In line 7 Dickinson references “the Auger and the Carpenter”. It is possible to believe that she is using these tools to represent a parent and a teacher.…
Have you ever heard a motivational speech and while it was going on you felt so motivated, but when it was over you did not know what to do with yourself? In Beyond Scared Straight, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," and "Can Kids Be Scared Straight?" all three authors try to persuade people to do the right things in a forceful tone, but there are reasons why appeals to fear is not the best motivational force. Some reasons why appeals to fear is not the best motivational force are that people might not get scared, are not afraid of the negative consequences, and do not want to nor know how to change.…
“Do Not” and less obviously “Because” both use the onset of night or the setting sun to symbolize death. “Do Not” also uses the “light” to represent life and bright symbols like meteors, lightning and the act of Catching the Sun are used to tell of its intensity. Meanwhile Emily Dickinson represents the grave with a house described as “a swelling of the ground.” The carriage in the poem is akin to something similar to the ferry that takes souls across the river Styx and the journey in said carriage can be interpreted as being a metaphor for the journey between the cradle and the grave. The carriage goes past “The school, where children strove.” then “the fields of gazing grain” then finally “the setting sun.” If you take these three settings to represent Childhood, Middle Age and Seniority using the Schoolyard, golden fields of grain, and the setting sun. Metaphorically the three stages of life can be seen as being represented in this…
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…
In this week’s readings, we looked at the role that celebration plays in the good life. With Abraham Heschel’s “The Sabbath,” a clear connection is established between the concepts of sharing and celebrating within the pursuit of the good life. Despite this, we also see examples of how an individual may celebrate and reflect on their own, showing that, while the role of others may often go hand-in-hand with celebrating the good life and certainly help each other along, they can also remain independent and be just as impactful. Others may play an important role in celebrating the good life, but they are not the most important or necessary element.…
Abraham Heschel’s The Sabbath discusses the significance of the Sabbath in Judaism. The main point of the text is that Judaism is more about sacred time than sacred space. The Sabbath is a perfect example of how time is meant to be set-aside in Judaism to reflect on creation and the blessings of the world provided by God. Because the time is sacred, many behaviors and tasks that may be part of every day life are not to be performed on this sacred day. For instance, working is not permitted on the Sabbath or even discussing work-related topics. Discussion of any topic that has to do with worldly things is frowned upon on the Sabbath. This is so because discussing these things, or working, take attention away from the reverence of the day. The Sabbath is meant for peaceful reflection on what is sacred and holy regarding creation and life.…
More specifically, she portrays the benefits of self-practice. Dickinson displays her views by favoring revelation and having direct contact with God, standing against organized religion and its traditional rituals. She sets the tone of the poem, by stating “Some keep the Sabbath going to Church/ I keep it, staying at Home” (Lines 1-2). She is simply stating that ‘some’ or most people keep the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, for going to church. Whereas, she practices and speaks to God within her own home. Dickinson implies that she is able to see and perceive her faith all around her, no matter the surroundings, stating, “With a Bobolink for a Chorister/ And an Orchard, for a Dome” (Lines 3-4). She incorporates this idea through a metaphor, comparing the black bird to a choir and the church to an orchard. Some readers may think the speaker is mocking mass and insulting the church where she includes, “Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice/ I just wear my Wings/ And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church/ Our little Sexton-sings” (Lines 5-8). To Dickinson’s speaker, the clergymen who…
In Living the Sabbath, Norman Wirzba discusses the numerous ways in which the developing world has begun to lose touch with God, our individual selves, and the importance of rest. Today’s world has no place for rest or reflection. The fast-paced society we live in is entirely focused on unrelenting economic gain and efficiency and has crafted a society in which people work abysmally long hours for little wages. Although this economic lifestyle has crafted a country of immense luxury, the people have been barred from enjoying the great gifts our society has to offer. There is no rest in this culture.…
The use of imagery is one of the most commonly used techniques in poetry. Poets create an image in one’s mind through descriptive language, similes, and rhythm. Their words flow off the page to appeal to our senses. Those who have perfected this art let us see exactly what they see in their minds. William Carol Williams, David Solway, and Amy Lowell’s poems are perfect examples of imagery.…
