Emily Dickinson Tell All The Truth Meaning

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was born to a well-to-do New England religious family on December 18,1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. She soon began to take up poetry to speak about her life and how she views society. Her following poems “Apparently with no surprise”, “Tell all the truth but tell it slant”, and “Success is counted sweetest” are all philosophical poems. These three poems depict death, truth, and fame and success. Her work on these poems can still be related to in today’s society. The Speaker in “Apparently with no Surprise” does not get too emotional when speaking about death being inevitable. In the opening line “Apparently with no surprise To any happy flower”(1-2) The flower doesn't seem too unhappy about being on the horizon
“The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind-”(7-8). The speaker knows the truth is a big deal but, it must be handled slowly and carefully. Otherwise it can lead to the receiver of the truth being overwhelmed, blitzed, and blinded. It seems as if Dickinson knows the truth but doesn’t want to reveal it in a poem since she fears it will end up blinding us the readers. In this poem truth can be multiple things, truth in God, one’s life, and or the meaning of life. It is even suspected that telling the truth “slant” is a form of a metaphor. In this particular poem, Dickinson uses ballad this way the poem is in song form due to the rhythm and rhyme. To be specific she uses iambic tetrameter for example “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-”(1). The speaker goes on to tell us “Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth’s superb surprise”(3-4). It states that no matter what it is the truth is too much to be told straight up it must be told with
Dickinson’s lack of personal ambition might have to do with her strongly speaking against it in this poem. “Success is counted sweetest By those who ne’er Succeed”(1-2). In order to find enlightenment there must be a balance between failure and success. With too much success you become numb to it but, with failure once you succeed it is sweet. “Not one of all the purple Host Who took the Flag today Can tell the definition So dear of victory.”(5-8). The speaker is not speaking so much of the evils of ambition but the perils of success and comforts one’s failures. Dickinson uses ballad once again in this poem the first line is a iambic tetrameter followed by an iambic trimeter. The lesson the speaker is trying to show us is “Only those who are denied success can truly appreciate it.” So, in order to become successful you must also learn to fail in order to have a sweet