Chloe Maier
Essay Two
draft

Hannah Bridgeman
American Lit: 10:30
Bleck
Of Poe(Very Rough Draft)

Intro: In his article “The Influence of Eichendorff’s ‘Ahnung Und Gegenwart’ [Premonition and Present Time, 1815] on Poe’s ‘Masque of the Red Death’” Franz Karl Mohr, seeks to show the relationship between Poe’s writings and the older macabre writings of the time. Mohr draws connections relevant to Poe from such literary pieces as “Ahnung Und Gegenwart”, “I Promessi Sposi”, “Decameron” and “Vivian Grey”, showing how their influence shaped Poe’s own work.

An Interpretation of Dickinson’s Writing

I reason, Earth is short-

-I Reason, Earth is Short (3053)
One of the things I noticed in almost all Dickinson's poetry is her constant use of Slanted Rhymes(or Half Rhymes). In this poem she uses them for 3 out of 4 lines in every stanza, with the last line always being "But, what of that?" I find it an interesting strategy in the poetry, it is a subtle form of rhyming that isn't always picked up on but no doubt deliberate when done over and over like that. It gives the poem an even feel and makes it lyrical in a sense, every stanza is similar enough to blend together.

Tell all the truth but tell it slant- The idea that truth is too bright for us is said twice in this poem, “Too bright for our infirm delight” and “or every man be blind.” I believe the repetition is to make the poem’s purpose clear, to make the reader more aware that the poem isn’t about lying. It helps to make things more understandable. I think the poem is about changing truth to make things easier for the one hearing it. The repeated idea of the truth being bright and blinding supports this.

I reason the Earth is short-
Dickinson has a peculiar way of ending each standing od "But what of that?". This poem deals with the struggle of people to be moral and upstanding, and the urge to not be. By saying "But what of that" I think Dickinson is leaving the reader open to their own iterpretation, to influence questioning, and to get their own personal meaning from the poem.
Much Madness In the Divinest Sense-

In Dickenson’s poem, I noticed in her writing style a repetition of dashes; used to create a pause and also a dramatic effect. I thought of the pauses as annoying and hard to say properly, but I guess I could see why it was used to regularly. The more you have to pause, the more confusing it can get but also it is very dramatic. It also gave the poem a nice ring to it, like it was sort of easier to read because they are all short, pausing sentences. This kind of poetry is more rhyming and actual poem sounding than some other types of poetry.

"Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes"