Sunday, January 23, 2011

Much madness is divinest sense

I really find this poem interesting because I did some research into some of the meanings of the words of the poem instead of reading the poem and running off of my visceral senses. The words "Divine" is most commonly used with the idea of God and Christianity and I feel like Emily Dickinson is taking a knock on Christianity, or questioning it at least. I think in the beginning she is saying that the majority of people are God-loving and  religious, but they are simply mad. But then she goes on to clarify that it is what defines people i our society as "normal"--you aren't questioned, you will go to heaven and that's that. But those who have different outlooks--"Oh no, stay away from them, because they are dangerous and must have an eye kept upon them." The word "Demur" means to essentially object. I think Dickinson is tapping into the reality of our situation in the fact that if one is of a different culture, religion, or upbringing, then he or she is scolded for his or her beliefs. It's kind of ironic, really. This is a constant occurring event, whether someone is Catholic, Jewish, or now--Muslim--they will be tormented for not flowing with the same grain, as ignorant as the majority of the people in it are. I really like this poem.

1 comment:

  1. Very interesting thoughts. Great in depth look at the words to see what Dickinson is saying. It seems obvious, but sometimes we read and overlook the importance of the words the poet chooses.

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