Emily Dickinson is perhaps one of the most intriguing American poets studied. The distant look in her eyes reflects her life, which she spent mostly isolated in her home in Amherst, Massachusetts. While leading a seemingly solitary life, he unleashes the faculties of his mind in his powerful poetry. It tackles compelling themes such as death, depression, human desperation, individual capacity, and the art of poetry. His feelings on these subjects emerge in his poems, but his exact thoughts are difficult to discover as his poetry is highly enigmatic. Likewise, the theme of Christianity in her poetry remains one of Dickinson's most inconsistent recurring themes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It is known that she stopped attending church at an early age and eventually withdrew from Mount Holyoke Female Seminary because she could not accept the idea of the original Sin (Conarroe 74). Furthermore, Dickinson "also resisted local religious revivals in which other family members and friends were involved..." (884). Despite his dislike of revivals, as many clergymen did during his time, Dickinson incorporates central Christian themes into his poetry. He often makes biblical references such as "For your face / Would put out that of Jesus" (22-23) and "The brain is the very burden of God" (5). It is also noted that "He loved the Bible," among a list of other great writers and their works, and said, "'Why is any other book necessary?'" (Conarroe 73). Furthermore, its form and meter mimic the hymn ballads he had heard throughout his life. As a result, it may be difficult to conclude what he thinks about Christianity, as there is evidence both ways. Because Dickinson's position is not entirely obvious, it forces the reader to dig into her poem for further evidence. In her poem "'Faith' is a beautiful invention," Dickinson places the word "'Faith'" in quotation marks, bringing to attention the irony between the original meaning of the word, which is faith in God, and its meaning more contemporary, the religion of Christianity. There is a sense of loss in the speaker's voice regarding faith and what it has become. The first line reads: "'Faith' is a beautiful invention" (1). Instead of “faith” referring to pristine belief in God, Dickinson suggests that it has simply become an “invention” (1), something that was created by man and is no longer sacred. The first two lines, "Faith is a beautiful invention / When gentlemen can see-" (1-2) also implies that men, or humanity, cannot see, which makes man-made religion not such a "beautiful" invention. The next line begins with “But microscopes are careful” (3). Dickinson is saying that many times people looking at faith miss the grand scheme of Christianity by trying to look at it through a microscope. Perhaps Dickinson is criticizing the way people have become overly focused on the doctrines of Christianity, instead of simply having faith in God. Dickinson herself disagrees with the church on the issue of original sin, yet continues to seek "comfort spiritual away from the family pews,” as he says: “Some keep the Sabbath by going to church – / I keep it, staying at Home-” (Conarroe 74). In the poem's final lines, he states that microscopes are "prudent / In emergency" (4), pleading with Christians to stop wasting their short lives on earth looking through microscopes and start looking at God. In this poem, Dickinson seems to criticize what man has made of "Faith", not faith in God itself. Another of Dickinson's poems,"I can't live with you", appears to be a love poem, perhaps addressed to the Rev. . Charles Wadsworth, with whom he appears to have had a close personal relationship (884). The poem is full of tender words longing for her deceased lover, but, like so many of her poems, it is consistent with more than one sentence.interpretation. This poem can also be seen as Dickinson's love poem to Christ. In addition to the image of her lover's face managing to highlight, or even drown out, the brilliant face of Christ, Dickinson could also use the phrase in the most literal sense, of her lover revealing or highlighting the face of Christ. In this reading of the poem, she speaks to Christ as if He were her lover, expressing anguish and pain at not being able to be with Him. In the opening stanza, Dickinson says, I cannot live with Thee--It would be Life-And life is yonder-Behind the Shelf-- (1-4)Dickinson equates Christ with life, just as Christ did in John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." Furthermore, it suggests that Christ is hidden behind the shelf, and the shelf could represent religion. It is interesting that she uses the image of the shelf to separate Christ from her because shelves often contain books, which are symbols of human knowledge and understanding. Dickinson might infer that human reason and interpretation of the Bible have, in fact, hindered God and humanity. Porcelain-" (5-8). Here he compares humanity to the porcelain of Christ, something fragile and beautiful, a precious belonging of Christ. He also emphasizes that the sexton, who according to the Oxford English Dictionary is a church official who performs the menial tasks of the church, has the key to "Putting up / Our Life-" (7-8) Dickinson uses the image of the sexton as a symbol of the technical or dogmatic elements of religion, thus implying that man's faith. in God has been interrupted by the very doctrines of Christianity. Dickinson makes an allusion to Christ's crucifixion in the fourth stanza, "I could not die- with Thee-" (13), and His resurrection in the sixth stanza, "Nor could I rise again- with You- / Because Your Face / Would extinguish that of Jesus--" (21-23). Once again, when he takes the phrase in the literal sense of showing off or revealing one's face, he is telling Christ that he regrets that she cannot die or be resurrected with Him. She desires to be with Christ and no longer wants to worry about religious doctrines such as the idea of original sin. There is a definite tone of guilt in these lines, the guilt of not being able to wholeheartedly believe Christian doctrine in its totality. He says to Christ,They would judge Us-How-Because-You-served Heaven-You know,Or tried to-I couldn't-- (29-32)It is true that Rev. Charles Wadsworth served God, but in a sense , Christ also served God when he descended to earth as a heavenly sacrifice. In the eleventh stanza, Dickinson continues to search for her lover, Christ. He describes His absence as hell. “And I- condemned to be / Where you were not-- / That I- was hell to me-” (41-44). Ultimately, Dickinson realizes that she and Christ can never meet on earth because of the discrepancies between her and her. and the teachings of the Christian religion. “So we must meet apart-- / You there- I- here-” (45-46). She decides that the only way for her is to keep the door, or the communication between them, as open as the oceans are with prayer. “Alone with the door ajar / That the oceans are – and the prayer –” (47-48). She also includes that her desperation, caused by the confusion of Christian doctrine, keeps her leaning towards God, "that white support" (49), for spiritual comfort. Christian readings of these poems offer an interesting glimpse into Dickinson's views on Christ. and religion. His enthusiast, 1991.
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