The theme of The Soul selects her own Society is that individuals in society often live in seclusion, only maintaining communication with a select few and how their decisions are generally incontrovertible. Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses an extended metaphor, stating that the soul physically "shuts the Door" and prevents any outsiders to enter. She continues to reinforce this idea of creating a barricade around the conscience with references to "Chariots" and "an Emperor" that pause at the "Gate" of her soul. This recurring motif that nothing ever penetrates the door once it is shut strengthens just how far people are willing to go to remain secluded from society. Dickinson puts a lot of emphasis on the rigidity of the "Gate" by stating that it is hard "Like Stone" and unbreakable.
Dickinson's uses explicit imagery to portray the firmness of barrier around her soul. Chariots are considered the most grandeur of transportation and Emperors are the most powerful of people, yet even these majestic things cannot sway the soul's defenses. It gives the reader an image of the soul rejecting even the most incredible objects. No amount of monetary objects or power may alter or affect the decisions made by the soul. The closed "Valves of her attention" isolates the mind and protects it from outside influence, however, these valves are "Like Stone". The soul blocks out change and the only way for change to occur is if the valve opens, but the soul's valve is like stone - solid and unchanging.
This poem is written with a voice of authority, almost like by a higher power. Rather than the door merely closing, the soul physically "shuts the Door" with a gesture of clear power. However, it is also interesting to note Dickinson's word choice. Unlike walls or other barriers, a door can be opened once closed. This signifies that individuals who isolate themselves have the ability to come out of their shell and change for the better. The idea of change also makes reappearance in the final stanza when Dickinson chose to use "Valves of her attention". Valves are like switches; they can be turned on and off at will. This flexibility is quickly followed by the phrase "Like Stone". Dickinson does this to remind readers of the original premise, which is that the decisions made by the soul are still firm and unyielding as ever, though change is possible. Dickinson also uses a paradox, referring to those selected individuals as the "divine Majority". The word "divine" refers to the most elite of individuals, who certainly do not comprise the "Majority" of the population. However, by claiming these chosen few are the majority, Dickinson notes the importance of these individuals to the person - that they mean the world.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
2. How does the soul react to the chariots and the emperor? 3. After the soul chooses one society, she sometimes does what? 4. What can you infer about the soul from the words shuts, unmoved, and close? 5. What does the language of the poem demonstrate about the poet? 6. What does the soul determine about a person? “This is my letter to the World” 7. What does the ending of “This is my letter to the World” reveal about the speaker? 8. What can you infer from the lines “Her Message is committed / To Hands I cannot see—”? 9. Which lines in “This is my letter to the World” relate to the poet’s reclusive nature? 10. What is the speaker referring to in “for love of Her—Sweet—countrymen—”? “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” 11. According to the speaker what is the nature of truth? 12. How does the speaker in say the truth should be revealed? 13. According to the speaker what is slant truth? 14. To what does Dickinson compare truth? “Success is counted sweetest” 15. According to the speaker what has been the experience of the people who value success the most? 16. What does the nectar symbolize? 17. Describe the tone of the poem. 18. What aspect of Dickinson’s own life might have she been commenting on in this poem? 19. Dickinson uses a straightforward, neutral tone to emphasize what fact from the speaker? 20. Which image appeals most strongly to the sense of sound?…
- 561 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In poetry, Dickinson is often fascinated by nature, death, pain, love and God. In her poems Dickinson often speaks elliptically. That said, when reading Dickinson's poems, we must dot the I's and cross the T's that we think are not L's. We must make our own interpretation because Emily would not have wanted us to interpret them at all. This is where the window is open to much criticism that maybe a pro or con to how others view Dickinson and her work. This is where we unknowingly hyperbolae words or phrases that should be litotilate.…
- 1484 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Dickinson's use of metaphors in this poem compares the traditional ways of religion and the church with a different perspective. She effectively compares nature with religion through her imagery. The comparisons between the lack of attendance at church has always been associated with not getting into Heaven, and Dickinson brings comfortable support for those that feel differently. The truest form of prayer and belief starts from within a person. Emily Dickinson confirms that with this brief but powerful…
