Letter 216 (pg. 174)
"Safe in their Alabaster Chambers--
Untouched by Morning
And untouched by Noon--
Sleep the meek members of the Resurrection--
...Babbles the bee in a stolid Ear,
Pipe the Sweet Birds in ignorant cadence--
Ah, what sagacity perished here!"
Another poem by Emily Dickinson criticizing religion. (Seems to be a common theme of the time period).
Again, we see Emily Dickinson setting a scene for the audience. First, she depicts the church body or "members of the Resurrection" as safe, away in their alabaster or white Chambers, untouched by anything really; I mean, who doesn't even experience the morning? Then, we see the Birds and the Bees mingling within this "Castle" as she later refers to it.
The words she uses are extremely important to define for the sake of interpretation of this poem. For one, she identifies the members of this religious body as being asleep and meek. When one is asleep, they are unresponsive to their surroundings. Likewise, the word meek means timid or submissive, compliant. They are a people of conformity.
Therefore, when the Bee (the man) begins to "babble" or speak, in the Bird's (the woman's) ear, it is "stolid." Stolid means indifferent or emotionless. Going back, Dickinson chose the word "babble" because it is not whisper, or speak softly, or any other nice sounding word; it is what it is: babble. This word tells us the speaker is rambling on, or babbling on about something we do not care about. Therefore, the woman carries on in "ignorant cadence." She is ignorant or unaware of what the man can offer, and partakes in cadence, another word associated with conformity.
Her last words suggest her view of the situation: "Ah, what sagacity perished here!" In other words, "Ah, what level-headedness perished here!" Dickinson clearly states or blames rather, the Church's institutions or rules for Godly living as having destroyed something wonderful: the natural interaction between a man and woman (the birds and the bees). More importantly, she feels this change does not even make sense. After all, who would want to deny themselves from "Wild Nights" of luxury!
Dickinson who lived her life quietly in the comforts of her own home and seemingly self-conscious of her work as a poet, and Whitman who was way out there shouting from every mountain top, are really one in the same. While it can not be said of every Letter or poem Dickinson wrote, there are many which share similar themes to Whitman's collections. In a way I think that, as much as she disputed the marginalization of women, she was raised in that very same environment and can not deny the effects of such living completely. Perhaps her expression of her differences appeared to be more reserved because of her environment, or maybe she was just a shy person. Either way, her unconventional style and content is consistent with the deviance expressed by other poets of that time period.
At first I thought this meant something about the events at the time which may have caused some writers to go in this direction, but even reading the text now, I myself can relate to some portions great or small in present day life, especially as a woman or as a Christian who has grown weary of so much judgment. There is not a time for changing, but rather a changing for time.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Journal 6: Emily Dickinson
Letter 199 (pg. 173)
"How odd the Girl's life looks Behind this soft Eclipse-- I think that Earth feels so To folks in Heaven--now--" The above passage is taken from Letter 199 of Thomas Johnson's 1960 edition of The Letters of Emily Dickinson. Here Emily Dickinson uses her knowledge in religious studies to challenge the subordinate status of women. She does this through her use of rhetoric, metaphoric representations, and her use of a little and big "w."
In regard to the quote above, we see Dickinson saying a girl's life is the same as looking behind an eclipse; in other words, she lives in the shadow of the man. You may notice, by using the word "girl" rather than "woman" she sets a specific image in the reader's mind, one of innocence.
She then goes on to say that the Earth feels the same as the girl, in the shadow of Heaven. The religious background to her quote is immense. In fact, this quote takes us back to the Garden of Eden from the Bible. Eve (the woman), in this infamous story, fell in to sin in partaking of the forbidden apple; she disobeyed God first, and thus proved to be the weaker sex. Well, this is what the Christian history has led us to believe anyhow. In addition, Lucifer (the devil) is known to be the ruler of the Earth as he was once an angel of God, falling in to sin himself and thus landing himself on the throne to hell. In a way, both woman and devil are in the same boat: they are both outcasts.
