Welcome to Cross-Cultural Collaboration-Spring 2007: A Conversation about Emily Dickinson, an online conversation among students in two classes at Clemson University, South Carolina, United States, and one class at Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Group 6: Fredrik E., Chase H., Meghan J., Rafael K., Robert M., Anna P., Tess R.,
20 comments:
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Anna P, Fiction, Chalmers
Hi everyone!
My name is Anna, and I´m studying at Chalmers, Gothenburg. The course I´m taking is called fiction for engineers, and by that name you understand that reading and analysing classic literature is not what I ordinarily do… I’ve read some of Dickinson’s poems before, but not all of the ones selected for this assignment.
I particularly liked “I started early” and “I taste the liquor”. I can’t really explain why, other than that they just got to me, they connected with me and I could understand them quote easily.
To me “I taste the liquor” is a poem about spring or rather the joy of life in springtime. About the drunkenness of nature at the time when spring arrives. I find that Dickinson is quite elaborate in the word play/twisting, and many of the words used to describe characteristics of animals and nature have a relation to alcohol and drunkenness. This is something I remember from reading her poems before, so maybe this is her speciality?
“I started early” is similar in that way, but the references here are the sea and nature portrayed like a house or a building. I particularly like the ways she makes “a character” of the tide (she does that with Death too, in some other poems).
Selected keywords “As wholly as a dew…” from “I started early”, simply because it is a beautiful frase. Wonderful description of the action passed, instead of just writing “the water reached my feet…”. This is something you find in many of Dickinson’s poems, these very carefully chosen expressions.
“tankards scooped in pearl” from “I taste” – the way the word scooped is used. Is pearl scooped up or are the tankards actually made of pearl? Whatever the meaning is, at least it sounds very poetic…
“inns of molten blue” from “I taste”, is a pub made of melted colour? Or does she actually mean that the sky (referring to the blue melted colour) is sort of a haven for life and encourages drunkenness? Also, I like the way the words feel in my mouth, and find that characteristic of Dickinson, that is to be very considerate in choosing words.
My name is Fredrik Elestedt. I'm studying Computer Engineering at Chalmers, at a level roughly equivilent to a Master. I'm aiming for a major in Systems Development. I've never analyzed poetry before so this will be really different, much like the rest of the Fiction course, from trying to interpret all other schoolbooks we have.
I found her poem about Truth refreshing. I cannot recall ever reading a text in which one is encourage not to tell the entire truth right away, at least not in this direct manner. Encouraging to tell the truth a bit slant, only to fill in the blanks or correct the slant later isn't really what I expected. Probably mostly because how the poem ends - with Dickinson stating, in my view, that the entire truth might make every man blind.
That the poem ends in this manner makes me believe that she was trying to tell men, in particular, something. I believe she states this in the last two rows, it could however just be common phrasing at the time. Further I believe that she in the two second last rows states that one has to tell the truth gently to a man, as one would a child.
Keywords: dazzle - after looking up the exact meaning I saw the connection with going blind if to much was revealed at once. “The truth must dazzle gradually” slant - not knowing that this meant angling information to match what one wants to present the poem lost a lot of it's meaning for me, after looking it up it got a lot more interesting. “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”
My name is Rafael, I am student of Szczecin University of Technology in Poland. I took a part of socrates erasmus exchange and now i studing at Chalmers for one semester. The course I'm taking is Fiction for engineers. I have never read Dickinson's poetry before and i have to say is very interesting but difficult for me, maybe because i didn't read a lot of poetry in the past.
"I STARTED early" it is for me some sublime and not tipical experince, which felt women who find a time for pause of live and for consideration about, what she feel when standing at the sand and when feel the power of sea. We often haven't time to consideration about this, what telling as nature. We don't take a break from live, which running very fast and it is very easy to lose ourselves in our way. For me everything in nature have some deep, which i can't see because is not easy in modern time, where I am very busy... but sometimes things important to me is not real important and i forget about about this. I can't understand what exactly felt Emily Dickinson standing at the sea, because her poetry is hard for me and for my weak english but she had to find some deep sense in sea's speech:).
Hello Group 6, My Name is Tess and I am currently a Clemson University student. This semester I am taking Victorian Poetry with Dr. Young. Right now I am exploring different areas of the field, and trying to decide what I am passionate about and want to study. I guess that is part of the reason why I am enrolled in Victorian poetry this semester. In my undergraduate career I took a few poetry classes (mostly modern and romantic) but, this is my first Victorian class. After reading the poems selected for our discussion I decided I wanted to focus on Dickenson’s “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death.” In this poem Dickenson uniquely combines the themes death and courtship. Death is personified. “He” (5), is described with words such as “Kindly” (2), and “Civility” (8). In stanzas one and two the reader is presented with Death playing the role of a suitor. I think this theme is interesting because the speaker is also being pursued in “I STARTED early, took my dog.” This is noteworthy considering the almost reclusive life Dickenson led. I would be interested in what anyone else thought about that. Though death is pursuing the speaker she does not seem afraid or resistant. The speaker describes the sights that they pass in their carriage ride “toward Eternity” (24). The speaker seems to describe life as full of activity and tiresome. The children at school and at recess have to strive; there is a force of passion in living, and this is a challenge. The carriage also passes a field of grain which conjures images of natural and pastoral beauty, and finally the setting sun. Certainly the carriage is moving past life towards death with the setting sun. I have a question about stanza four; I definitely think there is a shift here, because there is a change in movement. What I don’t really understand is who is doing the moving now, is the “he” the sun? This stanza is also more focused on the speaker, specifically her clothing. Her gown seems to suggest a wedding gown. In line 16 she describes her garment and uses the word “Tippet.” I thought this was an interesting and ironic image after I looked the word up. While the generally accepted meaning is “A long narrow slip of cloth or hanging part of a dress, formally worn, either attached to or forming part of the hood, head-dress, or sleeve, or loose, as a scarf of the like” (www.oed.com), there was another definition that interested me. A Tippet can also be “A jocular name of a hangman’s rope” (www.oed.com). This definition was interesting to me because the garment can be seen as a wedding gown and vale, but for the speaker, her groom is death, thus the wedding attire is a hangman’s noose. In the fifth stanza there is a pause, here the movement of the poem stops. It is as if they have arrived at their destination. The pause, I think, is the speaker accepting her own mortality. She sees a house and it seems to suggest that she is returning home, to the afterlife. Though it is “scarcely visible” (19), she spots “The Cornice- in the Ground” (20). The Cornice, usually “an ornamental moulding” (www.oed.com), I think is reminiscent of a headstone or the speakers grave marker. In the end there is a reflective tone. The speaker is considering the passage of time and Eternity. The end is calm, and it seems that the speaker is finally at peace. The movement and, deaths pursuit or courtship of the speaker, has ceased. Looking forward to everyone’s response Sincerely, Tess
My name is Ryan and I am a senior at Clemson taking American Literature with Dr. Reiss. I will be graduating in May with a degree in Graphic Communications. The poem that struck a chord with me was the first one, “I taste a liquor never brewed”. I very much enjoyed how Dickenson compared enjoying life to being drunk from alcohol. I think it is a feeling that everyone has had at some point or another in their life, and is a very fond memory. We have all had that time which we were so satisfied with life, we felt drunk with happiness and wished we could hold onto that feeling forever. The words I chose to look for definitions were Inebriate and debauchery. The definition of Inebriate by Merriam-Webster dictionary is to exhilarate or stupefy as if by liquor or to make drunk. This definition completely explains Dickenson’s feeling of being drunk with life or, “the air”. The way she describes being drunk with life is so easy to associate with, especially because of what a good and familiar feeling it is. It reminded me personally that I need to make certain to enjoy life whenever possible. The other word I chose, debauchery, is defined by Merriam-Webster as extreme indulgence in sensuality. This illustration just furthers the first in its vivid description of enjoying life with being drunk. It continues to paint the picture of how good life can be when it’s good. Overall, the poem reminded me to live my life, and how good those good times can be. People often use the phrase “get high on life” but this poem describes perfectly what that means.
I’m Chase from Dr. Young’s Victorian Poetry class at Clemson. I’m working on a Master’s in English lit., so I tend to spend a lot of time reading poetry.
I am interested in Ms. Dickinson’s poem that begins, “There is a certain slant of light,” On first read, I enjoyed the poem’s simple music. The pleasant jog of its three beat lines, the dependable full rhymes, and slant rhymes like ‘light’ and ‘weight’ in the first stanza, or ‘listens’ and ‘distance’ in the last, all contribute to the poem’s deceptively pleasant little sound.
The ideas in the poem require a bit more digestion to enjoy. As with most of Dickinson’s poetry, ambiguity abounds, but here’s my reading. The poem describes the emotional/psychological effect of this “certain slant of light” in terms of symbols of hierarchical power systems. It is significant that she chooses “cathedral tunes” as opposed to those of an ordinary church, because the cathedral is the principle church of a diocese and contains the bishop’s throne (American Heritage Dictionary). I knew cathedrals were big churches, but after looking up the word, I found its central etymological concept to be the place of the bishop’s throne. That got me thinking. Skipping to the third, I saw two more clear symbols of hierarchical power: the light described as “the seal” and “an imperial affliction.” “Seal” in this sense, is an emblem or symbol used as attestation of authenticity or authority (American Heritage Dictionary). So the light is described as “oppressive,” like “cathedral tunes,” or an imperial seal, proof we should “despair.”
Between these comparisons, the second stanza establishes the pain is “Heavenly hurt” that doesn’t leave a physical scar, “But internal difference / Where the meanings are.” This assertion, that meaning is internal, seems much more significant when held against the poet’s critical descriptions of the light through symbols of exterior power structures. If meaning is held internally by the individual, it is not legislated by external hierarchies.
I’m still meditating on how this plays out in the final stanza. If anyone has thoughts on “the distance on the look of death” I’d be really interested in hearing them. I hope my thinking on this poem was interesting for ya’ll. I’m really looking forward to reading what everyone had to say.
My name is Meghan and I am taking American Literature at Clemson University. I am a sophomore working on my undergraduate degree in Marketing. I enjoy reading and writing poetry and have had an interest in it since a young age.
For many years, I have found the poetry, as well as the life story, of Emily Dickinson to be quite fascinating. She was a very private person and her poems and letters offered much desired insight into her life.
“I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed,” is, in my opinion, a poem about summer coming to an end. However, Dickinson uses the metaphor of the alcohol instead of directly discussing the summer. “Yield such an alcohol” (4), more directly in my opinion, refers to the wonderful and exemplary time that Dickinson had over the summer of which she is referring.
“There’s a Certain Slant of Light” is a poem that I think Dickinson wrote during a more depressed time in her life. This poem could very well have been written shortly after the Reverend broke her heart. The “shadows” conceal her sorrows and sadness while the “slant of light” (1) illuminates and highlights her depressed state of being. This “imperial affliction” (11) is a great way of saying that the feelings she was experiencing were of an empirical state of “superior or unusual size or excellence” (www.m-w.com).
“Because I Could Not Stop For Death” is one of my favorite Dickinson poem’s and one that I have been familiar with for many years. Clearly, the poem is about death and the end of Dickinson’s life. I especially like how at the end of the poem she discussed how although she has been gone for centuries, it “feels shorter than the day” (18). This is a great way of putting how the afterlife has no time concept and it really puts that into perspective for me.
“Tell All the Truth but Tell it Slant” gives an outlook on truthfulness and the concept of telling the whole truth. The poem discusses how telling a poem with “slant” (1) or “a peculiar or personal point of view, attitude, or opinion” (www.m-w.com) is a way to dazzle and appeal to a person. Truth that “dazzles gradually” (7) is a much more widely accepted truth that the cold-hard truth.
The final Dickinson poem I read, “I Started Early, Took my Dog,” is very metaphorical. Dickinson’s visit to the sea, in my opinion, is her encounter with a companion, most likely a man. “But no man moved me till the tide” (9) is how no man but this man moved her in an emotional sense. This man, however, seemed to not be a complete constant in her life because he came and she was completely absorbed by him and then he withdrew.
I found it very interesting reading your submissions. I must say that all of you contributed to my understanding and appreciation of the poems.
I was especially intrigued by Meghan’s thoughts about “I taste the liquor”, that Dickinson was actually about summer coming to an end. I can understand how Meghan got that notion; I think I was more caught up in the feeling of the poem, the sense of enjoying life that many of you write about. It was a personal connection I made, I suppose, from enjoying life and the season of the year where life is at its most vibrant. The parts of the poem where she speaks about summer and winter (at least I think she does), sort of leads up to the culmination of spring.
I also liked Fredrik’s thoughts on “Tell all the truth”. I had a hard time understanding the poem, and figuring out what Dickinson was really after. But Fredrik’s analysis broadened my perspective. I find it quite controversial, that a woman in the beginning of the last century would state publicly that one should not tell all the truth, or rather, angle it in the most favourable way. Even if this has been done for centuries, it doesn’t strike me as very politically correct for a lady to unveil this “secret convention of society”.
My representations:
“There is a slant of light”. www.ghettyimages.com (search for Image EI00088) This image or something like it popped into my head as I read the first lines. And I can truly relate to the way Dickinson describes how powerful it is to experience this light, maybe on a cool winter’s day, when normally all you see is snow and darkness. It feels like a divine intervention of some sort – it lights everything up so completely and when it goes away, the darkness that occurs seems like the darkest you ever experienced.
“I taste the liquor”. This is a piece of music by Edvard Grieg. I remember my mother playing this on our piano when I was little, especially in spring time. I find that it matches the tone of the poem quite well, regardless of which season you think it reflects. The music is soft and beautiful, celebrating life, yet in some parts are rather fatal, dazing and dark. The midi-file doesn’t do the piece justice, but you get the idea, I think. The part I’m referring to starts about 2 min into the piece.
After rereading “I TASTE a liqour never brewed” from Ryans perspective the poem made a lot more sense to me – on my initial read(s) I had completely missed that she might be refering to life (or anything which is not actually alochol). It appears that my perception is really limited to the life I leed *a little bit of sarcasm there*. To spin on Ryans interpretation I found the third stanza of intrerest. This one can clearly be interpreted in both my original way and in Ryans. In my orginal it would simply say that when everyone else has passed out from drinking a bit too much, she can still continue. While in Ryans interpretation it could mean that when everyone else is fed up with life, she will not be.
Like Chase, I can see that she with “THERE'S a certain slant of light” wants to shed some light upon a hierarchical power system, or several. But she never really reveals which. She does equate it with the church, as Chase describes – and considering when it is written this makes sense. She continuisly compares “a certain slant of light” to what one would expect a system of control to contain. As in the fourth stanza when she says that when the light comes the landscape listens. I do not however have any read on “the distance on the look of death”, I would also however like to know if anyone else has.
