Peering Through the Lens of Poetry

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          Edgar Allen Poe 

and 

                        Emily Dickinson

Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson, who are arguably the two largest names in American Literature, appear to have the least in common.  While the first one tends to focus on death, horror and psychological disturbance, the latter sings transcendentalist songs of her garden and her heart.  What could be more diverse?  However, after a closer look to their poetry, one may perceive that are some similarities between the two.  By examining the writing and content of the poetry of Poe and Dickinson, perhaps a bridge can be built between these literature superstars.

Beginning with the technicality of their poems, Poe and Dickinson appear to prefer a structured writing scheme to, say, the more loose and modern writings of Walt Whitman.  Edgar Allen Poe readily admits his meticulous format of poetry in The Philosophy of Composition, and his work is also a steady proof that was not composed “by a species of fine frenzy—an ecstatic intuition” [Parker 906].  All of his poems are a good example of this, such as “The Sleeper” that begins,

“At midnight, in the month of June,

I stand beneath the mystic moon.

An opiate vapor, dewy, dim,

Exhales from out her golden rim,

And, softly dripping, drop by drop,

Upon the quiet mountain top,

Steals drowsily and musically

Into the universal valley” [847].

Emily Dickinson clearly demonstrates much thought in her poetry as well, and her patterns of writing tend to flow with her train of thought.  One example of her more “traditional” poetry is called “341” that starts with,

                “After great pain, a formal feeling comes—

                The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs—

                The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,

                And Yesterday, or Centuries before?” [Parker 1958].

Other works, such as “249” about wild nights, show a more fluid and energetic side to Dickinson’s genius.  Though these may seem unstructured at first, one may eventually discover meaning and a wild rhythm, which Dickinson adamantly adheres to through the poem.

                Then, Poe and Dickinson are very economical in their work, and both poets appear to be very modern with their sharp and poignant phrases.  They present so many ideas in such a short period of time that it is difficult to pinpoint their writings as done by eccentrics or utter geniuses.  One particular poem of Emily Dickinson, which might have taken Ralph Waldo Emerson or Thoreau pages to communicate, is “1129.”  Her work reads,

                “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth’s superb surprise

As Lightening to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind—” [Parker 1970].

Edgar Allan Poe also writes works of particular depth in relatively short lines.  One of his smaller poems, “Sonnet—Silence,” is quite comparable as Poe writes,

                “There is a two-fold Silence—sea and shore—

                     Body and soul.  One dwells in lonely places,

     Newly with grass o’vergrown; some solemn graces,

Some human memories and tearful lore,

Render him terrorless: his name’s “No More”” [852].

          Last but not least, Poe and Dickinson both use death, yet they approach the subject in different tones.  The first, Poe, is infamous for death in his short-stories, and this topic is also essential in the plot of his poetry, such as “Lenore,” “To Helen,” “The City in the Sea,” and “The Raven” among others.  His tone regarding death is somber, fantastic, wild, and a mixture of heartbreak with insanity.  One of his more fantastical and lighter works, “Annabel Lee,” is also soured by this obsession as he writes,

                “The angels, not so happy in Heaven,

                                Went envying her and me—

                Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,

                        In this kingdom by the sea)

                That the wind came out of the cloud, chilling

                        And killing my Annabel Lee” [Parker 861].

To compare, at least in the works so far encountered, Emily Dickinson mentioned death often as well.  Her tone in death differs from Poe as death serves as the environment for her work, or an action that occurs during the poem.  Her poem “465” combines the theme of dying with an eccentric idea, and it begins as,

               

                “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—

                The Stillness in the Room

                Was like the Stillness in the Air—

                Between the Heaves of Storm—“ [1960].

               

In conclusion, Poe and Dickinson have much more in common than I ever imagined before attending the Literature 215 class.  I cannot decide on which is my favorite writer, however.  Both authors, in their poetry, are generally economical with their words, and they follow a rather structured scheme.  Then, while Poe and Dickinson tend to focus on death, they perceive the end of life through different lens.  Thus, I enjoy peering through both views, and I now indubitably understand why Poe and Dickinson are so popular.

Cite:

Perkins, George B., and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.