Process of Seeing in the Works of Emily Dickinson

Diskenson Insight

In Emily Dickenson's poetry we share images that she sees, and hew viewpoint is often a bit odd, but useful in showing us what she feels. She often splits herself into the seen and the one seeing, as if part of her can observe from outside. In her poems, Emily Dickenson often pauses time and observes very small things, such as a fly and then she focuses upon one well chosen detail. In addition, Dickenson allows other things and people to see her, as in the "gazing grain" she passes in "Because I Could not Stop for Death" Her voice in these poems is calm, almost detached, just reporting what she sees and hears. These always seem to go together, as I do not recall much of her poetry which uses only one.

Dickenson uses imagery and sensory information to convey her meaning, never stooping to merely telling how she feels, so "seeing" is very important in her poetry. She often uses shared imagery among her contemporaries, possibly because most of her poems were written to her friends, shared with them and only published after her death, as noted by Rebecca Patterson (1959) in her book, The Imagery of Emily Dickenson. Therefore, if you really want to understand Emily Dickenson's poetry you must actually read some of the poems of her contemporaries,

What we see through the eyes of Dickenson is also important, and generally scenery, country scenes, possibly from her many long leisurely trips to the south. In the above poem we see a school house, children playing, the horses and the mound of her grave. Thinking of this we can understand her symbolic use of these things. At the end of the poem we see her look back at her trip as she mentions which way the horses' heads are facing. That they are facing "eternity," In this way she tells us that she is really quite all right with the idea of dying, as long as that is a rest.

Generally Dickenson's poetry is grounded in a particular place and .we observe from very near, often through her own eyes. However, in I Know Some Lonely Houses Just Off the Road she is pointing out some scenery where she does not really go, but observes these from afar instead. IN fact the view is an anonymously shared view with the houses and the animals which have chosen to stay.This poem is all about seeing. She says she knows where two could creep.

Where two could creep:

One hand the tools,

The other peep

To make sure all's asleep.

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Old-fashioned eyes,

Not easy to surprise!

We see here the mention of two and their eyes. One pair of hands and the other person only peeps. We are not sure whose eyes are old fashioned, but it appears that these are those of the houses, not the people. Perhaps they watch for visitors, since they are lonely, having been alone for a year more recently. Dickenson goes on to describe how orderly the kitchen would look by night. Then the next verse is again all about seeing.

A pair of spectacles ajar just stir

An almanac's aware.

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Was it the mat winked,

Or a nervous star?

The moon slides down the stair

To see who's there.

Now we have anonymous spectacles, a mat that winks and the moon which sees who is there. There is no person at all here, and the houses are truly lonely, replacing the missing humans with other things, mice, mats and the moon. We see through Emily's eye in this poem, but we observe as a birdwatcher might, being very careful not to disturb. It is important that the eyes are really quite anonymous here also, since she never actually says that she sees. We are quite alone with this sight.

Additional meanings emerge with close reading. Dickenson lived quite a quiet life, away from crowds and cities. It had been said from long distance instead of a more personal viewpoint. We see this landscape more as a kind of post card upon which Emily could declare her feelings. This shared vision seems less connected than one only which fully explores these lonely houses just off the road.

In the poem Part One: Life XLIII we again see directly through Emily Dickenson's eyes. She shows us a landscape from her carriage. We see a pile of mountains, then a quarry, It is not until the end of the poem that we understand that these which are lapping the miles is her horse. It is through the horse's eyes that we are seeing and she is watching the horse.

One quite interesting little part of this serioes is this:

Part One: Life: LVI

FAITH is a fine invention

For gentlemen who see;

But microscopes are prudent

In an emergency!

Here we have a totally different type of seeing, which implies deep understanding. She is making a statement here that the faith that our church's admonish us to have is too superficial to be any good at solving real problems. She says here that we must look very closely "with a microscope" at things which are important. I think that this is very close to the saying that faith unquestioned is untested. So perhaps she is talking again about how to believe, with reason rather than simple belief. Dickenson implies this kind of seeing in many of her poems when she describe what should be and how we should behave.