Comments on: The Making of The Oxford Canon: Emily Dickinson http://blog.oup.com/2006/12/the_making_of_t2/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:04:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: CHRISTIE ANN REYNOLDS http://blog.oup.com/2006/12/the_making_of_t2/comment-page-1/#comment-54509 CHRISTIE ANN REYNOLDS Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:38:27 +0000 http://216.110.190.15/2006/12/the_making_of_the_oxford_canon_emily_dickinson/#comment-54509 Kelly, I appreciate your insight and know all about Emily being a Puritan,etc. etc. It was an interpretation from specifically my point of view. What I brought to reading was mine and it is perfectly fine that you do not agree. However, the fact that Emily was Puritan has nothing to do with the implication that she struggled with both her belief in God and her denial of his existence. At the time of her life there was much debate about religion--and not just Puritan. It is possible, I believe, that she could have been considering and denying or combatting other religions within her work. Perhaps, this view can change as I delve deeper into study of Dickinson. I also want to add, I not a fundamentalist and I'm not lumping Dickinson into anything. I think one problem you are having is that you aren't considering the idea that the speaker in Emily's poems may have little to do with herself. The "I" is certainly not always literal. We will never know exactly what "I" Emily was using or referring to. And now, you can get back to your homework. Kelly, I appreciate your insight and know all about Emily being a Puritan,etc. etc. It was an interpretation from specifically my point of view. What I brought to reading was mine and it is perfectly fine that you do not agree. However, the fact that Emily was Puritan has nothing to do with the implication that she struggled with both her belief in God and her denial of his existence. At the time of her life there was much debate about religion–and not just Puritan. It is possible, I believe, that she could have been considering and denying or combatting other religions within her work. Perhaps, this view can change as I delve deeper into study of Dickinson. I also want to add, I not a fundamentalist and I’m not lumping Dickinson into anything. I think one problem you are having is that you aren’t considering the idea that the speaker in Emily’s poems may have little to do with herself. The “I” is certainly not always literal. We will never know exactly what “I” Emily was using or referring to. And now, you can get back to your homework.

]]> By: Kelly Jones http://blog.oup.com/2006/12/the_making_of_t2/comment-page-1/#comment-404 Kelly Jones Thu, 08 Feb 2007 07:29:25 +0000 http://216.110.190.15/2006/12/the_making_of_the_oxford_canon_emily_dickinson/#comment-404 You do know that Emily Dickinson was Puritan and not Catholic, correct? Emily was opposed to organized religion and the societal hierarchy that was formed because of it. Therefore it is highly doubtful that there was a religious connotation to most aspects of her work. She prefered to find God through nature, not through the ceremonial monotony of her Puritan surroundings (refer to the sarcastic tone of "Some Keep Sabbath Going to Church"). I know I may just be a high school junior, writing this at 2:30am when I should be working on my International Baccalaureate homework, but I couldn't help but notice this blog. So, with all due respect, maybe you should do your research before inserting your fundamentalist interpretation into a poet's work who is so clearly capable of thinking independently from God. Dickinson will not be lumped into the run-of-the-mill category of having that biblical intendment. No disrespect to Mr. Lehman who is looking at the writing with an open mind. Thank you for searching for every possible meaning to even this single word. This shows that you have much appreciation for Emily's vast range of vocabulary which she used to mold her every emotion into words. She is truly a a magician at capturing otherwise inexpressible human feeling. You do know that Emily Dickinson was Puritan and not Catholic, correct? Emily was opposed to organized religion and the societal hierarchy that was formed because of it. Therefore it is highly doubtful that there was a religious connotation to most aspects of her work. She prefered to find God through nature, not through the ceremonial monotony of her Puritan surroundings (refer to the sarcastic tone of “Some Keep Sabbath Going to Church”).

I know I may just be a high school junior, writing this at 2:30am when I should be working on my International Baccalaureate homework, but I couldn’t help but notice this blog. So, with all due respect, maybe you should do your research before inserting your fundamentalist interpretation into a poet’s work who is so clearly capable of thinking independently from God. Dickinson will not be lumped into the run-of-the-mill category of having that biblical intendment.

No disrespect to Mr. Lehman who is looking at the writing with an open mind. Thank you for searching for every possible meaning to even this single word. This shows that you have much appreciation for Emily’s vast range of vocabulary which she used to mold her every emotion into words. She is truly a a magician at capturing otherwise inexpressible human feeling.

]]> By: Christie Ann Reynolds http://blog.oup.com/2006/12/the_making_of_t2/comment-page-1/#comment-403 Christie Ann Reynolds Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:10:13 +0000 http://216.110.190.15/2006/12/the_making_of_the_oxford_canon_emily_dickinson/#comment-403 When discussing Emily Dickinson, one may find ways to force meaning upon her poetry due to its inherent "mystery." While I hope that I am not about to force anything, I believe that I may have some insight on who the "they," "them" and "it" are. This requires a Catholic or religious lens. "They” who prepare," and “Those” who worship could very easily be followers of the Catholic religion. The "Them" could be interpreted as "The Father," and "The Holy Spirit" and as Catholic follwers as a whole. It is the crucifixtion of Christ that is the “It” that is “too difficult a Grace / To justify the Dream-." This is because by accepting Jesus's death, Catholics are accepting human sacrifice, which in turn violates The Ten Commandments. While the crucifixtion of Christ allows Catholics to prosper and practice their faith, it is the very difficulty Catholics struggle with--how to appreciate the grace of Jesus and his suffering. As a reciprocation of Jesus's act, Catholics are constantly confessing their sins and trying to redeem themeselves to Jesus and The Father and the Holy Spirit because of what they have made possible for the living. The sun that is described in the poem, can be interpreted as the light that Jesus brings with him. It is the yellow disk that represents his resurrection and therefore appears behind his head in most replicas of Jesus's physical characteristics. How "justify" appears in both poems may be tied to the idea of salvation because it is justification that Catholics are concerned with. They must justify their actions to the Lord by asking: for forgiveness and guidance. If we want to ignore the Catholicism I've used to interpret the lines, why not think about the personal salvation of the speaker. Perhaps he or she requires proof or justification of her despair because outwardly, their appears no reason to be in despair. I come to this idea because Dickinson grew up in a fairly stable atmosphere where women did not always have the access to the same educational materials as she did. In that sense, she was lucky. But it is possible that Dickinson did suffer from depression or social anxiety or personal difficulties that kept her from leaving her room or for that matter, Amherst. Since depression and other psycholical disorders were most likely not properly diagnosed nor understood during her lifetime, both poems may translate her need to question her personality or "reclusive" tendencies. Dickinson herself most likely struggled with the idea that something may or may not be wrong with her. Perhaps this recognition is something that she used to align herself (or the speaker) with Jesus and the quest for Catholics (or herself) to justify their lives. When discussing Emily Dickinson, one may find ways to force meaning upon her poetry due to its inherent “mystery.” While I hope that I am not about to force anything, I believe that I may have some insight on who the “they,” “them” and “it” are. This requires a Catholic or religious lens.

“They” who prepare,” and “Those” who worship could very easily be followers of the Catholic religion. The “Them” could be interpreted as “The Father,” and “The Holy Spirit” and as Catholic follwers as a whole. It is the crucifixtion of Christ that is the “It” that is “too difficult a Grace / To justify the Dream-.” This is because by accepting Jesus’s death, Catholics are accepting human sacrifice, which in turn violates The Ten Commandments.

While the crucifixtion of Christ allows Catholics to prosper and practice their faith, it is the very difficulty Catholics struggle with–how to appreciate the grace of Jesus and his suffering. As a reciprocation of Jesus’s act, Catholics are constantly confessing their sins and trying to redeem themeselves to Jesus and The Father and the Holy Spirit because of what they have made possible for the living.

The sun that is described in the poem, can be interpreted as the light that Jesus brings with him. It is the yellow disk that represents his resurrection and therefore appears behind his head in most replicas of Jesus’s physical characteristics.

How “justify” appears in both poems may be tied to the idea of salvation because it is justification that Catholics are concerned with. They must justify their actions to the Lord by asking: for forgiveness and guidance.

If we want to ignore the Catholicism I’ve used to interpret the lines, why not think about the personal salvation of the speaker. Perhaps he or she requires proof or justification of her despair because outwardly, their appears no reason to be in despair.

I come to this idea because Dickinson grew up in a fairly stable atmosphere where women did not always have the access to the same educational materials as she did. In that sense, she was lucky. But it is possible that Dickinson did suffer from depression or social anxiety or personal difficulties that kept her from leaving her room or for that matter, Amherst. Since depression and other psycholical disorders were most likely not properly diagnosed nor understood during her lifetime, both poems may translate her need to question her personality or “reclusive” tendencies. Dickinson herself most likely struggled with the idea that something may or may not be wrong with her. Perhaps this recognition is something that she used to align herself (or the speaker) with Jesus and the quest for Catholics (or herself) to justify their lives.

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