Dickinson
I reason the Earth is short-
Dickinson has a peculiar way of ending each standing od "But what of that?". This poem deals with the struggle of people to be moral and upstanding, and the urge to not be. By saying "But what of that" I think Dickinson is leaving the reader open to their own iterpretation, to influence questioning, and to get their own personal meaning from the poem.
Much Madness In the Divinest Sense-
Dickinson is writing about going against the norm. The people who don;t really fit in particularly well are often viewed was different, strange, and unlike others- and basically labeled as "mad". Dickinson is implying that it is these outsiders who are the smartest, and divine meaning something from God, she believes that it is these people whom God has instilled his wisdom in. In turn then, they are the most reasonable and intelligent.
The Consciousness That is Aware-
This poem is more difficult to understand. By my interpretation, it is encouragement for one to invent themself, rather than let their peers do so. "Attended by a single Hound, It's own identity". It is also a call to experience your life, rather than dully coast through it, to take your own meaning of it.
One Need Not be a Chamber-
I think this poem is in a way trying to show that the body isn't the only thing we possess. as C.S Lewis once stated, "You don;t have a sould, you are a soul. You have a body." I think this in the same way is discouraging fear of death, for once our body dies we live on. Most of you will probably disagree with me on this one, but that's what I'm getting out of it. By saying "Assasin hid in our apartment Be Horror's least" I think Dickinson is showing this thought of mine.
The Brain is Wider Than the Sky-
In this poem Dickinson is marvelling in the peculiarity of the brain. She is trying to comprehend how much power the brain has, and using the sky as a metaphor to describe how much the brain can know. "The one the other will contain (Brain/sky)-With ease-and you- beside".
Tell all the Truth but Tell it's Slant-
I really have no idea on this one. Perhaps it's saying that not bringing the truth to light makes us stupid, but I can't say. Help?
Good man.
Good man.
Maaaajor props for using a CS
Maaaajor props for using a CS Lewis quote, especially one that's so pertinent to the poem. I think that, in that sense at least, Dickinson and Lewis thought the same way.
Re: Consciousness
That's interesting, I didn't get that from my reading of the poem. I can see where you get that though, with the emphasis she puts on "itself alone" and "none shall make discovery." I thought she was trying to point out the fact that nobody can figure out what Life is really about, and it isn't even necessary to do so. The fact of the matter is, the Soul is condemned to be chained to the Consciousness until that consciousness is extinguished
-Kofi
samezz here.
That was my interpretation of the poem as well. I saw a lot of comparisons to the first poem, I reason Earth is short. Both poems seems to point out the futility of contantly trying to reason over our existence on this earth, and in the afterlife, when we simply just exist. She seemed to take into consideration the inevitablility of it all, and realized that all of life's mysteries can't be solved or need not be solved.
-Chloe
sweet
I like how you pulled CS Lewis in to help explain your understanding of the poem. your take on it is interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way.