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 4: Melody F., Álvaro G., David K., Kate Daniel L., Adam M., Clara P., Michael P., Dee T.
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Anonymous
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Hello, Everyone!
My name is Dee Tindal and I am taking English 814—Victorian Poetry—with Dr. Young at Clemson University in South Carolina in the United States. This has been my first graduate course that focuses exclusively on poetry, so some new territory has been chartered for me this semester! I’m almost to the end of my time here at Clemson and, while I know I’ll miss the university, I’m certainly ready for the break as well!
I’m writing this first response on Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” I’m currently reviewing all of Dickinson’s poems (both for this assignment and for my comprehensive exams) and the first two lines of this poem catch me right at the start. My life is so busy right now that I totally understand not being able to stop…not even for death! But then, that speaks to modernity as a whole, doesn’t it? As a people, aren’t our lives continuing at such a break-neck pace that we hardly have time to stop and take a break?
What catches my attention in the second stanza is the use of past tense with “drove” and “knew” and “had put away.” This leads me to ask, is Dickinson writing from beyond her experience with death? Is she writing from the afterlife? If so, what does that mean…is she offering us insight into her experience or trying to teach us a lesson?
In the third stanza it’s almost like Death is showing her the past in the form of her youth, through the presentation of the school children, then adulthood with the “grazing grain,” and then finally the end of her life with the “setting sun.”
The “house that seemed / A swelling of the ground” with its barely visible roof in the fourth stanza, is obviously her final resting place.
The fifth stanza of this poem, a poem that is fairly easy to comprehend, causes the most contemplation. Here it is confirmed that Dickinson is indeed writing from beyond the grave when she states that it was been centuries since she has died, but it seems like it’s been less than a day since she saw the horses heads (which threw me, initially, until I remembered that Death carried her away in a carriage) turned towards eternity.
In a poem that is fairly easy to comprehend, in part because of the simplistic language, I had little trouble with the word structure of the poem. However, I did have to pause when I came across the word “cornice” in the fourth stanza. Using the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, I discovered that the word has three listings: 1 a : the molded and projecting horizontal member that crowns an architectural composition -- see COLUMN illustration b : a top course that crowns a wall 2 : a decorative band of metal or wood used to conceal curtain fixtures 3 : an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge I think that the second definition fits best here, but really any of the three can apply.
I look forward to gaining insight from each of you, my group members!
My name is Adam Million. I am in the Victorian Poetry class at Clemson University. I am currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in English Literature program, but have an affinity for writing, especially poetry. Also, I am an editor of the clemsonpoetryreview.com, an online publication of undergraduate and graduate poetry (plug-plug).
I have never studied Dickinson in-depth as I have other authors until this year, so this is new territory for me. My first exposure to her was with both "I taste a liquor never brewed" and "Because I could not stop for death" in an American Literature survey course. Therefore, I will begin where I was first introduced.
First of all, "I taste a liquor never brewed" is a wonderful example of how Dickinson's subject matter relates to the romantics. Much has been said about her connection to William Blake, but in this poem I see more of a Keatsian and Wordsworthian link. It has an "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" mixed with "My Heart Leaps Up" poured over "Ode to a Nightingale" mentality, a sort of invocation of Nature's intoxicating quality--especially the small things (bees, butterflies, rainbows?).
I find Dickinson's choice of "foxglove" in stanza three working on multiple levels. In the Oxford American Dictionary, foxglove is defined as "a tall Eurasian plant with erect spikes of flowers, typically pinkish-purple or white, shaped like the fingers of gloves. It is the source of the drug digitalis." By incorporating this image, Dickinson is able to highlight the beauty of the "endless summer days" in this colorful and unique plant. She is also able to reinforce the notion of nature's intoxicating, drug-like quality because of the drug derived from the leaves, which stimulates the heart muscle. Dickinson probably would have been aware of this; because, it originated in the late 18th century (OAD).
In line 11, Dickinson puzzles me with,
When butterflies renounce their drams, I shall but drink the more!
It is the notion of drams that throws me. First of all, a dram is a small drink of whiskey or other spirits--a shot--(OAD), but it could also be referring to an ancient coin or method of measurement. Because the poem is incorporating the alcohol metaphor prior to this line, the first definition seems best. It appears to suggest that as nature gives up on its intoxicating quality the speaker will only have more. But how do "butterflies renounce their drams"? Is Dickinson suggesting that when nature gives up the speaker will simply drink that much more? What then would that suggest of the speaker? Does it make any difference that in R.W. Franklin's 1999 edition of The Poems of Emily Dickinson the word dram appears in quotations? What is going on with this stanza?
A couple more questions: What or who is the "little Tippler" in the last stanza? What impact does the "s" alliteration in the last stanza have on the poem's theme? Does it suggest another s-word, sky? If so, how does this change or reinforce the notion of nature and air being intoxicating? A reference to God? How is the interpretation of the poem added to or distracted by having knowledge of the poet's biography (i.e. the reference to landlords in line 9, the lines "Till seraphs swing their snowy hats, / and saints to windows run"--the allusion to white and the mention of "saints" running to windows).
Also, another thing that bothers me as a poet, editor, and juvenile scholar is the discrepancy between both texts and the different biographies that appear in collections, anthologies and online sources. I don't have enough room to talk about this as I would like, but I want to make sure everyone is aware that in both "I taste a liquor never brewed" and "Because I could not stop for death" that certain lines differ. For instance, in line three of "I taste a liquor...", another version reads,
Not all the Frankfort Berries (Franklin 1999)
I enjoy this phrase more because of the color and specificity it evokes. Are they interchangeable phrases?
Along with the actual "rephrasing" of lines, much of Dickinson's lack of punctuation has been amended. In her original manuscripts, there is very little traditional punctuation (i.e. commas, periods, etc) and instead she uses her famous dashes. How does this distract from the interpretation and reading of the poem?
If you are interested in this or would like to see some of the differences, which are drastic in some cases, go to poets.org and search Emily Dickinson for an easily accessible source. The poems listed on that site are from the 1999 Franklin edition, instead of the 1924 Bianchi addition published on bartleby.com. From what I have read (I have not actually looked at or compared in-depth the Franklin edition, just republished material) about Dickinson's editors, Franklin's edition is an attempt to restore her poetry more so to how it appeared in her original "manuscripts" or fascicles.
Hopefully my thoughts and questions are not overly convoluted.
My name is Clara and I’m taking the Fiction for engineers course at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. I left my home university in the Netherlands for six months for an exchange program here in Sweden. My experience in reading and analyzing (English) poetry is very limited, the only time I did this sort of thing was at high school.
I am going to share my insights on the last poem; “I started early..”. I chose this poem because I liked the images about the sea it created.
I think this poem says something about Dickinsons view of nature; she emphasizes how small and insignificant she (or humans in general) is (are) compared to nature. She does this in the comparison with the mouse on the beach and being overwhelmed by the water like a small dandelion. The sea is depicted as very powerful, for instance it gives a “mighty” look. “My simple shoe” also shows Dickinsons humble attitude.
But if one treats the sea with some respect and sense, it will respect you in return; it withdraws in the last line. The sea is personified, it is referred to as male and almost feels human (“he made as he would eat me up”, “he followed me close behind”)
I think it is funny that Dickinson divides the sea into two worlds (one above and one underneath the water surface), by comparing them to a building. Just like the sea, the frigates are given human features, their sails are hands and they are able to presume something.
I have some difficulty with some of the last lines;
Until we met the solid town No man he seemed to know
What is meant by the solid town? Is it just the shore or something else? And does the second sentence simply mean that there is nobody else on the beach, or is it something else?
Hello, my name is Alvaro. I’m in the course “Fiction for Engineers” at Chalmers University (Sweden). This is my first course about poetry so I’ll try to do my best! I´m also doing a Structural Engineering Master in Chalmers. More to say it´s that I´m in Sweden as an international student, because I´m a student from Spain.
I´m going to talk about the second poem: "BECAUSE I could not stop for Death," It´s interesting and it talks about a relationship.
At the beginning she is very busy, she has a non stop life. But something happened he arrived like a fresh air, a new situation that makes her has a new point of view of her life: enjoy it as if the time doesn’t go. It means immortality.
The time wasn´t a problem for them, they enjoyed their lives. She had to leave her tasks, a part of her life to share it with him, but that wasn´t matter.
She revises how the story was with this man (that looks that the relationship it´s over) from childhood (school) to the end of the life (the setting sun) .
Finally she has a special memory to the day the met. That day was so special for her that she can remember everything that happened that day, for her that day had more intensity than one century of their lives.
Some keywords:
“I TASTE a liquor never brewed” from “I taste”: That sentence means for me the first experience of something very important or unusual. A sensation that you only feel when you do something forbidden or you take a decision difficult to take.
“…the setting sun” in “Because I could”: I like this one, It´s smart way of saying the end of the days or the on of our life.
“That oppresses, like the weight Of cathedral tunes” from “There is a…”: I like it too, it´s true that when you listen a tune played inside a cathedral, you really feel scare of the power of this music, something you are not able to know happens and make you think how is it possible.
My name is Dan Limauro. I am currently enrolled at Clemson University majoring in Professional Golf Management. I am Online American Literature, which is a new but very interesting experience. Poetry is not my strong point, but I will try to give my personal insight on some of Dickenson’s poetry. I found Emily Dickenson’s poetry very easy to read. Being a person who does not spend much time reading poetry I found her work to flow from sentence to sentence almost telling a story. I chose to focus on the poem “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death” to do my personal and literary reflection on. I found it interesting that Dickenson capitalized the word “Death” found in line one. This made me interpret this poem differently. At first I did not pick up on this, so I assumed death being an unavoidable part of life. However, as I re-read the poem I noticed this. Therefore, I got the impression that Dickenson was referring to “Death” in human form, and therefore can be avoidable. If this is true, then I am somewhat confused on the meaning that Dickenson was trying to get across. My initial interpretation of the poem is that due to the fact that we all live such busy lives, including myself, it is not always easy to set aside time to just reflect and relax. The one thing in my life I do not want to do, is sit and reflect back on how I wished I did something, or how I missed out on something. Therefore, I hope to be riding with “Death” when that time comes and be able to look out on similar sights that Dickenson is describing and say that I did that, rather than thinking I wish I could have done that. To better my understanding, I looked up the definition of Immortality and surmised. The Webster’s dictionary defines Immortality as “Endless life or existence.” Finally, it defines surmised as “to conjecture or guess.”(www.dictionary.com). When I die I do not want to doubt anything I have done, and want to be able to look back and be proud of the decisions I made. I feel that Dickenson, is trying to let everyone know the importance of slowing down, and not rushing life, because we are not alive for eternity, and have to make the best out of everything situation we are in.