I've chosen “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye as representations of what I hear in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”. I heard it on the grapevine refers to hearing the truth – or something you have never heard anything about all all for that matter – through the grapevine (thru gossip more or less). This is always the risk when one angles the truth and I think that it represents the poem fairly well. The lyrics can be found on http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/thebigchill/ihearditthroughthegrapevine.htm.
“I taste the liquor” Before i didn't understand what exactly schould transmit this poem but now i agree whith Frederik and Ryans interpretation "when everyone else is fed up with life, she will not be." That's why she's still drinking, she continue and doesn't passed. And LIQUOR is life, which sometimes is hard to hang on... this how much hard is, is depand on day (compare with alcohol) or situation, which is generate by day (compare with life). I like this poem. for me has original transmission, which i get with big enjoyment.
"Because I could not stop for Death" For me is look like day, which extend very slow like a carriage in poem. During the long day the teller has time to think about this that everything is passing. Carriage passed the fields of gazing grain and the setting sun and passed the school where children played,"We passed the school where children played At wrestling in a ring" which can mean that the narrator look at the past in the time when she was child. Now is adult and see how this time since her childhood fast going by but i don't understand "At wrestling in a ring" part and maybe somebody from you have some good idea what these words could mean.???. Like for me by this poem Dickinson want to show that everything go by and go to the death but in my opinion the last word in the poem has positive mean. ETERNITY mean that death is not the end. Generally the poem has lazy climate and i ilustrated this like some situations, which happened during a very sunny day, when man is exhausted by the sweltering heat.
Hey Group 2, It was really interesting to hear what everyone had to say about the poems. I particularly enjoyed reading about the words everyone chose to look up. I was interested in how Meghan made a connection between “THERE’S a certain slant of light” and Dickenson’s life. I think when you consider her loss of love, “This poem could very well have been written shortly after the Reverend broke her heart,” you get a different perspective. When you think about all the religious words and images in the poem you can really see the connection to Dickenson’s own life. Furthermore, I read the last stanza as Dickenson remembering “shadows” of the past. They “hold their breath” (14) as if they are frozen in her mind. The final image of “the distance/ On the look of death” (15-16) to me, is like someone leaving and that final goodbye gaze. These last few lines seem enigmatic and I would really like to hear how anyone else interpreted them. I was also really interested in what Chase had to say about the rhyme of the poem, “The pleasant jog of its three beat lines, the dependable full rhymes, and the slant rhymes like ‘light’ and weight in the first stanza, or ‘listens’ and ‘distance’ in the last, all contribute to the poem’s deceptively pleasant little sound.” This is and area of poetry that I wish I was more perceptive of. I think Chase makes a great point, just like the light is slanted, so are the rhymes and this serves to emphasize the metaphor. Yet these “delightful” rhymes also serve to deceive the reader. The poem reads with a happy up beat rhythm, but the content is quite the contrary. I also wanted to respond to Rafael’s interpretation of “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death.” I like the idea that the speaker passing the children could be a symbolic representation of passing her own life by. In a way it ties in the theme of time passing. There is a reflective tone in the end of the poem and, maybe the children are a reflection of her life. For the multimodal aspect of this assignment I chose the song “Fields of Gold” by Sting. I think this song really connects with the images in “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death.” The song has a reflective tone and, a courtship theme. There is the sense that the lovers are being immortalized in the lyrics which relates to the idea of eternity in the poem. The images of the fields, the children at play and the setting sun are all present in the song. You can check out the lyrics at http://stingetc.com/lyrics/fieldsof.shtml.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and opinions regarding Emily Dickinson’s poetry. In reading her poetry, I have decided that there can be many variations on the overall interpretations of Dickinson’s prose. Reading the other comments left really helped to further my understanding and, at times, change my interpretations of Dickinson’s poetry.
The second Dickinson poem, “There’s a certain slant of light,” was a poem that, although I managed to get the basic point of it, I could not figure out how to explain it in a complete manner. Reading Fredrick E.’s interpretation of this poem, I was able to better understand it. When he highlighted the last two lines and spoke of how “one has to tell the truth gently to a man, as one would a child” helped me to grasp something I did not grasp my first time analyzing the poem. I did not, originally, interpret the poem as the truth being told gently, but more so as the truth being told in a skewed manner. Now, however, I completely see how this poem is more about breaking the truth gently to someone.
“Because I could not stop for death” is a Dickinson poem I have read many times before. I have noticed the personification of death as a “He” (5) but I have never looked beyond that and noticed that there was also an element of courtship between death and the narrator. I really could see this, however, after Tess R. pointed it out. The narrator and death do have a “courtship” of sorts and take a journey to eternity together.
For my representation, I decided to continue with Dickinson’s poem, “Because I could not stop for death.” I chose this very classical painting that I found online of the Grim Reaper. When I think about the journey that the narrator is taking towards eternity with death personified, I picture him as the Grim Reaper. After looking at Dickinson’s cartoons on www.emilydickinson.org, I felt that this would be a representation of the poem that she would choose. The link is listed below:
good discussion we’re having. I noticed Tess and Megan have been thinking about connections between Dickinson’s life and poems like “Because I could not stop for death” and “There’s a certain slant of light.” I hadn’t thought about the last stanza of “There’s a certain slant of light” in terms of a love affair. Tess noted that Dickinson uses a courtship metaphor with death in “Because I could not stop for death,” so with that idea and biographical information in mind, I was fascinated by her reading of the last stanza, “as Dickenson remembering “shadows” of the past. They “hold their breath” (14) as if they are frozen in her mind. The final image of “the distance/ On the look of death” (15-16) to me, is like someone leaving and that final goodbye gaze.”
I’m also interested in the conversation we’re having about “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” Fredrik’s comments, “I found her poem about Truth refreshing. I cannot recall ever reading a text in which one is encouraged not to tell the entire truth right away, at least not in this direct manner,” got me thinking. I also think Dickinson’s view of truth is refreshing. It reminded me of Marianne Moore’s suggestion to make “imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” I think both poems have something to do with story truth, poem truth, slant truth, can be more true than factual truth. The same sort of idea comes up in Aristotle’s Rhetoric. Aristotle knows that successful and persuasive communication between people inevitably depends not only on the directness or truthfulness of a speech act, but also things like the ethos of the speaker and the emotional/psychological condition of the audience. So, for your multimodal pleasure, I offer a link to Moore's poem, "Poetry" http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15654 and another one to a handy English translation of the Rhetoric http://www.public.iastate.edu/~honeyl/Rhetoric/
When reading through the second letters of our group, I found Fredrik’s response comparing “Tell the truth but tell it slant” to Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” to be very interesting. It is a very solid comparison to hearing things through multiple indirect channels as opposed to a direct source. The fact that a common pop song is compared so easily to a Dickenson poem shows that gossip and “grapevines” are by no means a new concept, but on the contrary that they have been around since times past. People have been hearing things from unreliable sources and believing them as truth for centuries. The thing I especially liked about this creative response was the connection of such an icon in American pop culture. I felt that this staple of American music is easy for everyone our age to relate to. Another creative response I found very interesting was Meghan’s grim reaper painting which she compared to “Because I could not stop for death.” The poem itself seems to be talking about the grim reaper as the plot seems to be that of a journey towards death and eternity like Meghan said. The painting definitely helps to paint a picture that is verbally painted by the words of the poem. Often times, in poems such as this one, something such as death is personified, or given the characteristics as if it were a human being. Adding a visual image or a representative character such as the grim reaper helps the reader to visualize the personification.
I must say it is fun to read your letters! A lot of new interesting ideas have come up. I liked the fact that several of you related Dickinson’s poems to modern/pop music. Like Ryan stated in his third letter, it shows that the thoughts in Dickinson’s poems or for that matter in today’s pop music, are no news to the world. The ideas are simply expressed in a different shape or context.