At the same time, Dickinson is crying out for a sort of justice that would accept and forgive women and just let them be! She best expresses this by beginning: "I'm 'wife'--I've finished that--" This first use of the little "w" expresses her repressed self, that which lives in eclipse or the shadow of man. She then states clearly, "I've finished that." Obviously, this woman is sick of conformity and tired of judgment. (Perhaps the reason she chose to withdraw for most of her life). She then goes on to say, "I'm 'Woman' now--" In these two phrases, she illustrates a woman's two choices, 1) she can conform to the societal rules of what a wife, a good, Christian wife, should be OR 2) be looked down upon as a Woman, a whore, a sinner. And finally she ends: "I'm 'Wife'! Stop there!" By merging the word "wife" with a big "W," she declares herself a more proud Wife, a full Woman.
I believe Emily Dickinson, in her own time period was to say the least, dissatisfied at the choices or lack of choices for women. Clearly, she acknowledges the history behind today's societal misconceptions; however, she rejects their implications. She is saying, SO WHAT! So what, Eve ate an apple, SO WHAT!
As a woman, I have to agree. It is amazing how one story becomes so intricately woven into the fabric of society that one does not even have to know it is there. How did women achieve this lesser standard of being? Emily Dickinson certainly struck a chord here. In America (the United States to be more specific), male-female relationships are deeply rooted in the Christian Bible whether you are a Christian or not; that is the mainstream.
"How odd the Girl's life looks Behind this soft Eclipse-- I think that Earth feels so To folks in Heaven--now--" The above passage is taken from Letter 199 of Thomas Johnson's 1960 edition of The Letters of Emily Dickinson. Here Emily Dickinson uses her knowledge in religious studies to challenge the subordinate status of women. She does this through her use of rhetoric, metaphoric representations, and her use of a little and big "w."
In regard to the quote above, we see Dickinson saying a girl's life is the same as looking behind an eclipse; in other words, she lives in the shadow of the man. You may notice, by using the word "girl" rather than "woman" she sets a specific image in the reader's mind, one of innocence.
She then goes on to say that the Earth feels the same as the girl, in the shadow of Heaven. The religious background to her quote is immense. In fact, this quote takes us back to the Garden of Eden from the Bible. Eve (the woman), in this infamous story, fell in to sin in partaking of the forbidden apple; she disobeyed God first, and thus proved to be the weaker sex. Well, this is what the Christian history has led us to believe anyhow. In addition, Lucifer (the devil) is known to be the ruler of the Earth as he was once an angel of God, falling in to sin himself and thus landing himself on the throne to hell. In a way, both woman and devil are in the same boat: they are both outcasts.
At the same time, Dickinson is crying out for a sort of justice that would accept and forgive women and just let them be! She best expresses this by beginning: "I'm 'wife'--I've finished that--" This first use of the little "w" expresses her repressed self, that which lives in eclipse or the shadow of man. She then states clearly, "I've finished that." Obviously, this woman is sick of conformity and tired of judgment. (Perhaps the reason she chose to withdraw for most of her life). She then goes on to say, "I'm 'Woman' now--" In these two phrases, she illustrates a woman's two choices, 1) she can conform to the societal rules of what a wife, a good, Christian wife, should be OR 2) be looked down upon as a Woman, a whore, a sinner. And finally she ends: "I'm 'Wife'! Stop there!" By merging the word "wife" with a big "W," she declares herself a more proud Wife, a full Woman.
I believe Emily Dickinson, in her own time period was to say the least, dissatisfied at the choices or lack of choices for women. Clearly, she acknowledges the history behind today's societal misconceptions; however, she rejects their implications. She is saying, SO WHAT! So what, Eve ate an apple, SO WHAT!
As a woman, I have to agree. It is amazing how one story becomes so intricately woven into the fabric of society that one does not even have to know it is there. How did women achieve this lesser standard of being? Emily Dickinson certainly struck a chord here. In America (the United States to be more specific), male-female relationships are deeply rooted in the Christian Bible whether you are a Christian or not; that is the mainstream.
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