The woman leaves with Death without protestation, and permits him to take control in driving the carriage. She evidently realizes that there is no use in fighting it and instead allows herself to be taken on this journey. Dickinson depicts as Death treating her “kindly” and very respectfully as well. She is not externalized or disregarded as his metaphorical wife. Additionally, Dickinson used specific symbolism such as the vision of the children at the schoolyard to signify the youthful period of her life, the carriage that symbolizes her funeral wagon—the vehicle that Death is using to take his bride to the next destination. All of these elements that Dickinson used to personify the concept of death is quite effectively in getting the reader to think outside the box. Perhaps there is an Eternity after death. Perhaps Death isn’t such a scary concept to embrace at the end of one’s life. These are the kinds of thoughts that reading this poem conjure up, and sure it shows that Dickinson certainly had a rather interesting view of the afterlife in general. That she was able to build such an interesting imagery about such a morbid topic shows just how much of a skilled poet she was. She will be continue to be lauded for those skills far into the future, perhaps even into…
Art is divine. In western culture, art has been used to represent and honor divinity. Christianity is no exception to this trend. From the middle ages onward, Christianity has used art to worship its god. Knowing this, it isn’t shocking that worshipers took prayer and integrated it with meter. This common hymn meter allowed even the least artistic of believers to bring a tune to their prayers. However, this religiously based meter would not stay exclusively godly. Raised under an ultra-religious father, Emily Dickinson used her knowledge of common hymn meter to write secularly. This juxtaposition gave strength to her writings while still limiting her to the strict meter. Even with these restrictions, her poems continue to be cherished in American…
The poem by Emily Dickinson circa 1861 beginning "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" explores several subjects contained within an extended metaphor of a funeral service. This metaphor is evident in the word Funeral, Mourners, Service, Box (containing the body), Soul, Heavens, Bell (rung to signal the passing). All these are capitalized to add emphasis and connect the meaning. Other capitalized words in the poem include Sense and Reason. We are told that the planks separate these concepts from being realized. There are people above the floor that can be heard in the basement but only impressions of them are felt. There is no way to fully conceptualize what kind of people they are. The whole poem has a quick beating rhythm like the Drum in the poem created by using short words and by using repetition of "beating" and "treading" we have the added effect of stress. The pattern gives the same sort of apprehension as the Tell-Tale heart of Poe and the mocking dialog his Raven. To me this poem speaks originally as the retelling of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" from the point of the hidden heart. The heart hears the searchers above it and is pleading for its discovery so the truth can be revealed. In this interpretation the heart does not actually but envy's the beating above it, from line 15 "And I, and Silence, some strange Race/ Wrecked, solitary here". The heart and silence are different than all above and it is jealous of not beating like the footsteps. Race in the line also implies a racing heart; silence is a strange racing heart. After reading deeply into this meaning I also discovered a secondary theme. What Dickinson describes as "a Funeral, in my Brain" may be nothing more than writers block. She has ideas but they are blocked by the invisible wall (floor). She can hear the percussion of brilliance but can not see the Sense and Reason. At the end of the poem the floor breaks and the "World[s]" are revealed to her. In the context of this interpretation World can be…
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…
This stanza concerns Emily’s signature theme of death, but this time it deals with how her progress and achievements in her life have immortalized her in the minds of people and in paper. However the stanza has an ambiguous meaning since her inability to die and live more than God(Though I than he may longer live, he longer must than I) can implicitly adumbrate that many people won’t remember God bringing them into his church, but instead call forth on her as their light in the darkness. She thinks that God is the true architect in the scheme, not her, but people will remember her more than they will ever do about God. In short, Emily Dickinson delights us with an intricate poem that can be difficult to discern but at last proves worth by revealing to us a powerful and truthful pathway, God still can sow in our…
The message of the poem is to live your life with no regrets and worries. To enjoy everyday as a wild night or in other words to live life to the fullest. According to the poem “Rowing in Eden / Ah, the sea” this shows the beauty of the poem and how Dickinson is in paradise and when she imagines paradise she sees the blue sea.Overall the life message is good for people that are down. This poem is interesting because she then has poems about the feeling of death and how death is near but it connects with this poem. This is because if deaths nearby then live your life because you will regret not living your life. If somebody is dead and it makes you sad then you shouldn’t let that feeling bring you down because you’ll be sad and eventually die without doing anything. This poem is different than other poems that I have read because most poems are about sadness and deep dark…