I wonder if it is true that it is easier to relate to something in the same modality? I mean, song lyrics and poems are not that different, they are just words put together in a thoughtful way. I really liked Tess’ representation, with Sting’s song Fields of gold. I too found that it had the same feeling and “tone” as “Because I could not stop for death”. When reading those lyrics, I better appreciated “the love streak” in Dickson’s poem, which was not so obvious to me before. So this representation broadened my perspective and made me enjoy the reading more!
I would have guessed that many of you would relate to images/pictures because Dickinson’s poems are full of descriptive and colourful words, and I got several mental images when reading through them. I thought it was very refreshing that my hypothesis was overthrown!
I find that multimodal representation is a very good way of creating a better understanding of each other’s interpretations of the poems, simply because you get more points of reference, the analysis made becomes more clear or at least you understand where the thoughts are coming from. This helped my understanding of the poems, and also made me re-evaluate my own interpretations.
As it is time for the last post I read through all posts again and find them rather insightful, all from ones own perspective. On a personal level I am greatful that my own interpretation of “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” was able to give at least a few a new read on the poem, especially since I've never analyzed poems before.
Also I've gotten to closer to understanding the other poems than I was before, most of them simply didn't register with me on the first reads – yes I read them several times the first time around. Then especially “BECAUSE I could not stop for death” and “I TASTE a liqour never brewed” since they've both been discussed a lot this week.
After looking at the media “attached” to the posts I can honestly say that they don't really further my understanding of the poems, perhaps they would if we had not already discussed the poems. They do give me a better understanding of how you all interpret the poem you chose to represent in media. Most of the media do however “personify” the poems quite well to me as well. One which I could not relate to though was Anna Ps piano piece, it just didn't strike home with me. This might very well be because of the MIDI-file, and their notorious property to sound different on different musical instruments or computers.
Thank you all for an interesting and rewarding week. Good luck to you all in the future.
I have to say that i have never took a part of show like this and my contact with poetry was minimal but this kind intepretation of poetry is very nice and more interesting than solo. I thing that You have to interested of poetry because your considerations are interesting like compare Dickinson poetry with pop music or idea that when we are drinking to the end we are going consequently to our aim across the life with problems and difficulties (“I taste the liquor”). I am not writting a lot because i haven't to much ideas for this what i can to write. I think that was interesting experience to talking with you about Dickinson poetry but i related that i hadn't a lot of wonder considerations about 4 poems of Emily Dickinson, because poetry is not my domain. None the less thanks for diversity this week.
Dearest Group 6, I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s interpretations of the poems, as well as their feedback. I hope everyone has had a good experience with our weblog! I definitely gained a lot from the multimodal aspect of our last letter. It was interesting to see how we drew from different sources, and connected our ideas. I really liked the fact that there were various types of multimodal representations, ranging from music and song lyrics to art and poetry. I liked what Meghan had to say about “TELL all the Truth but tell it slant.” I didn’t consider the idea of “breaking” the truth to someone “gently” as a theme in the poem when I first read it. I think that is a great word to describe the main idea of the poem. I just wanted to mention this because it is something I didn’t really think about before. I also wanted to talk about the picture Meghan posted for the multimodal aspect of her letter. I am interested in this representation of death and its connection with “BECAUSE I could not stop for death.” I think the main reason for my interest is that this picture is the total opposite of what I think of when I read the poem. I do not mean this as a criticism though; in fact I am glad that someone posted a “dark” image. I think it is easy to be deceived by the playful tone of Dickenson’s poems. I often neglect the fact that this poem is indeed talking about death (a somber topic), no matter how pleasant a picture Dickenson paints for us. I was likewise interested in the poem Chase posted and his reflections on truth. I am interested in the argument that there may be different kinds of truth and that poetic truth and factual truth can both exist, and still not be the same. At least that is what I think he means (- let me know if I am totally off). I really enjoyed reading the poem by Moore but, I am having trouble with the last few lines. Is Moore saying that the raw material of poetry is that which is genuine, or rather truth? If this idea is true then what does that say about the relationship between Dickenson’s poem about truth and actual truth? I just thought it was something to consider. Anyway it has been fun! Best of luck to all this semester! Sincerely, Tess
I have really enjoyed working on this project and I feel like I get a deeper understanding of these poems every time I read everyone’s comments and interpretations about them. I have gone over these poems three times at least now and I feel that my opinions on some of them have changed from the first letter I wrote.
One of these poems that I feel a lot different about now is Dickinson’s poem, “There is a Certain Slant of Light.” When I first read this poem I looked at it more as a poem that discusses telling the truth slowly and in a more sugar coated manner. This could have been because she didn’t want to face the truth, which I think could be related to her loss of love. After reading what Fredrick and Chase discussed I can definitely see the connection of the poem to a power such as church or the government. I can especially see this relationship to the church because of Anna P.’s photo that she linked to her comment. The photo, in my opinion, is like a “ta-da” of sorts; finally understanding the entire truth if you will.
I am fascinated by the symbolism and personification in “I Could Not Stop for Death” and one of Rafael’s comments really struck me. I can really see how he connected the carriage ride to being a slow day. I never considered that and it really is the narrator’s slow day of death. Something that I was also thinking about recently regarding this poem is how at ease the narrator seemed to be with death. She did not struggle or fight it, but instead absorbed herself in the journey to eternity.
It’s been wonderful listening to everybody’s comments this week and working on a project with people that are so far away from us! Best wishes to all!
I was interested by Anna’s choice of image for “There’s a certain slant of light.” The warm colored sunset is not what I imagine at all. I see a barren, gray landscape, flat light seeping through the slate clouds. The bright sunbeams, dramatic clouds, and red-orange air are strikingly different than my mental image. Anna’s image gave me a much better idea of how she saw the poem, and opened up my own thinking about the poem. I reconsidered the poem with a brighter sky and bright beams of sunlight breaking the clouds to see if it would mesh for me. It occurred to me that perhaps the “certain slant of light” was one of these beautiful, unexpected beams, lighting and coloring a patch of air and earth. I assumed the image she was describing was painful because it was depressing, but perhaps it is painful because it is beautiful—the way a beautiful work of art can be painful. Or as a reminder of the eternal, as in “The distance on the look of death,” through an Emerson-like transcendent experience with nature. If “When it comes the landscape listens, / Shadows hold their breath,” our speaker probably reacted profoundly as well.
I was a little skeptical at first of Fredrik’s “Heard it through the grapevine” comparison for “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” But after refreshing myself on the lyrics and considering the poem again, thinking of slant truth as possibly being merciful discretion, it made sense to me. I’m grateful anytime someone can open another aspect of a poem for me.
I’ve really enjoyed our conversation this week. You’ve all made my experience of these poems richer. It has been great fun getting to talk poetry with all you.
-chase
ps. Tess, that’s exactly what I was talking about. I think Moore’s idea of the “genuine” is tied to emotional/intellectual honesty. I think part of what Moore (and Dickinson) are saying is that honest revelation and the truth of experience aren’t always best expressed with regard to historical accuracy.
20 comments:
Anna P, Fiction, Chalmers
Hi everyone!
My name is Anna, and I´m studying at Chalmers, Gothenburg. The course I´m taking is called fiction for engineers, and by that name you understand that reading and analysing classic literature is not what I ordinarily do… I’ve read some of Dickinson’s poems before, but not all of the ones selected for this assignment.
I particularly liked “I started early” and “I taste the liquor”. I can’t really explain why, other than that they just got to me, they connected with me and I could understand them quote easily.