- 79 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Imagery is Dickinson's main figurative tool in this poem. the idea that crumbling is progressive is supported by the last two lines of the first stanza, which state,…
- 512 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“This is my Letter to the World” reflects the apparent sense of isolation and seclusion that Dickinson feels as she abstains from the strict boundaries set by the social and the literary worlds during her era, thus hindering her from attaining a sense of belonging. Dickinson’s metaphoric “letter” symbolizes her body of work that is incongruous with the established standards demanded by…
- 1538 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In the poem "I Felt a Funeral in My Brain" Emily Dickinson exposes a person's intense anguish and suffering as they sink into a state of extreme madness. The poem is a carefully constructed analysis of the speaker's own mental experience. Dickinson uses the image of a funeral-service to symbolize the death of the speaker's sanity. Dickinson makes use of vivid imagery that builds in order to convey this abstract idea. One of the best examples is stanza three: “And then I heard them lift a box / And creak across my soul / With those same boots of lead / Then space began to toll” (9-12). At this point the speaker hears the coffin being lifted, being carried across her soul by the mourners, and then all reality seems to hang in suspension. Dickenson promotes the idea that at this point, there is something worse than death, which would be nothingness in her case. It is actually amazing how Dickenson is able to use one literary poetic element to better describe another element. When Dickenson states “Then space began to toll” (12), it's actually in theory opposite of an image itself, but perfectly describes this setting. Imagery is one of the few elements that Emily Dickensen illustrates through her poem.…
- 1001 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
In Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death”, the use of imagery helps clarify the theme that death is not an end but a passage way into eternity. In the first stanza imagery is used to show the reader that a carriage has stopped with death being the driver at her house, “Because I could not stop for Death-/ He kindly stopped for me” (1-2). Later as the speaker is in the carriage, she looks around outside of the carriage and…
- 1952 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
How strange that when inside a scenario very similar to the one she mourns for in “Contrasts”, Dickinson seems just as miserable. Therefore, one might conclude that her reclusive lifestyle was both her own private heaven and hell. She seems to crave joy and yet chooses to be melancholy. The choice of the word “abstinence” in the first poem seems to imply that she somewhat consciously denies herself the guilty pleasure of happiness, perhaps feeling it sinful to enjoy life when others, like the soldiers she mentions, are suffering. The words “stimulate” and “spices” contrast with her favor of the bland. This is similar to the juxtaposition of the warmth of the scene inside the open door to her lost plight outside in the second poem. Within the two descriptions of diametrically different experiences, both of which are encounters with others, one can simultaneously feel the heartache of Dickinson’s loneliness as well as her overwhelming desire to seek comfort in…
- 931 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
She appears to search for the universal truths and investigate the circumstances of the human condition: sense of life, immortality, God, faith, place of man in the universe. Emily Dickinson questions absolutes and her argumentation is multisided. The poetic technique that she uses involves making abstract concrete, which creates a striking imagery like that of a hand of the wind combing the Sky. One could perceive Emerson's transcendentalism's, influence in these poems but the profound difference here is that Emily Dickinson does not take a role of a prophet, redeemer and teacher of the world. Instead, hers is the lonely search for the truth; she dismisses conventional faith as the easiest way toward salvation. Self-analysis, self-discipline, and self-critique are the tools of her…
- 887 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
This is a calculated decision, designed to connect the reader to the poem on an emotional level. Dickinson must have realized that everyone has felt feelings of rejection and isolation, therefore she focused her writing to relate to the reader and speak to those personal experiences.…
- 665 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
