4 February 19 Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886)

About a month ago, we watched A Quiet Passion, the story of Emily Dickinson’s life, concentrating on her mid-to-later years. I’ve been thinking about her and her passion ever since. Emily who? you ask? That’s right, nearly everyone in the country knows her name and that she wrote a lot of poetry. That kind of wide recognition says quite a bit for a woman who rarely left her home for most of her life. Why is she so well known? Most likely, the quantity of answers to that question equals the number of persons who study her work.

I humbly dare to observe that one of her supreme talents was her ability to capture meaningful concepts through seemingly simple images and in a minimum of verse lines. Most of her nearly 1,800 poems do not have titles – only ten, in fact, carry one. Many of her works run less than a dozen lines long. Yes, unconventional now, as then.

The relative simplicity of Dickinson’s poems often gives the reader the impression that “nothing is there.” This is almost always a false impression. In reading her, a second, third, or even tenth time is often necessary to “crack her code.” You may want to try this with one or more of the poems that follow. Similarly, a suboptimal approach to her verse is to try to make it about her life. Yes, she wrote about the familiar; however, her themes and opinions are much deeper. Many people reading any genre inevitably try to find how the author reveals a personal self. A much more productive approach is to simply brush any thoughts of the author’s biography aside and experience the work on its own merit.

Another beneficial approach to her work is to read her poetry aloud. This approach is true for all poetry which has an ancient oral tradition, and Dickinson’s work is no exception. Try it and see the differences in your sense of the poem.

Please enjoy these poems written by one of the genre’s true masters.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314)

    “Hope” is the thing with feathers -

     That perches in the soul -

     And sings the tune without the words -

     And never stops - at all -

     And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

     And sore must be the storm -

     That could abash the little Bird

     That kept so many warm -

     I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

     And on the strangest Sea -

     Yet - never - in Extremity,

     It asked a crumb - of me.

 Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999)

Tell all the truth but tell it slant — (1263)

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson Edited by R. W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999)

In this short Life that only lasts an hour (1292) 

In this short Life that only lasts an hour

How much - how little - is within our power

Because I could not stop for Death (479) 

Because I could not stop for Death – 

He kindly stopped for me –  

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –  

And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility – 

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –  

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –  

We passed the Setting Sun – 

Or rather – He passed us – 

The Dews drew quivering and chill – 

For only Gossamer, my Gown – 

My Tippet – only Tulle – 

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground – 

The Roof was scarcely visible – 

The Cornice – in the Ground – 

Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads 

Were toward Eternity – 

Source: The Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by R.W. Franklin (Harvard University Press, 1999)

Background

Dickenson wrote about familiar things which caught her attention; this may be one reason for her accessibility: the common experience most human beings share with the “little things” that make up our lives, including the natural world, our sense of self, and not least, the common end we all come to. She also had a lively sense of humor, a quality generally appreciated. Another significant talent she exercised was exploring abstract concepts using highly descriptive images. This is a hallmark of fine poetry; that is, being able to make the intangible accessible through the lens of familiar persons, places, and things. Among other characteristics of her poetry, it appears that she experimented with rhyme and meter (typically using the iamb), and with rhymes that feel slightly off – near-rhymes, technically called “slant rhymes.” Unconventional grammar, including punctuation surprises, also highlight her creativity. Perhaps her greatest gift was her capacity for choosing the exactly “right” words to express her observations and philosophies.

Exploration 1: Do you find Dickinson’s poetry overly simplistic? When you read one of her poems, do you get the impression that there is a single meaning or multiple possibilities?

Exploration 2: Born in 1830, historically, Dickinson was not alive to see any of the rise of women in society. What implications does this have for her? For you?

Exploration 3: Dickinson’s work ranged from the upbeat and hopeful to the inevitability of death. Do you find it plausible that one poet could write in such a brought spectrum? If no, say why. If yes, explain how you think she manages it.