To me “I taste the liquor” is a poem about spring or rather the joy of life in springtime. About the drunkenness of nature at the time when spring arrives. I find that Dickinson is quite elaborate in the word play/twisting, and many of the words used to describe characteristics of animals and nature have a relation to alcohol and drunkenness. This is something I remember from reading her poems before, so maybe this is her speciality?
“I started early” is similar in that way, but the references here are the sea and nature portrayed like a house or a building. I particularly like the ways she makes “a character” of the tide (she does that with Death too, in some other poems).
Selected keywords
“As wholly as a dew…” from “I started early”, simply because it is a beautiful frase. Wonderful description of the action passed, instead of just writing “the water reached my feet…”. This is something you find in many of Dickinson’s poems, these very carefully chosen expressions.
“tankards scooped in pearl” from “I taste” – the way the word scooped is used. Is pearl scooped up or are the tankards actually made of pearl? Whatever the meaning is, at least it sounds very poetic…
“inns of molten blue” from “I taste”, is a pub made of melted colour? Or does she actually mean that the sky (referring to the blue melted colour) is sort of a haven for life and encourages drunkenness? Also, I like the way the words feel in my mouth, and find that characteristic of Dickinson, that is to be very considerate in choosing words.
Hello Group,
My name is Fredrik Elestedt. I'm studying Computer Engineering at Chalmers, at a level roughly equivilent to a Master. I'm aiming for a major in Systems Development. I've never analyzed poetry before so this will be really different, much like the rest of the Fiction course, from trying to interpret all other schoolbooks we have.
I found her poem about Truth refreshing. I cannot recall ever reading a text in which one is encourage not to tell the entire truth right away, at least not in this direct manner. Encouraging to tell the truth a bit slant, only to fill in the blanks or correct the slant later isn't really what I expected. Probably mostly because how the poem ends - with Dickinson stating, in my view, that the entire truth might make every man blind.
That the poem ends in this manner makes me believe that she was trying to tell men, in particular, something. I believe she states this in the last two rows, it could however just be common phrasing at the time. Further I believe that she in the two second last rows states that one has to tell the truth gently to a man, as one would a child.
Keywords:
dazzle - after looking up the exact meaning I saw the connection with going blind if to much was revealed at once. “The truth must dazzle gradually”
slant - not knowing that this meant angling information to match what one wants to present the poem lost a lot of it's meaning for me, after looking it up it got a lot more interesting. “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”
// Fredrik
Hi every writer :)
My name is Rafael, I am student of Szczecin University of Technology in Poland. I took a part of socrates erasmus exchange and now i studing at Chalmers for one semester. The course I'm taking is Fiction for engineers. I have never read Dickinson's poetry before and i have to say is very interesting but difficult for me, maybe because i didn't read a lot of poetry in the past.
"I STARTED early" it is for me some sublime and not tipical experince, which felt women who find a time for pause of live and for consideration about, what she feel when standing at the sand and when feel the power of sea. We often haven't time to consideration about this, what telling as nature. We don't take a break from live, which running very fast and it is very easy to lose ourselves in our way. For me everything in nature have some deep, which i can't see because is not easy in modern time, where I am very busy... but sometimes things important to me is not real important and i forget about about this.
I can't understand what exactly felt Emily Dickinson standing at the sea, because her poetry is hard for me and for my weak english but she had to find some deep sense in sea's speech:).
Hello Group 6,
My Name is Tess and I am currently a Clemson University student. This semester I am taking Victorian Poetry with Dr. Young. Right now I am exploring different areas of the field, and trying to decide what I am passionate about and want to study. I guess that is part of the reason why I am enrolled in Victorian poetry this semester. In my undergraduate career I took a few poetry classes (mostly modern and romantic) but, this is my first Victorian class.
After reading the poems selected for our discussion I decided I wanted to focus on Dickenson’s “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death.” In this poem Dickenson uniquely combines the themes death and courtship. Death is personified. “He” (5), is described with words such as “Kindly” (2), and “Civility” (8). In stanzas one and two the reader is presented with Death playing the role of a suitor. I think this theme is interesting because the speaker is also being pursued in “I STARTED early, took my dog.” This is noteworthy considering the almost reclusive life Dickenson led. I would be interested in what anyone else thought about that. Though death is pursuing the speaker she does not seem afraid or resistant.
The speaker describes the sights that they pass in their carriage ride “toward Eternity” (24). The speaker seems to describe life as full of activity and tiresome. The children at school and at recess have to strive; there is a force of passion in living, and this is a challenge. The carriage also passes a field of grain which conjures images of natural and pastoral beauty, and finally the setting sun. Certainly the carriage is moving past life towards death with the setting sun.
I have a question about stanza four; I definitely think there is a shift here, because there is a change in movement. What I don’t really understand is who is doing the moving now, is the “he” the sun? This stanza is also more focused on the speaker, specifically her clothing. Her gown seems to suggest a wedding gown. In line 16 she describes her garment and uses the word “Tippet.” I thought this was an interesting and ironic image after I looked the word up. While the generally accepted meaning is “A long narrow slip of cloth or hanging part of a dress, formally worn, either attached to or forming part of the hood, head-dress, or sleeve, or loose, as a scarf of the like” (www.oed.com), there was another definition that interested me. A Tippet can also be “A jocular name of a hangman’s rope” (www.oed.com). This definition was interesting to me because the garment can be seen as a wedding gown and vale, but for the speaker, her groom is death, thus the wedding attire is a hangman’s noose.
In the fifth stanza there is a pause, here the movement of the poem stops. It is as if they have arrived at their destination. The pause, I think, is the speaker accepting her own mortality. She sees a house and it seems to suggest that she is returning home, to the afterlife. Though it is “scarcely visible” (19), she spots “The Cornice- in the Ground” (20). The Cornice, usually “an ornamental moulding” (www.oed.com), I think is reminiscent of a headstone or the speakers grave marker.
In the end there is a reflective tone. The speaker is considering the passage of time and Eternity. The end is calm, and it seems that the speaker is finally at peace. The movement and, deaths pursuit or courtship of the speaker, has ceased.
Looking forward to everyone’s response
Sincerely,
Tess
Dear Everyone,
My name is Ryan and I am a senior at Clemson taking American Literature with Dr. Reiss. I will be graduating in May with a degree in Graphic Communications.
The poem that struck a chord with me was the first one, “I taste a liquor never brewed”. I very much enjoyed how Dickenson compared enjoying life to being drunk from alcohol. I think it is a feeling that everyone has had at some point or another in their life, and is a very fond memory. We have all had that time which we were so satisfied with life, we felt drunk with happiness and wished we could hold onto that feeling forever. The words I chose to look for definitions were Inebriate and debauchery. The definition of Inebriate by Merriam-Webster dictionary is to exhilarate or stupefy as if by liquor or to make drunk. This definition completely explains Dickenson’s feeling of being drunk with life or, “the air”. The way she describes being drunk with life is so easy to associate with, especially because of what a good and familiar feeling it is. It reminded me personally that I need to make certain to enjoy life whenever possible. The other word I chose, debauchery, is defined by Merriam-Webster as extreme indulgence in sensuality. This illustration just furthers the first in its vivid description of enjoying life with being drunk. It continues to paint the picture of how good life can be when it’s good. Overall, the poem reminded me to live my life, and how good those good times can be. People often use the phrase “get high on life” but this poem describes perfectly what that means.
Sincerely,
Ryan M.
Hello there group 6!
