Theres A Certain Slant of Light by Emily Dickinson Flashcards
Theres a Certain Slant of Light by Emily Dick
-The poem “There’s a Certain Slant of Light” was written by Emily Dickinson, who lived from 1830 to 1886.
-Dickinson is known for her unusual use of form and punctuation, much of which gives her poetry a distinctive voice and intense emotional depth.
-The poem is typically considered to be an exploration of the individual’s inner response to the external environment—in this case, the light of winter afternoons—and is symbolic of
Dickinson’s preoccupation with themes of mental anguish, nature, and death.
Form of the poem Certain Slant of Light
-The form of the poem is lyrical and follows Dickinson’s characteristic use of the common meter, which alternates lines of iambic tetrameter with lines of iambic trimeter.
-The dashes used throughout the poem force the reader to pause, reflecting the poet’s contemplative moodand the weight of the subject.
-The rhyme scheme is not consistent, which can be seen as a reflection of the irregularity and unexpectedness of the emotions being described.
Certain Slant of Light summary
-The poem is about the profound effect of a certain kind of winter light that seems to bring about feelings of sorrow and despair.
-This light causes an internal change that is deeply felt but not visible to others.
-It’s a kind of sublime, almost spiritual experience that is as transformative as it is incdescribable.
Key themes of Certain Slant of Light
Transcendence and Immanence:
The poem explores the idea that natural phenomena, like light, can have a profound spiritual or transcendent impact on the individual, suggesting that the divine or sublime can be encountered in the everyday world.
Pain and Suffering:
Dickinson describes a kind of “Heavenly Hurt,” indicating that the experience of the slant of light causes a spiritual or emotional pain that is deeply personal and internal.
-Nature and Its Influence:
The light described in the poem is a natural element, but it is imbued with the power to affect human emotion, illustrating the connection between the external natural world and the internal emotional state.
**-Isolation and Individual Experience: **
The internal change brought about by the slant of light is something that cannot be shared or taught, highlighting the solitary nature of personal experience and individual response to the world.
-**Mortality and the Human Condition: **
By ending with an allusion to “Death,” Dickinson connects the ephemeral quality of the light and its profound effect on the individual to the universal experience of mortality.
“There’s a certain Slant of light, / Winter Afternoons –”
(Metaphor):
-The light is not just physical but also metaphorical, representing a kind of divine or higher insight that is heavy or oppressive.
-The capitalization of “Slant” and “Winter Afternoons” gives these elements a sense of importance and personification, as if they are entities with their own will.
Title ‘certain slant of light’
-Shows that there is a light on a winter day but it is also metaphorical as it allows Emily Dickinson to go through enlightenment where she sees a deep insight of her life.
(Physically she sees a beam of light, but metaphorically the title refers to the enlightenment she feels after seeing the ray of light.)
“That oppresses, like the Heft / Of Cathedral Tunes’
(Simile):
-The comparison of the light’s importance to the heavy feel of church music suggests a solemn, almost sacred experience.
-It connects the feeling to something spiritual and vast, possibly showing the heaviness of religion and self awareness.
“Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –”
(Oxymoron): The phrase combines two opposing ideas, suggesting a pain that is also somehow divine or transcendent. It emphasizes the paradoxical nature of deeply moving experiences—they can be both hurtful and sublime.
**
“We can find no scar”
Imagery - Dickinson uses physical imagery (“no scar”) to highlight the invisible nature of emotional or spiritual pain.
“An imperial affliction / Sent us of the Air –”
(Alliteration and Personification):
-The alliteration of “imperial affliction” imparts a sense of grandeur to the suffering, while “Sent us of the Air” implies that the experience is as natural and unavoidable as the air we breathe.
“When it comes, the Landscape listens – / Shadows – hold their breath –”
(Personification): The landscape and shadows are given human qualities, suggesting that the entire world is attentive to and affected by this profound moment of change.
“When it goes, ‘tis like the Distance / On the look of Death –”
(Simile and Imagery):
-The departure of the light is compared to the unknowable vastness that we associate with death, emphasizing the finality and the profound impact of the experience, and leaving the reader with an image of both ending and immense space.
-Shows how we cannot take things for granted