My name is Kate Daniel ,I go by the double name of Kate Daniel. I am studying at Clemson University in the American Literature class. My major is Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. I am not to sure what I want to do when I graduate. The poem that I found interest in most when reading through all five poems was “Part Two: Nature.” This poem was the most interesting and gave me the most visual images when reading. When reading “Part Two: Nature” the first thing that I thought about was the vision of someone coming to rescue her as she is trying to drown herself. The two keywords that I picked out for this poem to help me better understand her language are, frigates and hempen. I looked the definitions of the two words up on the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. I found that the word frigate is a type of light boat, or war vessel; and that the word hempen means, composed of hemp. These two words help me better understand the poem now because, I am able to understand that the person speaking is possibly below the water and that ships are above them, and that something maybe on the ship was made of hemp that came down into the water, like hands.
My name is Michael and I’m currently enrolled in American Literature Through 1945 (online) at Clemson University. I am a senior majoring in Civil Engineering and I plan to graduate in May and continue my studies here at Clemson towards a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering. I enjoy reading poetry, but I would not call myself very good at poetry analysis or writing poetry. It is definitely nice to be able to enjoy poetry as a break from other disciplines of learning.
From Dickinson’s poems I found Part Two: Nature LXXXII (“There’s a certain slant of light”) to be the most striking. I see the poem’s setting as taking place through a funeral scene. Dickinson did a good job of expressing the feelings that are felt at a funeral in the first four lines of the poem. To me there is always some sort of quiet reverence that is in the air at a funeral. The sounds of “cathedral tunes” in the air, somber faces with tear filled eyes yet carrying a half-smile remembrance smirk, and the smell of death fragranced by the aroma of flowers. Sometimes at funerals I feel the weight that Dickinson described in line 3 on my chest as I try to breathe; the knot in my throat growing larger as I try to hold back tears until at times I can’t swallow.
In lines 13-16 I am even more impressed by Dickinson’s ability to simply describe how nature reacts to a funeral scene, or at least how we see nature reacting to a funeral scene. Indeed when a funeral comes the landscape listens, or so we think. So often I have viewed old trees at an aged church as overlooking a person as they go into the afterlife. For a moment shadows stand still, and trees that may have saw the person as a child playing in a yard down the street stand still as the person is carried to their final resting place. But is it we who take a snapshot of nature as one final reminder of our friend or loved one that we are putting to rest? Do we even look at our surroundings, in particular, nature, at other points in our life? Is the whole look of death brought on by human emotion?
Hello everyone, my name is David and I am currently enrolled in American Literature through 1945 online at Clemson University. I am currently a senior majoring in Sport Management with a minor in Finance. After I graduate, I plan to work for a sport marketing firm in south Florida. I enjoy reading stories about adventure like John Smith's stories. I adventure and danger to be very thrilling and also different from typical authors.
In Dicjinson's first poem I found it somewhat confusing for me. I didn't really understand some of the terms she used which gave me some difficulty putting hers words to sense. I did however look in Webster's dictionary which really helped me to understand more. Words loke seraph are things I have never heard of so it was interesting to learn about the word.
My name is Melody Fowler, and I am currently in my first semester of graduate studies at Clemson University. The blogs I will be posting will be for English 814, Victorian Poetry. I look forward to our discussions on the poems we will be reading and analyzing together for the next few weeks.
The poem I wanted to focus on this week is Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death.” In this poem, Death is envisioned as a gentleman suitor who comes to beckon the speaker into his carriage. The drive they take together represents the speaker’s progression from childhood to, eventually, death. Images such as children playing, “gazing grain”, and the “setting sun” delineate this development from her childhood, to her adulthood, to her deathbed.
The speaker and Death actively “pass” by things that still remain a part of life but “pause” at the grave.
The last stanza is somewhat puzzling to me. In all prior stanzas images were clear and definite. However, once the speaker is ushered into death the images seem to be blurred, intangible even. What might Dickinson be saying about her own beliefs about death in this poem?
Another question: What kind of character is Death? The speaker says that Death “kindly” stops for her and that he slowly drives her through time in a courteous manner. Is Death really considerate of the speaker? Or, is he, ironically, using the appearance of a gentleman to deceive her, convincing her to go with him?
From reading everyone’s letters I was able to better understand what Dickenson was talking about when writing her poems. When I read them myself for the first time some seemed very confusing such as “Because I could not stop for Death” while others I felt like I really understood what she was talking about, such as “I STARTED early.” Dan L., after reading your letter that you wrote to the group, you helped me realize some points written in “Because I could not stop for Death” that I was not able to pick up on. I was able to understand that is obviously had something to do with death and the ending of ones life, “The one thing in my life I do not want to do, is sit and reflect back on how I wished I did something, or how I missed out on something.” I did not realize that this was what was happening until you said that, making me realize why she wrote “We paused.” Clara, I also really enjoyed the poem “I STARTED early” because of the “images by the sea” that she puts into ones head. I thought I pretty much understood the poem until you brought up the idea that “if one treats the sea with respect and sense, it will respect you in return.” Which helped me better understand the entire poem and the reason that the sea “withdrew.” I also do not understand the first two lines of the last stanza. I am think maybe the solid town, could be the shore, and he was unfamiliar with everyone else on shore. I chose to find a representation for the poem “I STARTED early,” I chose a picture of a mermaid on a rock looking out into the call sea. The reason that I chose this representation was because they poem talks about how the mermaids came to look at her and I did think of it as if they were welcoming her. The sea is calm and peacefully just like the mermaid to show that the sea is not always angry and scary like some people think. This calmness shows what Clara pointed out, that Dickenson was trying to say, that if your respect the sea it will respect you, which it is doing by being calm. This helps to better understand the poem by showing the reader the calmness of the sea and the welcoming of the mermaid. Sincerely, Kate Daniel Image from: Image from: http://members.cox.net/mysticmermaid/rmwelcome2.jpg
I enjoyed each of your personal responses in Letter 1. It was interesting to see the way you all interpreted Dickinson’s poems and compare your thoughts in Letter 1 with my own notions after reading Dickinson’s work.
I was intrigued by the insight Dee T. had into Dickinson’s poem, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” I agree with Dee in the fact that, “As a people, our lives continuing at such a break-neck pace that we hardly have time to stop and take a break.” In my own experience sometimes life gets so hectic that all plans go out the window, and I have to just take life as it comes, one day at a time. It seems there is no plan, simply chaos.
Referring to Dee, I also did not know what the word cornice meant upon initial reading. Judging from the definitions that Dee provided, I like to see the third definition, “an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge,” as the definition Dickinson intended. It makes sense to mistake a mound of dirt, which could represent a fresh burial site, as windblown snow or ice on a ridge. However, it is amazing that all the definitions work within the context of the poem.
I also want to touch on Avaro G.’s response to “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” I wanted to comment on his response since it seems that Alvaro and I have the same interest in structural engineering, yet we are an ocean apart.
I thought that it was interesting that Alvaro seen the thing that Dickinson wrote of in her poem as an actual person and not the spirit of death. I reread the poem from this perspective and it made perfect sense. It is interesting that I never thought of the poem in this manner, but upon your idea, I totally understand your platform.
It seems that Dickinson’s poetry is special because people can connect with it from different points of view. The only correct interpretation of her poetry is what one truly feels when her poetry is read.
I thought it was very interesting to read all your comments and see the differences and similarities in personal background and understanding of the poems.
Adam, you commented on “I tasted a liquor” and connected it with nature, I quote: “a sort of invocation of Nature's intoxicating quality--” This really improved my understanding of the poem. Before I did not see the connection with nature so clearly, I saw the poem as a sort of description of a bar and its regulars. But when I read it now, everything makes a lot more sense. However, this nature connection does raise a question; why is this poem in part one: Life, and not in part two: Nature?
The second person I want to comment on is Kate Daniel, because she commented on the same poem as I did. Kate Daniel, you said something about the person speaking being underneath the ships and something made of hemp coming down (perhaps like a lifeline being thrown to her aid?). I thought that Dickinson meant the sails of the ships, with “these hempen hands”. Your explanation makes sense too, but it does leave me wondering about the meaning of the rest of the poem. If someone on the ship saves her with these hempen hands, is he referred to in the rest of the poem with “he“? I had difficulty with knowing who the “he” in the poem is, but my conclusion was that it probably is the sea.
The representation I found, is a picture that a friend of mine made on a graveyard covered with snow somewhere in Sweden. For me it represents the feeling of the poem “There’s a certain slant of light”. I think the light in the picture is quite special, the grey sky is gloomy, which corresponds with the somber tone of the poem. The words “heavenly hurt” express something bittersweet, a sort of inner contrast that also can be found in the sky, that is brighter in the background. There also is a certain serenity to the landscape in the picture, which I think fits nicely with the last stanza of the poem.
The picture can be found on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29409351@N00/388250526/in/set-72157594496460194/
First of all thanks to everyone for giving your points of view. I really enjoyed reading your different opinions.
About the poem: “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death”:
I’ve read your opinions and point of view. In posting order: Dee T. very good exposition of the poem, you did a first-class analysis of it an you were the first doing it! Melody F and Dan L I see that you two agree with the point of view of Death as a gentleman/human form. After reading the poem again I’m able to see it and makes me give a new sense to the poem. My point of view or the meaning I gave to it was about a relationship broken by Death. But as Mike P said in letter 2 about my opinion, both meanings can be for the poem (In my defence I’ll say that in the Latin languages Death has a female sense and that confused me to see the relation Death-He!).
I agree with Mike P in his letter 2, every one has his own point of view and that’s what makes the poetry connected with each reader and make him feel different emotions.