I’m Chase from Dr. Young’s Victorian Poetry class at Clemson. I’m working on a Master’s in English lit., so I tend to spend a lot of time reading poetry.
I am interested in Ms. Dickinson’s poem that begins, “There is a certain slant of light,” On first read, I enjoyed the poem’s simple music. The pleasant jog of its three beat lines, the dependable full rhymes, and slant rhymes like ‘light’ and ‘weight’ in the first stanza, or ‘listens’ and ‘distance’ in the last, all contribute to the poem’s deceptively pleasant little sound.
The ideas in the poem require a bit more digestion to enjoy. As with most of Dickinson’s poetry, ambiguity abounds, but here’s my reading. The poem describes the emotional/psychological effect of this “certain slant of light” in terms of symbols of hierarchical power systems. It is significant that she chooses “cathedral tunes” as opposed to those of an ordinary church, because the cathedral is the principle church of a diocese and contains the bishop’s throne (American Heritage Dictionary). I knew cathedrals were big churches, but after looking up the word, I found its central etymological concept to be the place of the bishop’s throne. That got me thinking. Skipping to the third, I saw two more clear symbols of hierarchical power: the light described as “the seal” and “an imperial affliction.” “Seal” in this sense, is an emblem or symbol used as attestation of authenticity or authority (American Heritage Dictionary). So the light is described as “oppressive,” like “cathedral tunes,” or an imperial seal, proof we should “despair.”
Between these comparisons, the second stanza establishes the pain is “Heavenly hurt” that doesn’t leave a physical scar, “But internal difference / Where the meanings are.” This assertion, that meaning is internal, seems much more significant when held against the poet’s critical descriptions of the light through symbols of exterior power structures.
If meaning is held internally by the individual, it is not legislated by external hierarchies.
I’m still meditating on how this plays out in the final stanza. If anyone has thoughts on “the distance on the look of death” I’d be really interested in hearing them. I hope my thinking on this poem was interesting for ya’ll. I’m really looking forward to reading what everyone had to say.
peace, my friends
-Chase
Meghan J., American Lit, Clemson
Hi Everyone,
My name is Meghan and I am taking American Literature at Clemson University. I am a sophomore working on my undergraduate degree in Marketing. I enjoy reading and writing poetry and have had an interest in it since a young age.
For many years, I have found the poetry, as well as the life story, of Emily Dickinson to be quite fascinating. She was a very private person and her poems and letters offered much desired insight into her life.
“I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed,” is, in my opinion, a poem about summer coming to an end. However, Dickinson uses the metaphor of the alcohol instead of directly discussing the summer. “Yield such an alcohol” (4), more directly in my opinion, refers to the wonderful and exemplary time that Dickinson had over the summer of which she is referring.
“There’s a Certain Slant of Light” is a poem that I think Dickinson wrote during a more depressed time in her life. This poem could very well have been written shortly after the Reverend broke her heart. The “shadows” conceal her sorrows and sadness while the “slant of light” (1) illuminates and highlights her depressed state of being. This “imperial affliction” (11) is a great way of saying that the feelings she was experiencing were of an empirical state of “superior or unusual size or excellence” (www.m-w.com).
“Because I Could Not Stop For Death” is one of my favorite Dickinson poem’s and one that I have been familiar with for many years. Clearly, the poem is about death and the end of Dickinson’s life. I especially like how at the end of the poem she discussed how although she has been gone for centuries, it “feels shorter than the day” (18). This is a great way of putting how the afterlife has no time concept and it really puts that into perspective for me.
“Tell All the Truth but Tell it Slant” gives an outlook on truthfulness and the concept of telling the whole truth. The poem discusses how telling a poem with “slant” (1) or “a peculiar or personal point of view, attitude, or opinion” (www.m-w.com) is a way to dazzle and appeal to a person. Truth that “dazzles gradually” (7) is a much more widely accepted truth that the cold-hard truth.
The final Dickinson poem I read, “I Started Early, Took my Dog,” is very metaphorical. Dickinson’s visit to the sea, in my opinion, is her encounter with a companion, most likely a man. “But no man moved me till the tide” (9) is how no man but this man moved her in an emotional sense. This man, however, seemed to not be a complete constant in her life because he came and she was completely absorbed by him and then he withdrew.
-Meghan Joseph
Anna P, Fiction, Chalmers
Hi group 6!
I found it very interesting reading your submissions. I must say that all of you contributed to my understanding and appreciation of the poems.
I was especially intrigued by Meghan’s thoughts about “I taste the liquor”, that Dickinson was actually about summer coming to an end. I can understand how Meghan got that notion; I think I was more caught up in the feeling of the poem, the sense of enjoying life that many of you write about. It was a personal connection I made, I suppose, from enjoying life and the season of the year where life is at its most vibrant. The parts of the poem where she speaks about summer and winter (at least I think she does), sort of leads up to the culmination of spring.
I also liked Fredrik’s thoughts on “Tell all the truth”. I had a hard time understanding the poem, and figuring out what Dickinson was really after. But Fredrik’s analysis broadened my perspective. I find it quite controversial, that a woman in the beginning of the last century would state publicly that one should not tell all the truth, or rather, angle it in the most favourable way. Even if this has been done for centuries, it doesn’t strike me as very politically correct for a lady to unveil this “secret convention of society”.
My representations:
“There is a slant of light”.
www.ghettyimages.com (search for Image EI00088)
This image or something like it popped into my head as I read the first lines. And I can truly relate to the way Dickinson describes how powerful it is to experience this light, maybe on a cool winter’s day, when normally all you see is snow and darkness. It feels like a divine intervention of some sort – it lights everything up so completely and when it goes away, the darkness that occurs seems like the darkest you ever experienced.
“I taste the liquor”. This is a piece of music by Edvard Grieg. I remember my mother playing this on our piano when I was little, especially in spring time. I find that it matches the tone of the poem quite well, regardless of which season you think it reflects. The music is soft and beautiful, celebrating life, yet in some parts are rather fatal, dazing and dark. The midi-file doesn’t do the piece justice, but you get the idea, I think. The part I’m referring to starts about 2 min into the piece.
http://www.kunstderfuge.com/-/engine.asp?file=rolls/classical-i/grieg_68711a_to_spring_(nc)smythe.mid
(you need windows media player or something like it to listen)
Hello again,
After rereading “I TASTE a liqour never brewed” from Ryans perspective the poem made a lot more sense to me – on my initial read(s) I had completely missed that she might be refering to life (or anything which is not actually alochol). It appears that my perception is really limited to the life I leed *a little bit of sarcasm there*. To spin on Ryans interpretation I found the third stanza of intrerest. This one can clearly be interpreted in both my original way and in Ryans. In my orginal it would simply say that when everyone else has passed out from drinking a bit too much, she can still continue. While in Ryans interpretation it could mean that when everyone else is fed up with life, she will not be.
Like Chase, I can see that she with “THERE'S a certain slant of light” wants to shed some light upon a hierarchical power system, or several. But she never really reveals which. She does equate it with the church, as Chase describes – and considering when it is written this makes sense. She continuisly compares “a certain slant of light” to what one would expect a system of control to contain. As in the fourth stanza when she says that when the light comes the landscape listens. I do not however have any read on “the distance on the look of death”, I would also however like to know if anyone else has.
I've chosen “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye as representations of what I hear in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”. I heard it on the grapevine refers to hearing the truth – or something you have never heard anything about all all for that matter – through the grapevine (thru gossip more or less). This is always the risk when one angles the truth and I think that it represents the poem fairly well. The lyrics can be found on http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/thebigchill/ihearditthroughthegrapevine.htm.
