The Rhine river is known as a location where grapes for wine are grown and alcohol is fermented. The speaker saying that the best alcohol does not compare to nature conveys the truly amazing feeling of being surrounded by nature. The comparison towards nature is revealed through the diction of a “drunken Bee,” “Foxgloves,” and “Butterflies.” Since the extended metaphor is comparing being drunk to nature, “Molten Blue” and “Pearl” represent the blue sky and fluffy clouds. “Till Seraphs… and Saints—to windows run—to see the little Tippler Leaning against the—Sun,” (Dickinson, 797). This excerpt shows the amused and happy reaction of the Seraphs and saints to this person drunk with nature.  The person drunk with nature “leaning against the sun” further emphasizes the comparison to nature and relates back to the idea of drunks not being able to stand up straight.