After initial readings of Dickinson's poems, I cannot help but feel somber and gloomy. This feeling can easily be attributed to the melancholy tones, death centered themes, and the repetitiveness of these two facets of Dickinson's work. I also couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated after my first reading. Sentiments of "you read it too fast" or "why didn't you get anything out of it? (besides a feeling of utter bewilderment)" swept over me a couple times. Yet, I realized that if I slowed down, and actually took the time to figure out what Emily (yes, we're on a first name basis ;-) meant by an "Alabaster Chamber" or other obscure jargon, I could actually begin to piece together meanings of the poem and appreciate them greatly; though, I have to say my jovial personality isn't really a fan of being brought down by three depressing stanzas. I begun to see that though short, the poems contained an immense amount of meanings to be taken and analyzed. One thing that I began to especially appreciate, after I had stopped superficially just seeing depression & death in the poems, was Emily's creativeness in description. Though odd and uncommon, her comparisons and descriptions are truly original. How often will you hear autumn described as having "a hue of blood". Though it may be the gloomier side, Dickinson's view of things in a completely different light should be appreciated. But come on Emily, give us a smile for once : ).
Also, I did really appreciate learning that all poets aren't Super Heroes, creating ingenious works with every stroke of their pen, but that they too go through vigorous correspondence with editors. Makes me feel human. So thanks for that, Sue.
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On the first day studying Dickinson, while compiling phrases or adjectives we are reminded of when considering her work, we briefly compared Dickinson to Sylvia Plath. Although I openly admit that Plath is my absolute favorite poet, I don’t think that she is nearly as unique as Dickinson in personality (which usually feeds directly into a talented poet’s work). Plath, like many tortured artists before and after her, was misunderstood, depressed and internally tortured; these themes are apparent in her haunting works. However, Dickinson stands greatly apart from this. Elaborate studies of her work leave scholars with reason to believe that Dickinson was reclusive, antisocial, and probably very shy. But depressed? Maybe not so much. Obsessed with death, sure, but we must remember when examining her work that death is not always a morbid topic. In “Alabaster Chambers” and “Autumn”, Dickinson describes death as a safe, untouchable resting place and compares death to a colorful fall day, respectively. To study Dickinson’s work objectively and understand the tones and nuances of her word choices, we must put aside our assumptions that “reclusive” and “tortured” go hand-in-hand.
ReplyDeleteWhile many of Emily Dickinson’s poems are about death and do have a somber tone, this is her way of dealing with the topic that is continually present in her life. Trying to separate the theme of death detracts from not only the poem, but lessens Dickenson’s impact as a writer. In her poem “Safe in their Alabaster Chambers” Emily is trying to deal with humanity’s overall indifference to death and those that have died. The inclusion of “grand go the years” connotes the passage of time, yet no one acknowledges those that died. Even in the second stanza, the inclusion of the nature imagery demonstrates how life still continues despite the “sagacity [that] perished here”. I think it could also be interpreted that Dickinson views death as not a permanent state, as she refers to the dead as “sleep[ing].” I do agree, however, that most of these interpretations were aided by her inclusion of strong images that force the reader to focus on specific points.
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