// Fredrik
Hi everyone again.
“I taste the liquor”
Before i didn't understand what exactly schould transmit this poem but now i agree whith Frederik and Ryans interpretation
"when everyone else is fed up with life, she will not be." That's why she's still drinking, she continue and doesn't passed. And LIQUOR is life, which sometimes is hard to hang on... this how much hard is, is depand on day (compare with alcohol) or situation, which is generate by day (compare with life). I like this poem. for me has original transmission, which i get with big enjoyment.
"Because I could not stop for Death"
For me is look like day, which extend very slow like a carriage in poem. During the long day the teller has time to think about this that everything is passing. Carriage passed the fields of gazing grain and the setting sun and passed the school where children played,"We passed the school where children played
At wrestling in a ring" which can mean that the narrator look at the past in the time when she was child. Now is adult and see how this time since her childhood fast going by but i don't understand "At wrestling in a ring" part and maybe somebody from you have some good idea what these words could mean.???. Like for me by this poem Dickinson want to show that everything go by and go to the death but in my opinion the last word in the poem has positive mean. ETERNITY mean that death is not the end. Generally the poem has lazy climate and i ilustrated this like some situations, which happened during a very sunny day, when man is exhausted by the sweltering heat.
Hey Group 2,
It was really interesting to hear what everyone had to say about the poems. I particularly enjoyed reading about the words everyone chose to look up.
I was interested in how Meghan made a connection between “THERE’S a certain slant of light” and Dickenson’s life. I think when you consider her loss of love, “This poem could very well have been written shortly after the Reverend broke her heart,” you get a different perspective. When you think about all the religious words and images in the poem you can really see the connection to Dickenson’s own life. Furthermore, I read the last stanza as Dickenson remembering “shadows” of the past. They “hold their breath” (14) as if they are frozen in her mind. The final image of “the distance/ On the look of death” (15-16) to me, is like someone leaving and that final goodbye gaze. These last few lines seem enigmatic and I would really like to hear how anyone else interpreted them.
I was also really interested in what Chase had to say about the rhyme of the poem, “The pleasant jog of its three beat lines, the dependable full rhymes, and the slant rhymes like ‘light’ and weight in the first stanza, or ‘listens’ and ‘distance’ in the last, all contribute to the poem’s deceptively pleasant little sound.” This is and area of poetry that I wish I was more perceptive of. I think Chase makes a great point, just like the light is slanted, so are the rhymes and this serves to emphasize the metaphor. Yet these “delightful” rhymes also serve to deceive the reader. The poem reads with a happy up beat rhythm, but the content is quite the contrary.
I also wanted to respond to Rafael’s interpretation of “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death.” I like the idea that the speaker passing the children could be a symbolic representation of passing her own life by. In a way it ties in the theme of time passing. There is a reflective tone in the end of the poem and, maybe the children are a reflection of her life.
For the multimodal aspect of this assignment I chose the song “Fields of Gold” by Sting. I think this song really connects with the images in “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death.” The song has a reflective tone and, a courtship theme. There is the sense that the lovers are being immortalized in the lyrics which relates to the idea of eternity in the poem. The images of the fields, the children at play and the setting sun are all present in the song. You can check out the lyrics at http://stingetc.com/lyrics/fieldsof.shtml.
Enjoy!
Tess
Hi Everyone,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and opinions regarding Emily Dickinson’s poetry. In reading her poetry, I have decided that there can be many variations on the overall interpretations of Dickinson’s prose. Reading the other comments left really helped to further my understanding and, at times, change my interpretations of Dickinson’s poetry.
The second Dickinson poem, “There’s a certain slant of light,” was a poem that, although I managed to get the basic point of it, I could not figure out how to explain it in a complete manner. Reading Fredrick E.’s interpretation of this poem, I was able to better understand it. When he highlighted the last two lines and spoke of how “one has to tell the truth gently to a man, as one would a child” helped me to grasp something I did not grasp my first time analyzing the poem. I did not, originally, interpret the poem as the truth being told gently, but more so as the truth being told in a skewed manner. Now, however, I completely see how this poem is more about breaking the truth gently to someone.
“Because I could not stop for death” is a Dickinson poem I have read many times before. I have noticed the personification of death as a “He” (5) but I have never looked beyond that and noticed that there was also an element of courtship between death and the narrator. I really could see this, however, after Tess R. pointed it out. The narrator and death do have a “courtship” of sorts and take a journey to eternity together.
For my representation, I decided to continue with Dickinson’s poem, “Because I could not stop for death.” I chose this very classical painting that I found online of the Grim Reaper. When I think about the journey that the narrator is taking towards eternity with death personified, I picture him as the Grim Reaper. After looking at Dickinson’s cartoons on www.emilydickinson.org, I felt that this would be a representation of the poem that she would choose. The link is listed below:
http://tn3-1.deviantart.com/300W/fs7.deviantart.com/i/2005/230/b/5/grim_reaper_by_blackpoint.jpg
-Meghan
salutations groupies!
good discussion we’re having. I noticed Tess and Megan have been thinking about connections between Dickinson’s life and poems like “Because I could not stop for death” and “There’s a certain slant of light.” I hadn’t thought about the last stanza of “There’s a certain slant of light” in terms of a love affair. Tess noted that Dickinson uses a courtship metaphor with death in “Because I could not stop for death,” so with that idea and biographical information in mind, I was fascinated by her reading of the last stanza, “as Dickenson remembering “shadows” of the past. They “hold their breath” (14) as if they are frozen in her mind. The final image of “the distance/ On the look of death” (15-16) to me, is like someone leaving and that final goodbye gaze.”
I’m also interested in the conversation we’re having about “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” Fredrik’s comments, “I found her poem about Truth refreshing. I cannot recall ever reading a text in which one is encouraged not to tell the entire truth right away, at least not in this direct manner,” got me thinking. I also think Dickinson’s view of truth is refreshing. It reminded me of Marianne Moore’s suggestion to make “imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” I think both poems have something to do with story truth, poem truth, slant truth, can be more true than factual truth. The same sort of idea comes up in Aristotle’s Rhetoric. Aristotle knows that successful and persuasive communication between people inevitably depends not only on the directness or truthfulness of a speech act, but also things like the ethos of the speaker and the emotional/psychological condition of the audience. So, for your multimodal pleasure, I offer a link to Moore's poem, "Poetry" http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15654 and another one to a handy English translation of the Rhetoric http://www.public.iastate.edu/~honeyl/Rhetoric/
looking forward to our next post,
-chase
Dear Group 6,
When reading through the second letters of our group, I found Fredrik’s response comparing “Tell the truth but tell it slant” to Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” to be very interesting. It is a very solid comparison to hearing things through multiple indirect channels as opposed to a direct source. The fact that a common pop song is compared so easily to a Dickenson poem shows that gossip and “grapevines” are by no means a new concept, but on the contrary that they have been around since times past. People have been hearing things from unreliable sources and believing them as truth for centuries. The thing I especially liked about this creative response was the connection of such an icon in American pop culture. I felt that this staple of American music is easy for everyone our age to relate to.
Another creative response I found very interesting was Meghan’s grim reaper painting which she compared to “Because I could not stop for death.” The poem itself seems to be talking about the grim reaper as the plot seems to be that of a journey towards death and eternity like Meghan said. The painting definitely helps to paint a picture that is verbally painted by the words of the poem. Often times, in poems such as this one, something such as death is personified, or given the characteristics as if it were a human being. Adding a visual image or a representative character such as the grim reaper helps the reader to visualize the personification.
Sincerely,
Ryan M
Hi again!