My picture: http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/23/puestasolwn2.jpg I choose a sunset as she suggested in the poem, but one with some cloud because for me the poem is a little bit sad and “grey”.
I very much enjoyed reading the initial responses from you all. Several of you gave me a new way to look at one of Dickinson’s poems, while others of you confirmed and cemented some images that I had already formed as well.
Adam’s response was particulary thorough and interesting—and complex! I liked seeing the many, many questions that he posed because I had to stop and contemplate and try to answer them as I went through them. I particulary liked the questions concerning the alcohol as I had made the connection to Keats’s “Nightingale” also. Adam writes: “Because the poem is incorporating the alcohol metaphor prior to this line, the first definition seems best. It appears to suggest that as nature gives up on its intoxicating quality the speaker will only have more,” and then provides interesting follow-up questions like: “Is Dickinson suggesting that when nature gives up the speaker will simply drink that much more? What then would that suggest of the speaker?” Adam also brings up some very interesting points about the form and the punctuation that Dickinson incorporated, but I’ll leave that alone as Adam is clearly more experienced in that field than I.
I also really enjoyed reading Michael’s response, as he added a more personal note to his analysis. His sentence: “Sometimes at funerals I feel the weight that Dickinson described in line 3 on my chest as I try to breathe; the knot in my throat growing larger as I try to hold back tears until at times I can’t swallow” succinctly captures Dickinson’s meaning while at the same time offering a new perspective through the words of a different author.
The image that I am choosing to include is that of a small cemetery that was created, I assume rather instantly, for soldiers killed on the battlefield. I know that Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” has nothing to do with battle, but the image is particularly haunting and I think provides for a nice contrast to the poet’s work.
Thank you for all of your insight and ideas about the poetry we read. Reading through your personal responses has helped me gain a better understanding of these poems. It was interesting to see how different people have different interpretations of the poetry. I was intrigued by the insights of Alvaro. I thought it was very interesting how he interpreted the poem to be about a relationship. Do you believe that Dickenson based the idea of death around her significant other? If this is so, this could be a reason why she capitalized the word “Death.” You bring up a very interesting point, and it has helped me gain more insight into the poetry of Dickenson. I was also very impressed with the analysis of the poem “Because I could not stop for death” done by Dee T. I do not have a lot of experience when it comes to the analysis of poetry, therefore, it is very interesting to read poetry analysis from someone who has a lot of experience dealing with poetry. The part of your analysis that I found most interesting was how you related the last stanza to a grave. This did not come to me while I was reading and analyzing the poem myself. So thank you for your insight. For my picture I chose to take a photo of a gravestone in a local cemetery here in Clemson. I chose to do this because I was inspired by the imagery used by Dickenson in her poem “Because I could not stop for death.” The fourth stanza is quoted saying “We paused before a house that seemed a swelling of the ground; The roof was scarcely visible, The cornice but a mound.” Through the help of Dee T. I have learned that this is describing a grave. I like how Dickenson uses abstract ways to explain her imagery and feel that this is a good example.
I would to say that reading everyones comments was quite interesting, and I find it interesting to see students from other countries giving their personal opinions on Dickinson. I also feel that from these assignments, I have gained more knowledge of Dickinson becuase of everyones insight.
After reading Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" I felt that it really stood out when comparing it with other works. I feel that any poem's revolving around death are usually serious and dramatic. The fact that Dickinson basically says that he doesn't have time for death is amusing. I guess if you are the type of person who is so envolved in work and achieving success, then even death takes a back seat. In today's society, people seem to work harder and longer hours to achieve greater wealth and success. It is understandable for many people to do whatever possible and that is a big reason why death is not valued for what it is.
One thing that stood out to me about Dickinson's poem in the second part was that some of her word use is past tense like she was speaking from the afterlife. I find this spooky because its sounds as if she is giving a warning to those who do not recognize death. I think that she is trying to help set an example.
Finally after reading the fifth part of the poem, my point about her speaking from the afterlife is true. I enjoyed reading this poem and I was able to really understand it as well.
thanks for your new insights. Dee, I agree on what you said about Michaels first letter, that his personal note adds a new perspective. Melody, you said: “I think personal experiences can help us relate to the emotion a poet expresses or is generating in his/her poetry”, and I think you have a good point. Poetry is less straightforward in it’s meaning than prose, which sometimes makes it not so easily accessible. Keeping in mind ones own experiences, one can create their own interpretation. And it actually doesn’t really matter if this interpretation is different from what the writer intended, as long as you enjoyed it.
Melody, I also thought your explanation of “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” was very interesting. “Generally, the Truth is seen as an agent that frees, illumines, or enlightens and lies are considered blinding or hindering to knowledge of truth. However, Dickinson seems to advocate that Truth be approached and communicated cautiously, gradually even so as not to blind.” This made me go over the poem once more and I understood it a lot better now. The 2nd and 3rd sentence still puzzle me a bit; what is meant by Circuit and why is it capitalized? I think this is a really charming poem, because of it’s mild and gentle tone. The picture you attached was really beautiful and is a good choice because of your story about the storm. However, I think I would choose an other picture, because it doesn’t really express the gentleness I found in the poem.
I thought it was remarkable that three of the multimodal expressions (including mine) had something to do with graveyards. This seems to fit nicely with “Because I could not stop for Death”, but I think your picture also works really well with the poem, Alvaro (for the people that couldn’t view the picture; try putting .jpg behind the url).
Finally I would like to say that I thought it was really interesting to ‘talk’ about the poetry like this and I enjoyed the feedback. Good luck with the rest of your courses!
I am sorry that I forgot to attach my representation that complements the theme or mood of Dickinson’s poems in Letter 2. In light of Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” I guess the fact that I am always in a rush and even though I read the assignment, attaching my representation slipped my mind.
Originally, I chose to create an original representation because I felt that I couldn’t find anything on the internet to convey my thoughts. However, upon trying to upload my response on the blog site, I realized an image couldn’t be inserted. However, I did find this video online that represents how sometimes I feel time moves, and how Dickinson must have felt when she composed, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” It is a time lapse video of a clock, but when viewed, it represents how we as humans can get caught up in the rush of life.
I am fascinated by the feedback that this cross cultural collaboration has brought to my better understanding of Dickinson’s poetry. I want to thank each of you again for your wonderful responses.
I was impressed by Melody’s visual representation that shows just how “small and insignificant” humanity is based on Clara’s analysis of “I started early, took my dog.” I cannot remember Hurricane Hugo, but I have experienced the fear and awesome power of nature several times in my life. It is in these moments when we realize how small we are in the grand scope of the world. This past summer I can vividly remember a thunderstorm on Lake Wylie in Rock Hill, SC, that upon seeing your picture I was reminded of. I actually feared that I was going to die from a lightning strike because as we fished, my fishing rod started buzzing. Needless to say, I quit fishing that day. It sometimes takes images or events like this to remind ourselves just how small our magnitude really is.
I also thought that it was interesting that Daniel and Dee both chose graveyard images as their visual representations based on “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” Both pictures evoke unique thoughts when viewed. Daniel’s picture of a gravestone here in the Clemson area provides a somber tone using black and white imaging and by the look of the surface of the gravestone. The stone is starting to grow mold/moss and the clarity of the names and dates provides a personal touch. It almost looks like the picture was taken at night, which adds even more mystery to the photo. Dee’s images, also in black and white, shows fresh burial sites, based on the mounds in front of the headstones, just as Dickinson described a mound in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” The setting sun casts long shadows and the overlooking trees almost seem to guard over those resting in eternal peace. Both are good visual representations.
Thanks again for helping me to see others perspectives for viewing Dickinson’s work.
Well, I think we’ve all said quite a bit about our different insights and interpretations of the poems. I’m glad to have been part of such an insightful group! Since I feel that we’ve done Dickinson justice in our discussion of her works, I’d like to focus primarily on the images that we chose to go along with our works.
Before I do that, though, I would like to comment on something that Mike posted. He states that he chose a different definition that I had posted for the word “cornice.” I originally stated that I thought all three definitions worked in the context of the poem. I stand by that decision but Mike states that definition three works best for him (an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge) and I think that Mike’s right…this definition is certainly more vivid and compelling. I get a “stronger” mental image when I use the third definition. Thanks, Mike!
OK, back to the images. I found Kate Daniel’s image of the mermaid fascinating. While it’s certainly not the first image that came to my mind upon reading the poem, I think it is a unique and interesting perspective that works really well. I also liked Clara’s “chilling” (sorry, bad pun) representation of “Certain Slant.” I agree with you, Clara, about the contrast between the gloomy and the serene in the picture. And, finally, I wanted to comment on the awe-inspiring picture that Melody posted! I, too, remember all too well Hurricane Hugo passing through and the devastation that it caused, but your picture doesn’t make me fearful like it should…I find it eerily beautiful (maybe I’m crazy).
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this experience with you all and look forward to reading your next set of comments!
Dear Group 4, Letter 3 I have really enjoyed collaborating with everyone about the Dickenson’s poems. Talking with everyone and seeing what everyone has to say makes the poem to me seem that more interesting, trying to make me think in the same way as everyone else. Clara, when I was referring to “he” I was guessing it was the sea I was talking about. I do agree with you that my interpretation does make the rest of the poem a little more confusing to understand. I enjoyed your interpretation a lot more than mine, I feel like yours makes a lot more sense and goes along with the rest of the poem. I LOVE the picture that you picked for the poem “I could not stop for death,” that is exactly what I was picturing. I also think of the poem as being cold and gloomy. Melody, I found it your representation to the poem very interesting. I think that is so neat that people can interpret one poem into so many things just by one simple line. I think that your representation is perfect for what the poem made you think about. I would have never thought about a storm from reading this poem. When I read this poem I did not really understand what was going on except that it was a poem about truth. I think just your one sentence quote with the picture helped me understand the poem a little more. The first thing that came to my mind when I read this poem was people telling secrets in a circle. Thanks for making me look at it in a totally different way. Sincerely, Kate Daniel
I knew I would forget to post letter 2 if I wrote it early. I guess that is what I get for trying to stay ahead of the game. Anyway, here's a late addition.
