Section B - comments and threads Flashcards
Intro comments
Through the highly compressed meaning within her lyricism, Emily Dickinson both harnesses and destabilises literary and cultural tropes to express her ambivalence about the tenets that her many of her contemporaries find binding. Rather, her opus posits philosophical and emotional equivocation as defining aspects of the human condition. This indeterminacy is particularly evident in Dickinson’s signature pre-occupation with X
Concluding comments
As posited by Carol Joyce Oates, Emily Dickinson is the “most paradoxical of poets; the very poet of paradox”. Resultantly, for all her contemplation on the mysteries of death, nature, religion and poetry, Dickinson is ultimately concerned with what means to be human, with all its conundrums and contradictions.
Blank WHY
Ultimately then, while in some poems, such as Slant/SN, Dickinson abstains from overly-sentimental conclusions about nature, God and death, she also possibly advocates for readers to reclaim hope as a virtue, as is the case in Hope/Funeral/Blank, celebrating the power of persistence and imagination in the face of suffering to pave a path towards growth and enlightenment.
Death WHY
Ultimately then, while Dickinson recognises the benefit of religious tenets in providing consolation for those experiencing loss, she also recognises the tragic ephemerality of mortal life. Thus, Dickinson postulates that the loss of human connections is an event worth grieving unconstrained by narrow Good Death expectations.
Poetry/LR WHY
Ultimately then, as in her other poems featuring fallible poets - Something Quieter amongst them -, Dickinson asserts that “a truth told slant” (Poem 1268) is insightful but will never be fully adequate to capture the intricacies and diversity of human and spiritual experience [especially if pressured by financial motives].
Nature WHY
Ultimately then, in some poems, such as Slant/Frost/Saddest Noise, Dickinson fixates on the limitations of Emersonian death tenets, which appear insensitive to the unique tragedy of mortal life, in that we are born only to perish. Yet, as seen in Blazing/Two Butterflies/Like Rain, she also remains keenly invested in the imaginative potential of Romantic traditions, to pave a path towards enlightenment, growth and solidarity.
Death WHAT
This indeterminacy is particularly evident in Dickinson’s signature pre-occupation with death, as well as its emotional and spiritual significance. While some elements of her work may be seen to contribute to the cultural milieu of Ars Moriendi, this often serves to highlight how the enticing sense of control offered by strict death rituals is ultimately illusory.
Nature WHAT
This indeterminacy is particularly evident in Dickinson’s signature pre-occupation with nature, as well as its relationship to religion and death. While certain elements of her work can be seen to be quintessentially Romantic in their celebration of nature’s capacity to inspire poetic imagination and praise God – To Butterflies and Blazing are prime examples – Dickinson’s verse at times seems haunted by nature’s latent cruelty.
Poetry WHAT
This indeterminacy is particularly evident in Dickinson’s signature pre-occupation with the poetic vocation and its religious implications. While at times Dickinson celebrates the power of poetry to transcend the barriers of human knowledge - Two Butterflies and Like Rain are prime examples -, she is also careful to remind readers of their concrete limitations in the face of the divine.
Funeral WHY
Therefore, Dickinson’s deliberately ambiguous final message, though harrowing, seems to embrace the process of suffering, revealing how persevering through periods of hardship can be revelatory.
TB WHY
Therefore, while Dickinson applauds the power of poetry to bypass the regular boundaries to enhance spiritual understanding, she also acknowledges the transience of such moments of divine clarity, which ultimately prove insufficient to fully resolve questions about death and the afterlife.