I must say it is fun to read your letters! A lot of new interesting ideas have come up. I liked the fact that several of you related Dickinson’s poems to modern/pop music. Like Ryan stated in his third letter, it shows that the thoughts in Dickinson’s poems or for that matter in today’s pop music, are no news to the world. The ideas are simply expressed in a different shape or context.
I wonder if it is true that it is easier to relate to something in the same modality? I mean, song lyrics and poems are not that different, they are just words put together in a thoughtful way. I really liked Tess’ representation, with Sting’s song Fields of gold. I too found that it had the same feeling and “tone” as “Because I could not stop for death”. When reading those lyrics, I better appreciated “the love streak” in Dickson’s poem, which was not so obvious to me before. So this representation broadened my perspective and made me enjoy the reading more!
I would have guessed that many of you would relate to images/pictures because Dickinson’s poems are full of descriptive and colourful words, and I got several mental images when reading through them. I thought it was very refreshing that my hypothesis was overthrown!
I find that multimodal representation is a very good way of creating a better understanding of each other’s interpretations of the poems, simply because you get more points of reference, the analysis made becomes more clear or at least you understand where the thoughts are coming from. This helped my understanding of the poems, and also made me re-evaluate my own interpretations.
So long!
//Anna, Chalmers
Hi all,
As it is time for the last post I read through all posts again and find them rather insightful, all from ones own perspective. On a personal level I am greatful that my own interpretation of “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” was able to give at least a few a new read on the poem, especially since I've never analyzed poems before.
Also I've gotten to closer to understanding the other poems than I was before, most of them simply didn't register with me on the first reads – yes I read them several times the first time around. Then especially “BECAUSE I could not stop for death” and “I TASTE a liqour never brewed” since they've both been discussed a lot this week.
After looking at the media “attached” to the posts I can honestly say that they don't really further my understanding of the poems, perhaps they would if we had not already discussed the poems. They do give me a better understanding of how you all interpret the poem you chose to represent in media. Most of the media do however “personify” the poems quite well to me as well.
One which I could not relate to though was Anna Ps piano piece, it just didn't strike home with me. This might very well be because of the MIDI-file, and their notorious property to sound different on different musical instruments or computers.
Thank you all for an interesting and rewarding week. Good luck to you all in the future.
// Fredrik
Hello everybody again!
I have to say that i have never took a part of show like this and my contact with poetry was minimal but this kind intepretation of poetry is very nice and more interesting than solo. I thing that You have to interested of poetry because your considerations are interesting like compare Dickinson poetry with pop music or idea that when we are drinking to the end we are going consequently to our aim across the life with problems and difficulties (“I taste the liquor”). I am not writting a lot because i haven't to much ideas for this what i can to write. I think that was interesting experience to talking with you about Dickinson poetry but i related that i hadn't a lot of wonder considerations about 4 poems of Emily Dickinson, because poetry is not my domain.
None the less thanks for diversity this week.
Take care and good luck.
Rafael
Dearest Group 6,
I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s interpretations of the poems, as well as their feedback. I hope everyone has had a good experience with our weblog! I definitely gained a lot from the multimodal aspect of our last letter. It was interesting to see how we drew from different sources, and connected our ideas. I really liked the fact that there were various types of multimodal representations, ranging from music and song lyrics to art and poetry.
I liked what Meghan had to say about “TELL all the Truth but tell it slant.” I didn’t consider the idea of “breaking” the truth to someone “gently” as a theme in the poem when I first read it. I think that is a great word to describe the main idea of the poem. I just wanted to mention this because it is something I didn’t really think about before. I also wanted to talk about the picture Meghan posted for the multimodal aspect of her letter. I am interested in this representation of death and its connection with “BECAUSE I could not stop for death.” I think the main reason for my interest is that this picture is the total opposite of what I think of when I read the poem. I do not mean this as a criticism though; in fact I am glad that someone posted a “dark” image. I think it is easy to be deceived by the playful tone of Dickenson’s poems. I often neglect the fact that this poem is indeed talking about death (a somber topic), no matter how pleasant a picture Dickenson paints for us.
I was likewise interested in the poem Chase posted and his reflections on truth. I am interested in the argument that there may be different kinds of truth and that poetic truth and factual truth can both exist, and still not be the same. At least that is what I think he means (- let me know if I am totally off). I really enjoyed reading the poem by Moore but, I am having trouble with the last few lines. Is Moore saying that the raw material of poetry is that which is genuine, or rather truth? If this idea is true then what does that say about the relationship between Dickenson’s poem about truth and actual truth? I just thought it was something to consider.
Anyway it has been fun! Best of luck to all this semester!
Sincerely,
Tess
Hi Everyone!
I have really enjoyed working on this project and I feel like I get a deeper understanding of these poems every time I read everyone’s comments and interpretations about them. I have gone over these poems three times at least now and I feel that my opinions on some of them have changed from the first letter I wrote.
One of these poems that I feel a lot different about now is Dickinson’s poem, “There is a Certain Slant of Light.” When I first read this poem I looked at it more as a poem that discusses telling the truth slowly and in a more sugar coated manner. This could have been because she didn’t want to face the truth, which I think could be related to her loss of love. After reading what Fredrick and Chase discussed I can definitely see the connection of the poem to a power such as church or the government. I can especially see this relationship to the church because of Anna P.’s photo that she linked to her comment. The photo, in my opinion, is like a “ta-da” of sorts; finally understanding the entire truth if you will.
I am fascinated by the symbolism and personification in “I Could Not Stop for Death” and one of Rafael’s comments really struck me. I can really see how he connected the carriage ride to being a slow day. I never considered that and it really is the narrator’s slow day of death. Something that I was also thinking about recently regarding this poem is how at ease the narrator seemed to be with death. She did not struggle or fight it, but instead absorbed herself in the journey to eternity.
It’s been wonderful listening to everybody’s comments this week and working on a project with people that are so far away from us! Best wishes to all!
-Meghan J
greetings friends!
I was interested by Anna’s choice of image for “There’s a certain slant of light.” The warm colored sunset is not what I imagine at all. I see a barren, gray landscape, flat light seeping through the slate clouds. The bright sunbeams, dramatic clouds, and red-orange air are strikingly different than my mental image. Anna’s image gave me a much better idea of how she saw the poem, and opened up my own thinking about the poem. I reconsidered the poem with a brighter sky and bright beams of sunlight breaking the clouds to see if it would mesh for me. It occurred to me that perhaps the “certain slant of light” was one of these beautiful, unexpected beams, lighting and coloring a patch of air and earth. I assumed the image she was describing was painful because it was depressing, but perhaps it is painful because it is beautiful—the way a beautiful work of art can be painful. Or as a reminder of the eternal, as in “The distance on the look of death,” through an Emerson-like transcendent experience with nature. If “When it comes the landscape listens, / Shadows hold their breath,” our speaker probably reacted profoundly as well.
I was a little skeptical at first of Fredrik’s “Heard it through the grapevine” comparison for “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” But after refreshing myself on the lyrics and considering the poem again, thinking of slant truth as possibly being merciful discretion, it made sense to me. I’m grateful anytime someone can open another aspect of a poem for me.
I’ve really enjoyed our conversation this week. You’ve all made my experience of these poems richer. It has been great fun getting to talk poetry with all you.
-chase
ps. Tess, that’s exactly what I was talking about. I think Moore’s idea of the “genuine” is tied to emotional/intellectual honesty. I think part of what Moore (and Dickinson) are saying is that honest revelation and the truth of experience aren’t always best expressed with regard to historical accuracy.
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