I was delighted to read everyone's thoughts on Ms. Emily Dickinson's poetry. The comments on "Because I could not stop for death" were extremely helpful as were the comments on "I started early..." The question presented by Melody, "what might Dickinson be saying about her own beliefs about death in this poem," in regards to "Because I could not stop..." seems to be a key component for understanding the poem, especially the final two stanzas. The image presented in lines 13-17 suggests a sort of burial mound, a tomb. For Dickinson, much of her life was spent indoors, and if you take her life into account within the words of the poem it helps make sense of this image. It represents how life (conversely, death) can grow up around a person, even one who resorts to staying in his/her house. This idea of connecting Dickinson to the speaker may be shot down, but I believe it helps interpret some of the odd images in her poems.
The final stanza, speaks to the character of Death. It is only upon realization of Death that a person realizes everyone heads toward death. Life becomes this conscious or unconscious race, and because Dickinson (or the speaker) could not stop and wait for death, thus death stopped for her and waited. This can also be interpreted as Death being the only companion Dickinson (or the speaker) had in all the days of her life. He was a kindly figure who accompanied her, leading her through the school children, the fields of grain, and the setting sun. Death did not rush her towards eternity, because the speaker states "I had put away / my labor, and my leisure too, / for his civility" (6-8) suggesting the speaker was ready to go. I think the interpretations by Dan, Alvaro and Dee were all correct in the notion of living life to its fullest (even if it is really hectic Dee) and not pausing to give Death or the past a chance to take hold.
Also, I enjoyed Clara's reading of "There's a certain slant of light." I had just skimmed through the poem initially, but upon revisiting it with some of her comments I found I was able to enter the mind of Dickinson with a bit more gusto. The question Clara posed, "What is meant by the solid town," in my opinion seems to read as either the beach, the shore or the edge of a town. The sea seems to explain a mutual relationship between the speaker and nature. Dickinson acknowledges the power of the sea and in stanza five,
And he--he followed close behind; I felt his silver heel Upon my ankle,--then my shoes Would overflow with pearl
the speaker describes the reverence 'she' has for the sea by running away from it. And in the final stanza the scene has almost become a dance between 'man' and nature, a sort of yin and yang.
As for the second part of this supposed 300 word assignment, I chose the lyrics from Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and a drawing from an episode of Family Guy, in which Death makes a cameo appearance. I thought the lyrics describe a modern perspective on how death can be gentle and more of friend than something to fear. (I use 'friend' lightly). Also the repetition of "I see my light come shining/ from the west unto the east" to be reminiscent of Dickinson's progression through the children playing to the fields of grain to the setting sun.
As for the photo, if you have ever seen the episode, the main character, Peter, cons Death into giving him one more chance. Peter and Death therefore become 'friends' and embark upon all sorts of things. It was the first image I thought of when I read the prompt.
Cordially, Adam
http://www.animationartgallery.com/FGLDIAB.html
Bob Dylan - I Shall Be Released Lyrics
They say ev'rything can be replaced, Yet ev'ry distance is not near. So I remember ev'ry face Of ev'ry man who put me here. I see my light come shining From the west unto the east. Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection, They say ev'ry man must fall. Yet I swear I see my reflection Some place so high above this wall. I see my light come shining From the west unto the east. Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd, Is a man who swears he's not to blame. All day long I hear him shout so loud, Crying out that he was framed. I see my light come shining From the west unto the east. Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.
Hello, First of all I’ve to say thank you all for your interesting posts. I´ve really enjoyed reading each of them. You did a great work.
Every comment helped me to supplement my understanding of Dickinson´s poetry, and helped me to see some interesting connections.
About letter 2 I’ve seen that some of you liked my point of view of a relationship in the poem “Because I could not stop for death”. As I said for me it could be like a look back into her life, trying to remember what she had and what she has lost with He in this relationship broken by Death. That made you think about it and I’m happy to read that!
I liked also the comment of David K. about: haven’t time to death and how he translates it into the modern world, about today’s society where death is not valued for what it is. That makes me think about it.
Also I liked what Clara and Michael D. said about: personal experiences can help us to relate the emotion a poet express. I completely agree with you. Only our experiences can help us to understand it, for me personal experiences are the starting point of what we can finally imagine about one poem and what the author wants to tell us or tries to make us imagine.
Talking about the images, I saw that Dee T and Daniel L chose a cemetery. There is not a best picture to be linked with death, it’s the end. I liked that one is black and white and the other one seems quite dark or maybe it’s better to say not to much light. That follows with my opinion of a dark/grey/sad colour in the Dickinson’s poem.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed talking about Dickinson’s work with each of you. Thanks so much for your hard work in a very complicated poet!
I just want to take this time first to thank all of you. I feel strongly that we had a successful collaboration of thought on the poetry of Emily Dickenson. I feel that with all of your help, I better understanding the underlying meaning behind her poetry. I really enjoyed all of the pictures and other types of visual representations of the poetry of Dickenson. I found it truly interesting reading about how these images relate to the poetry. I feel strongly that visual representations help to truly get across a meaning of a poem, and what that poem means to you. With that said, I enjoyed Kate Daniel's visual representation of the poem "I STARTED early." I too feel and agree with the point that if you respect the sea, it will respect you back. This idea is shown in Dickenson's poem with the calmness of the water, and Kate Daniel displayed this well with her visual representation. I also found Clara's visual representation to be very interesting. Personally, I also used a picture of a graveyard but I used this as a representation of the poem "Because I could not stop for death." This shows, that the same type of representation can be used to symbolize different things. For this reason I find that poetry can be a good thing to create representations on. This is because reflecting on poetry and the meaning comes from the heart, and therefore, no two peoples views are going to be the same.
I honestly have enjoyed the cross-cultural discussion. It’s been interesting to hear from all of you—the views, thoughts, interpretations, questions, even background knowledge you have brought to the discussion. I think it’s added a great deal more to the meaning of the poems. Having all of you to shed light through your own explanations has helped me to further understand the message the speaker/poet is trying to convey.
I also appreciated Michael’s personal storm story. In light of the visual representations he says that “sometimes it takes images or events…to remind ourselves just how small our magnitude really is.” His thought reiterated Clara’s idea that Dickinson “emphasizes how small and insignificant she (or humans in general) is (are) compared to nature” in her poem “I started early”. I like, too, what Alvaro concluded, “Only our experiences can help us to understand it, for me personal experiences are the starting point of what we can finally imagine about one poem and what the author wants to tell us or tries to make us imagine.” I think we bring much to poetry, our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, that enable us to understand and relate to it various ways. I think our discussions have proved that!
Clara, in reference to your question about the word “Circuit” in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”, I felt like the word may have mostly meant “indirect”—that success is found when one chooses to communicate in a circuitous (indirect) manner. Dickinson seems to say the truth, bent, is less abrasive. I still have questions, too, about the capitalizations, but it may have been done simply for emphasis.
The discussion board was a good experience. Thanks for your honest thoughts on the readings!
I wanted to say that I really enjoyed working on these collaberative assignments. I thought is was very interesting to see the different opinions of everyone and how we all agreed on certain aspects of Dickinson's works. I also felt that this specific type of assignment really helped me to understand parts of Dickinson's poerty without having to ask anyone. This was a much more of an educational experience being able to collaborate with each other from different classes and cultures.
Looking at some of your pictures and other visuals, I felt that understanding Dickinson's poerty was better explained. I love to look at pictures, clips, movies, anything that shows pictures. I feel that I get a much better feel for what Dickinson is trying to say and also what you are saying. Often times, pictures of faces and different scenery can really dipict the mood and setting of the event.
When looking at some of your interpretation's of Dickinson's thoughts, I really understood how some of you felt about certains lines of Dickinson's poerty. This was overall a great experience and hope all of you feel the same.
Once again I am postscript to the conversation--my apologies! After reviewing everyone's comments I have realized why poetry is so wonderful again. It is not a medium that should illicit stock responses prepped by a teacher or a scholar's work on the subject. Too often in classroom settings, it is apparent that the discussion tends to be tailored to one or two arguments, while everyone else sits there nodding their head or looking down at the scribbles on their page instead of offering up their own personal impression (for one reason or another). The blog, as a medium for discussing literature, has freed the individual to explore his or her own personal interpretation(s). Whether or not, the individual uses some sort of secondary material to aid in the formation of his or her opinion is hopefully not the goal of one's blog, but instead as almost everyone stated especially Alvaro, Melody, Michael and Dee, the personal repsonse has enlightened all of us and been more enjoyable than being told what is going on by some one else. Professional insight regarding poetry is obviously a valuable source when it comes to studying poetry, but I believe, as the blog proved, incorporating personal responses, both written and artistic, aid in the connection of the individual to the written word (especially words as old and difficult to grasp as Dickinson's).
Clara's photo of the snowy road and trees is a beautiful picture. I can see the heaviness of winter in the picture. The idea of heavy and winter also makes me think of Frost's poem "Birches." I envisioned the image of shadows holding their breath to be the extremely long shadows that are produced in the middle of the day during winter. They are omnious and grow amongst the light into the distance calling out to the dark and the night. These shadows are what disappear in the horizon and are what goes like the distance on the look of death. I could be wrong but I like the image none-the-less as it paired nicely with the poem like a bottle of wine with cheese.
It was enjoyable, and I wish this sort of assignment was conducted more often.
27 comments:
Hello, Everyone!
My name is Dee Tindal and I am taking English 814—Victorian Poetry—with Dr. Young at Clemson University in South Carolina in the United States. This has been my first graduate course that focuses exclusively on poetry, so some new territory has been chartered for me this semester! I’m almost to the end of my time here at Clemson and, while I know I’ll miss the university, I’m certainly ready for the break as well!
I’m writing this first response on Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” I’m currently reviewing all of Dickinson’s poems (both for this assignment and for my comprehensive exams) and the first two lines of this poem catch me right at the start. My life is so busy right now that I totally understand not being able to stop…not even for death! But then, that speaks to modernity as a whole, doesn’t it? As a people, aren’t our lives continuing at such a break-neck pace that we hardly have time to stop and take a break?
