Poem 216
Dickinson seems to be talking about death. She refers to the "members of the Resurrection" as being "safe in their Alabaster chambers" and remaining untouched all throughout the day and night (482). I feel like she's saying the members of the resurrection are in their graves or coffins. They're safe because they're dead and cannot be harmed. They remain untouched because of the way that their dead body was buried or preserved. "Roof of stone" makes me think it's more likely that they're in some kind of stone tomb or coffin (482). She thinks of them as being wise and of good judgment since she described them as being sagacious when she said "Ah, what sagacity perished here!" (482).
Poem 258
Dickinson seems to be speaking about death again. She refers to a "certain Slant of light" in "winter afternoons" that "oppresses" similar to the "Heft / Of Cathedral Tunes" (483). The way I interpret this is that she's seeing a cloudy and gloomy sky because of the current season and weather. Barely shining through the clouds at a slant is a beam of light. The way it shines down makes her think of heaven. And by seeing such a heavenly light, she feels a daunting sense that she feels whenever she listens to the music played at cathedrals as if some impending doom is awaiting. She also mentions "Seal Despair" and describes it as being "an imperial affliction / Sent us of the Air" (483). As I understand, she's saying that despair is in the air and the sky as evident by the slant of light and her earlier feelings. She then goes on to share how the landscape and shadows react to this. "The Landscape listens" and "Shadows--hold their breath" (483). "When it goes, 'tis like the Distance / on the look of Death" (483). I think she's viewing the shadows on the ground as they move due to the movement of cloud blocking sunlight and causing the visual effect of a moving shadow across a large space of land. This sight to her looks like that of death spreading.
Poem 341
"After great pain, a formal feeling comes-- / The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs" (484). Emily Dickinson seems to be speaking about a feeling of peace that occurs when one dies. She says the nerves "sit ceremonious" as if relaxing and celebrating, and mentions the "stiff Heart" (484). She speaks about how feet move but goes on to mention "a Wooden way" and says regardless, they grow a "Quartz contentment" (484). She's saying that people move and function for so long as living beings before eventually dying and no longer being able to move; as if they were an inanimate object with no other option besides being content with their new permanent state. "As Freezing persons" they "First--Chill--then Stupor-- then the letting go" (484). Ignoring undesired Frozen vibes, she's saying that death is like freezing. First, you becomes still, then you lose your sense and mind, then you accept fate.
Poem 435
"Madness is divinest Sense" (484). I'm not completely sure, but I feel like this poem is about rebelling and not conforming to society's norms. She says "Assent-- and you are sane" meaning if you express approval of life and the way other's live, you're sane because you meet their expectations (484). But if you "Demur-- you're straightaway dangerous / And handled with a Chain" (484). So if you object to society's rules and expectations, you're seen as a threat and dealt with legally. This poem also might be Dickinson's way of expressing her belief that corruption is present and her fears of sharing her thoughts about it with others because she doesn't want to be arrested for speaking her mind, writing out her thoughts for her eyes alone.
Poem 519
"Twas warm--at first--like Us" (485). Dickinson continues to express her fascination with death. She describes this life as being warm at first, but goes on to mention a "chill" that "crept upon" the life until they had to "be gone" (485). She's a lot clearer in this poem than the previous ones. "The forehead copied stone" meaning that the person is dead and no longer has the feeling of life that can't be felt with bodily contact, as if a stone. "The Fingers grew too cold" because they're lifeless and cold (485). "The busy eyes--congealed-- / It straightened--that was all-- / It crowded Cold to Cold" (485-6). Dickinson is pointing out how the eyes lose life and any definite direction when someone dies. They became cold and solid as well due to the lack of fluids in the eyes. "'Twas lowered, like a Weight" is her way of illustrating the coffin being lowered into the grave (486). "It made no Signal, nor demurred, / But dropped like Adamant" (486). The dead cannot object to their burial and instead must drop like adamant, meaning they are no different than a heavy rock being dropped.
Poem 1129
I normally don't care much for Emily Dickinson's poems, admittedly. But I really loved this poem because of word choice, the message behind it, how simple it was to grasp despite not being completely literal, and because I felt like she successfully got her message across without trying to put too much meaning in too little text or dragging out over unnecessary stanzas. "Tell all the Truth but tell it slant--" (489). She's saying that people explain life in ways that hide the complete truth in order to protect innocence and allow people to retain their sense of hope and not view life as some downward path to a meaningless end. She's pointing out how, religion, folktales, and the ways that people explain death to children are shaped in a way that tries to not seem as terrifying. When people die, some people share the belief that they go on to Heaven or some other afterlife, or are reincarnated into another life. There's this idea that death doesn't need to be an "end," but just a shift in life. "Too bright for our infirm Delight / The Truth's superb surprise" (489). She's reinforcing the fact that the reality of death is terrifying to our human delight because of how fragile our happiness can be when faced with impending death; the truth is a surprise that slaps many people in the face because of how sudden and tragic it is. "As Lightning to the Children eased / With explanation kind" (489). She's making it clearer how the mysteries of death are explained to children in a gentle and delicate way as to not deprive them of their innocence and scare them from life. "The Truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind" (489). People have to slowly learn and understand the reality of death because it's traumatic to fully realize. Everyone would be unable to see the rest of the world and what life has to offer because death would be the only thing they could see if it was forcefully realized.
Dickson, Emily. The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, Third Edition, vol. E, W. W. Norton 2012, pp. 480-490
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