A sense of belonging can be developed from one’s choice to cease interaction with their world, and instead to concentrate on the satisfying of personal desires. Through Dickinson’s poetry, she illustrates her resilience after experiences of rejection from society, and her aspiration to be accepted in posterity. In This is my letter to the world, this notion is conveyed when she incorporates a grieved, self-pitying tone when discussing “the world / that never wrote to me”. From the rejection that she has received in response to her desire for social recognition, Dickinson displays her lack of concern for society with the absence of any criticism or anger. Rather, she expresses an emotional determination to develop a stronger self-identity. In addition, the “hands I cannot see” act as symbolism for the degree of isolation that Dickinson feels from society. A sense of ambiguity is created as she emphasises a trust in her work to posterity, whilst also emphasising her choice to separate…
- 880 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The human desire for belonging can be nurtured or inhibited by an individual’s society. In her poem, “this is my letter to the world,” Dickinson not only reveals her desire to belong, but also the way that society has prevented her from achieving this. Dickinson accomplishes this effectively as she reflects her feelings through a “letter to the world.” Dickinson attempts to internalise the views of her society and, upon failing to do so, retreats further within herself where she finds a sense of belonging. The line “The simple news that Nature told, with tender majesty,” demonstrates Dickinson’s reverence for nature and the hope that people will be able to hear her message through it, which is personified as the mediator between Dickinson and her society. Within this poem, it is clear that Dickinson has a closer affinity to nature than she does with society. It is through nature that she is able to gain a sense of belonging, which is fundamental for human growth and development. Dickinson's messages are complex and profound but usually conveyed in simple language, which tends to create an enigmatic effect. In this poem, Dickinson uses metonymy to represent her society as “hands I cannot see.” This demonstrates her alienation with society and her need to simplify them into something she is able to comprehend. The last line makes a final appeal to the…
- 626 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Dickinson’s I died for beauty, but was scarce examines the struggle between opposing pressures of individuality as an artist and a search for acceptance through the persona’s attempt to acquire fulfilment after death. The persona’s introduction as an outsider due to a lack of conformity in society is clearly illustrated in the first line of the poem “I died for beauty, but was scarce” where “scarce” serves to emphasise the persona’s lack of recognition and acknowledgement while she was alive. The introduction of the secondary persona metaphorically juxtaposes this as “one who died for truth”, implying a difference between the two who are placed in “adjoining rooms” as an imagery of distance due to their differences, also showing the persona’s struggle with opposing pressures to reach out, yet building a wall when in fear of losing her individuality. An examination of the paradoxical nature of belonging that creates struggles is also evident through the persona’s death “for beauty” where beauty is a symbolisation for Dickinson’s art is perceived as a failure as she is questioned as to “why I failed?”, showing the view of her society where a lack of conformity is seen as a failure and illustrates her absence of belonging in society as a result of choosing to retain her…
- 1281 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Darkness is a recurring image in literature that evokes a universal unknown, yet is often entrenched in many meanings. A master poet, Emily Dickinson employs darkness as a metaphor many times throughout her poetry. In “We grow accustomed to the dark” (#428) she talks of the “newness” that awaits when we “fit our Vision to the Dark.” As enigmatic and shrouded in mystery as the dark she explores, Dickinson's poetry seems our only door to understanding the recluse. As she wrote to her friend T.W. Higginson on April 15, 1862, “the Mind is so near itself – it cannot see, distinctly”(Letters 253). In this musing, she acquiesces to a notion that man remains locked in an internal struggle with himself. This inner conflict is brought to light through a metaphorical darkness that pervades many of her poems. Evidenced by the sheer breadth of her poetry she penned throughout her life, it is clear Dickinson indulged and withdrew often into the inner realm of her own mind. The darkness is an interesting metaphor because it represents a dichotomy between an internal and external. Poem 428 illustrates both as the darkness acts as a barrier against understanding, while at the same time a limitless passage to potential knowledge.…
- 2202 Words
- 9 Pages
Better Essays -
Dickinson was a writer of 19th century who grows up in social disconnection from a youthful age. Her grip of the nature which go alone with her as she nurtured, isolated from the world, is gotten to the frontline this work.…
- 625 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays