Laura Roman’s April 1st Work

I’d like to first note how astonished I am with how connected Emily Dickinson seems to be with the animal aspect of nature in a handful of poems assigned for April 1st’s class. One that fascinated me was poem 656 on page 293 where Dickinson suggests herself as the narrator somewhat in the first few lines “Took my Dog.” Once again, I feel like this poem could definitely have multiple ambiguous interpretations. The one I personally lean towards the most is how the ocean seems to be a metaphor for the nature of mankind in relation to the social roles of women. The way she describes how “the Tide” slowly eats the narrator up (“…my simple Shoe / And past my Apron / and my Belt / And past my Boddice” [293]) is very unsettling as it approaches her feet first then consumes her entire body along with her clothing (note the capitalization of these characteristics as well). Additionally, I believe the first few lines, “The Mermaids in the Basement” (293), are referring to an ideal standard of women that is not realistically achievable yet its trapped as an expectation that pulls women down the sociological ranks. The mentioning of the narrator referring to herself as a mouse on lines 7 further establish herself as meek, quiet, and a nuisance to man who simply sweeps them up and drowns them in their tides. This poem, in comparison to 598 on page 269, focuses on the sociological aspects of roles instead of the idea of God. For instance, Emily Dickinson draws light to how “The Brain” — a more scientific approach to her usual diction — “…is just the weight of God” which is defined as “…wider than the sky” (269). Rather than arguing the stark contrast between the conscious from brain activity versus the purpose and light God gifts, she suggests that they are apart of one another (“…they will differ… / As Syllable from Sound” [269]). There is a line that has a similar atmospheric theme to 656 (“The Brain is deeper than the sea” [269]), but whether or not the purpose/meaning behind these lines are similar to that of the ocean metaphor is uncertain. The interpretation may work, but it is otherwise too specific and therefore cannot be clarified as such.