What catches my attention in the second stanza is the use of past tense with “drove” and “knew” and “had put away.” This leads me to ask, is Dickinson writing from beyond her experience with death? Is she writing from the afterlife? If so, what does that mean…is she offering us insight into her experience or trying to teach us a lesson?
In the third stanza it’s almost like Death is showing her the past in the form of her youth, through the presentation of the school children, then adulthood with the “grazing grain,” and then finally the end of her life with the “setting sun.”
The “house that seemed / A swelling of the ground” with its barely visible roof in the fourth stanza, is obviously her final resting place.
The fifth stanza of this poem, a poem that is fairly easy to comprehend, causes the most contemplation. Here it is confirmed that Dickinson is indeed writing from beyond the grave when she states that it was been centuries since she has died, but it seems like it’s been less than a day since she saw the horses heads (which threw me, initially, until I remembered that Death carried her away in a carriage) turned towards eternity.
In a poem that is fairly easy to comprehend, in part because of the simplistic language, I had little trouble with the word structure of the poem. However, I did have to pause when I came across the word “cornice” in the fourth stanza. Using the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, I discovered that the word has three listings:
1 a : the molded and projecting horizontal member that crowns an architectural composition -- see COLUMN illustration b : a top course that crowns a wall
2 : a decorative band of metal or wood used to conceal curtain fixtures
3 : an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge
I think that the second definition fits best here, but really any of the three can apply.
I look forward to gaining insight from each of you, my group members!
Take Care,
Dee
March 23, 2007
Good day GROUP FOUR--
My name is Adam Million. I am in the Victorian Poetry class at Clemson University. I am currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in English Literature program, but have an affinity for writing, especially poetry. Also, I am an editor of the clemsonpoetryreview.com, an online publication of undergraduate and graduate poetry (plug-plug).
I have never studied Dickinson in-depth as I have other authors until this year, so this is new territory for me. My first exposure to her was with both "I taste a liquor never brewed" and "Because I could not stop for death" in an American Literature survey course. Therefore, I will begin where I was first introduced.
First of all, "I taste a liquor never brewed" is a wonderful example of how Dickinson's subject matter relates to the romantics. Much has been said about her connection to William Blake, but in this poem I see more of a Keatsian and Wordsworthian link. It has an "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" mixed with "My Heart Leaps Up" poured over "Ode to a Nightingale" mentality, a sort of invocation of Nature's intoxicating quality--especially the small things (bees, butterflies, rainbows?).
I find Dickinson's choice of "foxglove" in stanza three working on multiple levels. In the Oxford American Dictionary, foxglove is defined as "a tall Eurasian plant with erect spikes of flowers, typically pinkish-purple or white, shaped like the fingers of gloves. It is the source of the drug digitalis." By incorporating this image, Dickinson is able to highlight the beauty of the "endless summer days" in this colorful and unique plant. She is also able to reinforce the notion of nature's intoxicating, drug-like quality because of the drug derived from the leaves, which stimulates the heart muscle. Dickinson probably would have been aware of this; because, it originated in the late 18th century (OAD).
In line 11, Dickinson puzzles me with,
When butterflies renounce their drams,
I shall but drink the more!
It is the notion of drams that throws me. First of all, a dram is a small drink of whiskey or other spirits--a shot--(OAD), but it could also be referring to an ancient coin or method of measurement. Because the poem is incorporating the alcohol metaphor prior to this line, the first definition seems best. It appears to suggest that as nature gives up on its intoxicating quality the speaker will only have more. But how do "butterflies renounce their drams"? Is Dickinson suggesting that when nature gives up the speaker will simply drink that much more? What then would that suggest of the speaker? Does it make any difference that in R.W. Franklin's 1999 edition of The Poems of Emily Dickinson the word dram appears in quotations? What is going on with this stanza?
A couple more questions: What or who is the "little Tippler" in the last stanza? What impact does the "s" alliteration in the last stanza have on the poem's theme? Does it suggest another s-word, sky? If so, how does this change or reinforce the notion of nature and air being intoxicating? A reference to God? How is the interpretation of the poem added to or distracted by having knowledge of the poet's biography (i.e. the reference to landlords in line 9, the lines "Till seraphs swing their snowy hats, / and saints to windows run"--the allusion to white and the mention of "saints" running to windows).
Also, another thing that bothers me as a poet, editor, and juvenile scholar is the discrepancy between both texts and the different biographies that appear in collections, anthologies and online sources. I don't have enough room to talk about this as I would like, but I want to make sure everyone is aware that in both "I taste a liquor never brewed" and "Because I could not stop for death" that certain lines differ. For instance, in line three of "I taste a liquor...", another version reads,
Not all the Frankfort Berries
(Franklin 1999)
I enjoy this phrase more because of the color and specificity it evokes. Are they interchangeable phrases?
Along with the actual "rephrasing" of lines, much of Dickinson's lack of punctuation has been amended. In her original manuscripts, there is very little traditional punctuation (i.e. commas, periods, etc) and instead she uses her famous dashes. How does this distract from the interpretation and reading of the poem?
If you are interested in this or would like to see some of the differences, which are drastic in some cases, go to poets.org and search Emily Dickinson for an easily accessible source. The poems listed on that site are from the 1999 Franklin edition, instead of the 1924 Bianchi addition published on bartleby.com. From what I have read (I have not actually looked at or compared in-depth the Franklin edition, just republished material) about Dickinson's editors, Franklin's edition is an attempt to restore her poetry more so to how it appeared in her original "manuscripts" or fascicles.
Hopefully my thoughts and questions are not overly convoluted.
Awaiting your thoughts in words,
Adam Million
Group 4
Hi everybody,
My name is Clara and I’m taking the Fiction for engineers course at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. I left my home university in the Netherlands for six months for an exchange program here in Sweden.
My experience in reading and analyzing (English) poetry is very limited, the only time I did this sort of thing was at high school.
I am going to share my insights on the last poem; “I started early..”. I chose this poem because I liked the images about the sea it created.
I think this poem says something about Dickinsons view of nature; she emphasizes how small and insignificant she (or humans in general) is (are) compared to nature. She does this in the comparison with the mouse on the beach and being overwhelmed by the water like a small dandelion. The sea is depicted as very powerful, for instance it gives a “mighty” look. “My simple shoe” also shows Dickinsons humble attitude.
But if one treats the sea with some respect and sense, it will respect you in return; it withdraws in the last line. The sea is personified, it is referred to as male and almost feels human (“he made as he would eat me up”, “he followed me close behind”)
I think it is funny that Dickinson divides the sea into two worlds (one above and one underneath the water surface), by comparing them to a building. Just like the sea, the frigates are given human features, their sails are hands and they are able to presume something.
I have some difficulty with some of the last lines;
Until we met the solid town
No man he seemed to know
What is meant by the solid town? Is it just the shore or something else? And does the second sentence simply mean that there is nobody else on the beach, or is it something else?
I hope you guys can give me some more insights!
Best regards,
Clara
Hello, my name is Alvaro. I’m in the course “Fiction for Engineers” at Chalmers University (Sweden). This is my first course about poetry so I’ll try to do my best! I´m also doing a Structural Engineering Master in Chalmers. More to say it´s that I´m in Sweden as an international student, because I´m a student from Spain.
I´m going to talk about the second poem: "BECAUSE I could not stop for Death," It´s interesting and it talks about a relationship.
At the beginning she is very busy, she has a non stop life. But something happened he arrived like a fresh air, a new situation that makes her has a new point of view of her life: enjoy it as if the time doesn’t go. It means immortality.
The time wasn´t a problem for them, they enjoyed their lives. She had to leave her tasks, a part of her life to share it with him, but that wasn´t matter.
She revises how the story was with this man (that looks that the relationship it´s over) from childhood (school) to the end of the life (the setting sun) .
Finally she has a special memory to the day the met. That day was so special for her that she can remember everything that happened that day, for her that day had more intensity than one century of their lives.
Some keywords:
“I TASTE a liquor never brewed” from “I taste”: That sentence means for me the first experience of something very important or unusual. A sensation that you only feel when you do something forbidden or you take a decision difficult to take.
“…the setting sun” in “Because I could”: I like this one, It´s smart way of saying the end of the days or the on of our life.
“That oppresses, like the weight Of cathedral tunes” from “There is a…”: I like it too, it´s true that when you listen a tune played inside a cathedral, you really feel scare of the power of this music, something you are not able to know happens and make you think how is it possible.
Hasta luego!
Alvaro G.
March 26, 2007
Hello group,
My name is Dan Limauro. I am currently enrolled at Clemson University majoring in Professional Golf Management. I am Online American Literature, which is a new but very interesting experience. Poetry is not my strong point, but I will try to give my personal insight on some of Dickenson’s poetry.
I found Emily Dickenson’s poetry very easy to read. Being a person who does not spend much time reading poetry I found her work to flow from sentence to sentence almost telling a story. I chose to focus on the poem “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death” to do my personal and literary reflection on.
I found it interesting that Dickenson capitalized the word “Death” found in line one. This made me interpret this poem differently. At first I did not pick up on this, so I assumed death being an unavoidable part of life. However, as I re-read the poem I noticed this. Therefore, I got the impression that Dickenson was referring to “Death” in human form, and therefore can be avoidable. If this is true, then I am somewhat confused on the meaning that Dickenson was trying to get across.
My initial interpretation of the poem is that due to the fact that we all live such busy lives, including myself, it is not always easy to set aside time to just reflect and relax. The one thing in my life I do not want to do, is sit and reflect back on how I wished I did something, or how I missed out on something. Therefore, I hope to be riding with “Death” when that time comes and be able to look out on similar sights that Dickenson is describing and say that I did that, rather than thinking I wish I could have done that.
To better my understanding, I looked up the definition of Immortality and surmised. The Webster’s dictionary defines Immortality as “Endless life or existence.” Finally, it defines surmised as “to conjecture or guess.”(www.dictionary.com). When I die I do not want to doubt anything I have done, and want to be able to look back and be proud of the decisions I made. I feel that Dickenson, is trying to let everyone know the importance of slowing down, and not rushing life, because we are not alive for eternity, and have to make the best out of everything situation we are in.
Sincerely,
Dan Limauro
Dear Everyone,
My name is Kate Daniel ,I go by the double name of Kate Daniel. I am studying at Clemson University in the American Literature class. My major is Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. I am not to sure what I want to do when I graduate.
The poem that I found interest in most when reading through all five poems was “Part Two: Nature.” This poem was the most interesting and gave me the most visual images when reading. When reading “Part Two: Nature” the first thing that I thought about was the vision of someone coming to rescue her as she is trying to drown herself. The two keywords that I picked out for this poem to help me better understand her language are, frigates and hempen. I looked the definitions of the two words up on the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. I found that the word frigate is a type of light boat, or war vessel; and that the word hempen means, composed of hemp. These two words help me better understand the poem now because, I am able to understand that the person speaking is possibly below the water and that ships are above them, and that something maybe on the ship was made of hemp that came down into the water, like hands.
Sincerely,
Kate Daniel
Hello Group,
My name is Michael and I’m currently enrolled in American Literature Through 1945 (online) at Clemson University. I am a senior majoring in Civil Engineering and I plan to graduate in May and continue my studies here at Clemson towards a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering. I enjoy reading poetry, but I would not call myself very good at poetry analysis or writing poetry. It is definitely nice to be able to enjoy poetry as a break from other disciplines of learning.
From Dickinson’s poems I found Part Two: Nature LXXXII (“There’s a certain slant of light”) to be the most striking. I see the poem’s setting as taking place through a funeral scene. Dickinson did a good job of expressing the feelings that are felt at a funeral in the first four lines of the poem. To me there is always some sort of quiet reverence that is in the air at a funeral. The sounds of “cathedral tunes” in the air, somber faces with tear filled eyes yet carrying a half-smile remembrance smirk, and the smell of death fragranced by the aroma of flowers. Sometimes at funerals I feel the weight that Dickinson described in line 3 on my chest as I try to breathe; the knot in my throat growing larger as I try to hold back tears until at times I can’t swallow.
In lines 13-16 I am even more impressed by Dickinson’s ability to simply describe how nature reacts to a funeral scene, or at least how we see nature reacting to a funeral scene. Indeed when a funeral comes the landscape listens, or so we think. So often I have viewed old trees at an aged church as overlooking a person as they go into the afterlife. For a moment shadows stand still, and trees that may have saw the person as a child playing in a yard down the street stand still as the person is carried to their final resting place. But is it we who take a snapshot of nature as one final reminder of our friend or loved one that we are putting to rest? Do we even look at our surroundings, in particular, nature, at other points in our life? Is the whole look of death brought on by human emotion?
Sincerely,
Mike Pridmore
Hell everyone,
Hello everyone, my name is David and I am currently enrolled in American Literature through 1945 online at Clemson University. I am currently a senior majoring in Sport Management with a minor in Finance. After I graduate, I plan to work for a sport marketing firm in south Florida. I enjoy reading stories about adventure like John Smith's stories. I adventure and danger to be very thrilling and also different from typical authors.
In Dicjinson's first poem I found it somewhat confusing for me. I didn't really understand some of the terms she used which gave me some difficulty putting hers words to sense. I did however look in Webster's dictionary which really helped me to understand more. Words loke seraph are things I have never heard of so it was interesting to learn about the word.
Hey Everyone,
My name is Melody Fowler, and I am currently in my first semester of graduate studies at Clemson University. The blogs I will be posting will be for English 814, Victorian Poetry. I look forward to our discussions on the poems we will be reading and analyzing together for the next few weeks.
The poem I wanted to focus on this week is Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death.” In this poem, Death is envisioned as a gentleman suitor who comes to beckon the speaker into his carriage. The drive they take together represents the speaker’s progression from childhood to, eventually, death. Images such as children playing, “gazing grain”, and the “setting sun” delineate this development from her childhood, to her adulthood, to her deathbed.
The speaker and Death actively “pass” by things that still remain a part of life but “pause” at the grave.
The last stanza is somewhat puzzling to me. In all prior stanzas images were clear and definite. However, once the speaker is ushered into death the images seem to be blurred, intangible even. What might Dickinson be saying about her own beliefs about death in this poem?
Another question: What kind of character is Death? The speaker says that Death “kindly” stops for her and that he slowly drives her through time in a courteous manner. Is Death really considerate of the speaker? Or, is he, ironically, using the appearance of a gentleman to deceive her, convincing her to go with him?
Thoughtfully,
Melody
Dear Group,
From reading everyone’s letters I was able to better understand what Dickenson was talking about when writing her poems. When I read them myself for the first time some seemed very confusing such as “Because I could not stop for Death” while others I felt like I really understood what she was talking about, such as “I STARTED early.”
Dan L., after reading your letter that you wrote to the group, you helped me realize some points written in “Because I could not stop for Death” that I was not able to pick up on. I was able to understand that is obviously had something to do with death and the ending of ones life, “The one thing in my life I do not want to do, is sit and reflect back on how I wished I did something, or how I missed out on something.” I did not realize that this was what was happening until you said that, making me realize why she wrote “We paused.”
Clara, I also really enjoyed the poem “I STARTED early” because of the “images by the sea” that she puts into ones head. I thought I pretty much understood the poem until you brought up the idea that “if one treats the sea with respect and sense, it will respect you in return.” Which helped me better understand the entire poem and the reason that the sea “withdrew.” I also do not understand the first two lines of the last stanza. I am think maybe the solid town, could be the shore, and he was unfamiliar with everyone else on shore.
I chose to find a representation for the poem “I STARTED early,” I chose a picture of a mermaid on a rock looking out into the call sea. The reason that I chose this representation was because they poem talks about how the mermaids came to look at her and I did think of it as if they were welcoming her. The sea is calm and peacefully just like the mermaid to show that the sea is not always angry and scary like some people think. This calmness shows what Clara pointed out, that Dickenson was trying to say, that if your respect the sea it will respect you, which it is doing by being calm. This helps to better understand the poem by showing the reader the calmness of the sea and the welcoming of the mermaid.
Sincerely,
Kate Daniel
Image from: Image from: http://members.cox.net/mysticmermaid/rmwelcome2.jpg
Dear Group 4,
I enjoyed each of your personal responses in Letter 1. It was interesting to see the way you all interpreted Dickinson’s poems and compare your thoughts in Letter 1 with my own notions after reading Dickinson’s work.
I was intrigued by the insight Dee T. had into Dickinson’s poem, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” I agree with Dee in the fact that, “As a people, our lives continuing at such a break-neck pace that we hardly have time to stop and take a break.” In my own experience sometimes life gets so hectic that all plans go out the window, and I have to just take life as it comes, one day at a time. It seems there is no plan, simply chaos.
Referring to Dee, I also did not know what the word cornice meant upon initial reading. Judging from the definitions that Dee provided, I like to see the third definition, “an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge,” as the definition Dickinson intended. It makes sense to mistake a mound of dirt, which could represent a fresh burial site, as windblown snow or ice on a ridge. However, it is amazing that all the definitions work within the context of the poem.
I also want to touch on Avaro G.’s response to “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” I wanted to comment on his response since it seems that Alvaro and I have the same interest in structural engineering, yet we are an ocean apart.
I thought that it was interesting that Alvaro seen the thing that Dickinson wrote of in her poem as an actual person and not the spirit of death. I reread the poem from this perspective and it made perfect sense. It is interesting that I never thought of the poem in this manner, but upon your idea, I totally understand your platform.
It seems that Dickinson’s poetry is special because people can connect with it from different points of view. The only correct interpretation of her poetry is what one truly feels when her poetry is read.
Go Tigers,
Mike P.
Letter 2
Hi everybody,
I thought it was very interesting to read all your comments and see the differences and similarities in personal background and understanding of the poems.
Adam, you commented on “I tasted a liquor” and connected it with nature, I quote: “a sort of invocation of Nature's intoxicating quality--” This really improved my understanding of the poem. Before I did not see the connection with nature so clearly, I saw the poem as a sort of description of a bar and its regulars. But when I read it now, everything makes a lot more sense. However, this nature connection does raise a question; why is this poem in part one: Life, and not in part two: Nature?
The second person I want to comment on is Kate Daniel, because she commented on the same poem as I did. Kate Daniel, you said something about the person speaking being underneath the ships and something made of hemp coming down (perhaps like a lifeline being thrown to her aid?). I thought that Dickinson meant the sails of the ships, with “these hempen hands”. Your explanation makes sense too, but it does leave me wondering about the meaning of the rest of the poem. If someone on the ship saves her with these hempen hands, is he referred to in the rest of the poem with “he“? I had difficulty with knowing who the “he” in the poem is, but my conclusion was that it probably is the sea.
The representation I found, is a picture that a friend of mine made on a graveyard covered with snow somewhere in Sweden. For me it represents the feeling of the poem “There’s a certain slant of light”. I think the light in the picture is quite special, the grey sky is gloomy, which corresponds with the somber tone of the poem. The words “heavenly hurt” express something bittersweet, a sort of inner contrast that also can be found in the sky, that is brighter in the background. There also is a certain serenity to the landscape in the picture, which I think fits nicely with the last stanza of the poem.
The picture can be found on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29409351@N00/388250526/in/set-72157594496460194/
Sincerely,
Clara
Hej,
First of all thanks to everyone for giving your points of view. I really enjoyed reading your different opinions.
About the poem: “BECAUSE I could not stop for Death”:
I’ve read your opinions and point of view. In posting order: Dee T. very good exposition of the poem, you did a first-class analysis of it an you were the first doing it!
Melody F and Dan L I see that you two agree with the point of view of Death as a gentleman/human form. After reading the poem again I’m able to see it and makes me give a new sense to the poem. My point of view or the meaning I gave to it was about a relationship broken by Death. But as Mike P said in letter 2 about my opinion, both meanings can be for the poem (In my defence I’ll say that in the Latin languages Death has a female sense and that confused me to see the relation Death-He!).
I agree with Mike P in his letter 2, every one has his own point of view and that’s what makes the poetry connected with each reader and make him feel different emotions.
My picture:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/23/puestasolwn2.jpg
I choose a sunset as she suggested in the poem, but one with some cloud because for me the poem is a little bit sad and “grey”.
Regards
Alvaro G.
Greetings Everyone!
I very much enjoyed reading the initial responses from you all. Several of you gave me a new way to look at one of Dickinson’s poems, while others of you confirmed and cemented some images that I had already formed as well.
Adam’s response was particulary thorough and interesting—and complex! I liked seeing the many, many questions that he posed because I had to stop and contemplate and try to answer them as I went through them. I particulary liked the questions concerning the alcohol as I had made the connection to Keats’s “Nightingale” also. Adam writes: “Because the poem is incorporating the alcohol metaphor prior to this line, the first definition seems best. It appears to suggest that as nature gives up on its intoxicating quality the speaker will only have more,” and then provides interesting follow-up questions like: “Is Dickinson suggesting that when nature gives up the speaker will simply drink that much more? What then would that suggest of the speaker?” Adam also brings up some very interesting points about the form and the punctuation that Dickinson incorporated, but I’ll leave that alone as Adam is clearly more experienced in that field than I.
I also really enjoyed reading Michael’s response, as he added a more personal note to his analysis. His sentence: “Sometimes at funerals I feel the weight that Dickinson described in line 3 on my chest as I try to breathe; the knot in my throat growing larger as I try to hold back tears until at times I can’t swallow” succinctly captures Dickinson’s meaning while at the same time offering a new perspective through the words of a different author.
The image that I am choosing to include is that of a small cemetery that was created, I assume rather instantly, for soldiers killed on the battlefield. I know that Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” has nothing to do with battle, but the image is particularly haunting and I think provides for a nice contrast to the poet’s work.
http://www.webbgarrison.com/thesoldierfull/189graves.jpg
Have a good one!
Dee
March 28, 2007
Hello Group 4,
Thank you for all of your insight and ideas about the poetry we read. Reading through your personal responses has helped me gain a better understanding of these poems. It was interesting to see how different people have different interpretations of the poetry.
I was intrigued by the insights of Alvaro. I thought it was very interesting how he interpreted the poem to be about a relationship. Do you believe that Dickenson based the idea of death around her significant other? If this is so, this could be a reason why she capitalized the word “Death.” You bring up a very interesting point, and it has helped me gain more insight into the poetry of Dickenson.
I was also very impressed with the analysis of the poem “Because I could not stop for death” done by Dee T. I do not have a lot of experience when it comes to the analysis of poetry, therefore, it is very interesting to read poetry analysis from someone who has a lot of experience dealing with poetry. The part of your analysis that I found most interesting was how you related the last stanza to a grave. This did not come to me while I was reading and analyzing the poem myself. So thank you for your insight.
For my picture I chose to take a photo of a gravestone in a local cemetery here in Clemson. I chose to do this because I was inspired by the imagery used by Dickenson in her poem “Because I could not stop for death.” The fourth stanza is quoted saying “We paused before a house that seemed a swelling of the ground; The roof was scarcely visible, The cornice but a mound.” Through the help of Dee T. I have learned that this is describing a grave. I like how Dickenson uses abstract ways to explain her imagery and feel that this is a good example.
The link to my photo is as follows..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7558872@N04/438109449/
Go Tigers!
Sincerely,
Daniel Limauro
Hello Everyone,
I would to say that reading everyones comments was quite interesting, and I find it interesting to see students from other countries giving their personal opinions on Dickinson. I also feel that from these assignments, I have gained more knowledge of Dickinson becuase of everyones insight.
After reading Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" I felt that it really stood out when comparing it with other works. I feel that any poem's revolving around death are usually serious and dramatic. The fact that Dickinson basically says that he doesn't have time for death is amusing. I guess if you are the type of person who is so envolved in work and achieving success, then even death takes a back seat. In today's society, people seem to work harder and longer hours to achieve greater wealth and success. It is understandable for many people to do whatever possible and that is a big reason why death is not valued for what it is.
One thing that stood out to me about Dickinson's poem in the second part was that some of her word use is past tense like she was speaking from the afterlife. I find this spooky because its sounds as if she is giving a warning to those who do not recognize death. I think that she is trying to help set an example.
Finally after reading the fifth part of the poem, my point about her speaking from the afterlife is true. I enjoyed reading this poem and I was able to really understand it as well.
Sincerely,
David
Letter 3
Hi everyone,
thanks for your new insights. Dee, I agree on what you said about Michaels first letter, that his personal note adds a new perspective. Melody, you said: “I think personal experiences can help us relate to the emotion a poet expresses or is generating in his/her poetry”, and I think you have a good point.
Poetry is less straightforward in it’s meaning than prose, which sometimes makes it not so easily accessible. Keeping in mind ones own experiences, one can create their own interpretation. And it actually doesn’t really matter if this interpretation is different from what the writer intended, as long as you enjoyed it.
Melody, I also thought your explanation of “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” was very interesting. “Generally, the Truth is seen as an agent that frees, illumines, or enlightens and lies are considered blinding or hindering to knowledge of truth. However, Dickinson seems to advocate that Truth be approached and communicated cautiously, gradually even so as not to blind.” This made me go over the poem once more and I understood it a lot better now. The 2nd and 3rd sentence still puzzle me a bit; what is meant by Circuit and why is it capitalized? I think this is a really charming poem, because of it’s mild and gentle tone. The picture you attached was really beautiful and is a good choice because of your story about the storm. However, I think I would choose an other picture, because it doesn’t really express the gentleness I found in the poem.
I thought it was remarkable that three of the multimodal expressions (including mine) had something to do with graveyards. This seems to fit nicely with “Because I could not stop for Death”, but I think your picture also works really well with the poem, Alvaro (for the people that couldn’t view the picture; try putting .jpg behind the url).
Finally I would like to say that I thought it was really interesting to ‘talk’ about the poetry like this and I enjoyed the feedback. Good luck with the rest of your courses!
Ciao,
Clara
Dear Group 2,
I am sorry that I forgot to attach my representation that complements the theme or mood of Dickinson’s poems in Letter 2. In light of Dickinson’s poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” I guess the fact that I am always in a rush and even though I read the assignment, attaching my representation slipped my mind.
Originally, I chose to create an original representation because I felt that I couldn’t find anything on the internet to convey my thoughts. However, upon trying to upload my response on the blog site, I realized an image couldn’t be inserted. However, I did find this video online that represents how sometimes I feel time moves, and how Dickinson must have felt when she composed, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” It is a time lapse video of a clock, but when viewed, it represents how we as humans can get caught up in the rush of life.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3268491812062496313&q=fast+clock&hl=en
Sincerely,
Michael P.
Hello Group,
I am fascinated by the feedback that this cross cultural collaboration has brought to my better understanding of Dickinson’s poetry. I want to thank each of you again for your wonderful responses.
I was impressed by Melody’s visual representation that shows just how “small and insignificant” humanity is based on Clara’s analysis of “I started early, took my dog.” I cannot remember Hurricane Hugo, but I have experienced the fear and awesome power of nature several times in my life. It is in these moments when we realize how small we are in the grand scope of the world. This past summer I can vividly remember a thunderstorm on Lake Wylie in Rock Hill, SC, that upon seeing your picture I was reminded of. I actually feared that I was going to die from a lightning strike because as we fished, my fishing rod started buzzing. Needless to say, I quit fishing that day. It sometimes takes images or events like this to remind ourselves just how small our magnitude really is.
I also thought that it was interesting that Daniel and Dee both chose graveyard images as their visual representations based on “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” Both pictures evoke unique thoughts when viewed. Daniel’s picture of a gravestone here in the Clemson area provides a somber tone using black and white imaging and by the look of the surface of the gravestone. The stone is starting to grow mold/moss and the clarity of the names and dates provides a personal touch. It almost looks like the picture was taken at night, which adds even more mystery to the photo. Dee’s images, also in black and white, shows fresh burial sites, based on the mounds in front of the headstones, just as Dickinson described a mound in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” The setting sun casts long shadows and the overlooking trees almost seem to guard over those resting in eternal peace. Both are good visual representations.
Thanks again for helping me to see others perspectives for viewing Dickinson’s work.
Sincerely,
Michael P.
Hello, Everyone!
Well, I think we’ve all said quite a bit about our different insights and interpretations of the poems. I’m glad to have been part of such an insightful group! Since I feel that we’ve done Dickinson justice in our discussion of her works, I’d like to focus primarily on the images that we chose to go along with our works.
Before I do that, though, I would like to comment on something that Mike posted. He states that he chose a different definition that I had posted for the word “cornice.” I originally stated that I thought all three definitions worked in the context of the poem. I stand by that decision but Mike states that definition three works best for him (an overhanging mass of windblown snow or ice usually on a ridge) and I think that Mike’s right…this definition is certainly more vivid and compelling. I get a “stronger” mental image when I use the third definition. Thanks, Mike!
OK, back to the images. I found Kate Daniel’s image of the mermaid fascinating. While it’s certainly not the first image that came to my mind upon reading the poem, I think it is a unique and interesting perspective that works really well. I also liked Clara’s “chilling” (sorry, bad pun) representation of “Certain Slant.” I agree with you, Clara, about the contrast between the gloomy and the serene in the picture. And, finally, I wanted to comment on the awe-inspiring picture that Melody posted! I, too, remember all too well Hurricane Hugo passing through and the devastation that it caused, but your picture doesn’t make me fearful like it should…I find it eerily beautiful (maybe I’m crazy).
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this experience with you all and look forward to reading your next set of comments!
Dee
Dear Group 4,
Letter 3
I have really enjoyed collaborating with everyone about the Dickenson’s poems. Talking with everyone and seeing what everyone has to say makes the poem to me seem that more interesting, trying to make me think in the same way as everyone else.
Clara, when I was referring to “he” I was guessing it was the sea I was talking about. I do agree with you that my interpretation does make the rest of the poem a little more confusing to understand. I enjoyed your interpretation a lot more than mine, I feel like yours makes a lot more sense and goes along with the rest of the poem. I LOVE the picture that you picked for the poem “I could not stop for death,” that is exactly what I was picturing. I also think of the poem as being cold and gloomy.
Melody, I found it your representation to the poem very interesting. I think that is so neat that people can interpret one poem into so many things just by one simple line. I think that your representation is perfect for what the poem made you think about. I would have never thought about a storm from reading this poem. When I read this poem I did not really understand what was going on except that it was a poem about truth. I think just your one sentence quote with the picture helped me understand the poem a little more. The first thing that came to my mind when I read this poem was people telling secrets in a circle. Thanks for making me look at it in a totally different way.
Sincerely,
Kate Daniel
Hello Group Four,
I knew I would forget to post letter 2 if I wrote it early. I guess that is what I get for trying to stay ahead of the game. Anyway, here's a late addition.
I was delighted to read everyone's thoughts on Ms. Emily Dickinson's poetry. The comments on "Because I could not stop for death" were extremely helpful as were the comments on "I started early..." The question presented by Melody, "what might Dickinson be saying about her own beliefs about death in this poem," in regards to "Because I could not stop..." seems to be a key component for understanding the poem, especially the final two stanzas. The image presented in lines 13-17 suggests a sort of burial mound, a tomb. For Dickinson, much of her life was spent indoors, and if you take her life into account within the words of the poem it helps make sense of this image. It represents how life (conversely, death) can grow up around a person, even one who resorts to staying in his/her house. This idea of connecting Dickinson to the speaker may be shot down, but I believe it helps interpret some of the odd images in her poems.
The final stanza, speaks to the character of Death. It is only upon realization of Death that a person realizes everyone heads toward death. Life becomes this conscious or unconscious race, and because Dickinson (or the speaker) could not stop and wait for death, thus death stopped for her and waited. This can also be interpreted as Death being the only companion Dickinson (or the speaker) had in all the days of her life. He was a kindly figure who accompanied her, leading her through the school children, the fields of grain, and the setting sun. Death did not rush her towards eternity, because the speaker states "I had put away / my labor, and my leisure too, / for his civility" (6-8) suggesting the speaker was ready to go.
I think the interpretations by Dan, Alvaro and Dee were all correct in the notion of living life to its fullest (even if it is really hectic Dee) and not pausing to give Death or the past a chance to take hold.
Also, I enjoyed Clara's reading of "There's a certain slant of light." I had just skimmed through the poem initially, but upon revisiting it with some of her comments I found I was able to enter the mind of Dickinson with a bit more gusto.
The question Clara posed, "What is meant by the solid town," in my opinion seems to read as either the beach, the shore or the edge of a town. The sea seems to explain a mutual relationship between the speaker and nature. Dickinson acknowledges the power of the sea and in stanza five,
And he--he followed close behind;
I felt his silver heel
Upon my ankle,--then my shoes
Would overflow with pearl
the speaker describes the reverence 'she' has for the sea by running away from it. And in the final stanza the scene has almost become a dance between 'man' and nature, a sort of yin and yang.
As for the second part of this supposed 300 word assignment, I chose the lyrics from Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and a drawing from an episode of Family Guy, in which Death makes a cameo appearance. I thought the lyrics describe a modern perspective on how death can be gentle and more of friend than something to fear. (I use 'friend' lightly). Also the repetition of "I see my light come shining/ from the west unto the east" to be reminiscent of Dickinson's progression through the children playing to the fields of grain to the setting sun.
As for the photo, if you have ever seen the episode, the main character, Peter, cons Death into giving him one more chance. Peter and Death therefore become 'friends' and embark upon all sorts of things. It was the first image I thought of when I read the prompt.
Cordially,
Adam
http://www.animationartgallery.com/FGLDIAB.html
Bob Dylan - I Shall Be Released Lyrics
They say ev'rything can be replaced,
Yet ev'ry distance is not near.
So I remember ev'ry face
Of ev'ry man who put me here.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
They say ev'ry man needs protection,
They say ev'ry man must fall.
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Standing next to me in this lonely crowd,
Is a man who swears he's not to blame.
All day long I hear him shout so loud,
Crying out that he was framed.
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east.
Any day now, any day now,
I shall be released.
Hello,
First of all I’ve to say thank you all for your interesting posts. I´ve really enjoyed reading each of them. You did a great work.
Every comment helped me to supplement my understanding of Dickinson´s poetry, and helped me to see some interesting connections.
About letter 2 I’ve seen that some of you liked my point of view of a relationship in the poem “Because I could not stop for death”. As I said for me it could be like a look back into her life, trying to remember what she had and what she has lost with He in this relationship broken by Death. That made you think about it and I’m happy to read that!
I liked also the comment of David K. about: haven’t time to death and how he translates it into the modern world, about today’s society where death is not valued for what it is. That makes me think about it.
Also I liked what Clara and Michael D. said about: personal experiences can help us to relate the emotion a poet express. I completely agree with you. Only our experiences can help us to understand it, for me personal experiences are the starting point of what we can finally imagine about one poem and what the author wants to tell us or tries to make us imagine.
Talking about the images, I saw that Dee T and Daniel L chose a cemetery. There is not a best picture to be linked with death, it’s the end. I liked that one is black and white and the other one seems quite dark or maybe it’s better to say not to much light. That follows with my opinion of a dark/grey/sad colour in the Dickinson’s poem.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed talking about Dickinson’s work with each of you. Thanks so much for your hard work in a very complicated poet!
Hasta la vista!
Alvaro G
March 29, 2007
Hello group,
I just want to take this time first to thank all of you. I feel strongly that we had a successful collaboration of thought on the poetry of Emily Dickenson. I feel that with all of your help, I better understanding the underlying meaning behind her poetry.
I really enjoyed all of the pictures and other types of visual representations of the poetry of Dickenson. I found it truly interesting reading about how these images relate to the poetry. I feel strongly that visual representations help to truly get across a meaning of a poem, and what that poem means to you. With that said, I enjoyed Kate Daniel's visual representation of the poem "I STARTED early." I too feel and agree with the point that if you respect the sea, it will respect you back. This idea is shown in Dickenson's poem with the calmness of the water, and Kate Daniel displayed this well with her visual representation.
I also found Clara's visual representation to be very interesting. Personally, I also used a picture of a graveyard but I used this as a representation of the poem "Because I could not stop for death." This shows, that the same type of representation can be used to symbolize different things. For this reason I find that poetry can be a good thing to create representations on. This is because reflecting on poetry and the meaning comes from the heart, and therefore, no two peoples views are going to be the same.
Thanks for all the insight!
Sincerely,
Daniel Limauro
March 30, 2007
Hey Group,
I honestly have enjoyed the cross-cultural discussion. It’s been interesting to hear from all of you—the views, thoughts, interpretations, questions, even background knowledge you have brought to the discussion. I think it’s added a great deal more to the meaning of the poems. Having all of you to shed light through your own explanations has helped me to further understand the message the speaker/poet is trying to convey.
I also appreciated Michael’s personal storm story. In light of the visual representations he says that “sometimes it takes images or events…to remind ourselves just how small our magnitude really is.” His thought reiterated Clara’s idea that Dickinson “emphasizes how small and insignificant she (or humans in general) is (are) compared to nature” in her poem “I started early”. I like, too, what Alvaro concluded, “Only our experiences can help us to understand it, for me personal experiences are the starting point of what we can finally imagine about one poem and what the author wants to tell us or tries to make us imagine.” I think we bring much to poetry, our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, that enable us to understand and relate to it various ways. I think our discussions have proved that!
Clara, in reference to your question about the word “Circuit” in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”, I felt like the word may have mostly meant “indirect”—that success is found when one chooses to communicate in a circuitous (indirect) manner. Dickinson seems to say the truth, bent, is less abrasive. I still have questions, too, about the capitalizations, but it may have been done simply for emphasis.
The discussion board was a good experience. Thanks for your honest thoughts on the readings!
Thoughtfully,
Melody
Hey Everyone,
I wanted to say that I really enjoyed working on these collaberative assignments. I thought is was very interesting to see the different opinions of everyone and how we all agreed on certain aspects of Dickinson's works. I also felt that this specific type of assignment really helped me to understand parts of Dickinson's poerty without having to ask anyone. This was a much more of an educational experience being able to collaborate with each other from different classes and cultures.
Looking at some of your pictures and other visuals, I felt that understanding Dickinson's poerty was better explained. I love to look at pictures, clips, movies, anything that shows pictures. I feel that I get a much better feel for what Dickinson is trying to say and also what you are saying. Often times, pictures of faces and different scenery can really dipict the mood and setting of the event.
When looking at some of your interpretation's of Dickinson's thoughts, I really understood how some of you felt about certains lines of Dickinson's poerty. This was overall a great experience and hope all of you feel the same.
Thank you,
David K
Hello Everyone,
Once again I am postscript to the conversation--my apologies! After reviewing everyone's comments I have realized why poetry is so wonderful again. It is not a medium that should illicit stock responses prepped by a teacher or a scholar's work on the subject. Too often in classroom settings, it is apparent that the discussion tends to be tailored to one or two arguments, while everyone else sits there nodding their head or looking down at the scribbles on their page instead of offering up their own personal impression (for one reason or another). The blog, as a medium for discussing literature, has freed the individual to explore his or her own personal interpretation(s). Whether or not, the individual uses some sort of secondary material to aid in the formation of his or her opinion is hopefully not the goal of one's blog, but instead as almost everyone stated especially Alvaro, Melody, Michael and Dee, the personal repsonse has enlightened all of us and been more enjoyable than being told what is going on by some one else. Professional insight regarding poetry is obviously a valuable source when it comes to studying poetry, but I believe, as the blog proved, incorporating personal responses, both written and artistic, aid in the connection of the individual to the written word (especially words as old and difficult to grasp as Dickinson's).
Clara's photo of the snowy road and trees is a beautiful picture. I can see the heaviness of winter in the picture. The idea of heavy and winter also makes me think of Frost's poem "Birches." I envisioned the image of shadows holding their breath to be the extremely long shadows that are produced in the middle of the day during winter. They are omnious and grow amongst the light into the distance calling out to the dark and the night. These shadows are what disappear in the horizon and are what goes like the distance on the look of death. I could be wrong but I like the image none-the-less as it paired nicely with the poem like a bottle of wine with cheese.
It was enjoyable, and I wish this sort of assignment was conducted more often.
Cordially,
Adam M
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