My recent posts have focused on arcane vocabulary words, onomatopoeia, the development of human language, and – from yesterday – the very first words ever spoken by cave dwellers. Based on that cave-speak, I also mentioned that Dickinson used the word “cave” in one poem, “To my quick ear the Leaves – conferred,” and I shared the work – and what a work it is!
 | Dickinson’s view of nature feels a bit different in this poem. Nature here is the observer instead of the speaker of the poem – who, at the start of the second stanza, attempts to find privacy in a cave. However, even the walls began “to tell” – and then comes that pivotal word, “Creation.” On the surface, it seems to speak to the beginnings of existence; however, could all of this also speak to artistic undertakings, say, withdrawing to a room (one’s “cave”) to write poetry? |
Then there is this “mighty Crack” which makes the speaker “visible.” Does this imply that existence itself engenders uncomfortable and inescapable exposure? Moreover, does this reflect in some way the poet’s view on exposure through publication?
I found one analysis of the poem that focused on how our internal lives are intertwined with the external world:-- how we “cannot truly separate ourselves from our surroundings” and the “disconnect between humanity and the natural world. We have built a society that often sees nature as something to be conquered or exploited, rather than something to be respected and revered.” What do you think of that?
To be honest, I can even see a connection to the advent of human language as the “mighty crack” that made all of humanity visible as we emerged from our caves.
What speaks to you in this poem? Is the “mighty crack” leading to exposure a positive manifestation – or is this more hopeless than hopeful?
I found one analysis of the poem that focused on how our internal lives are intertwined with the external world:-- how we “cannot truly separate ourselves from our surroundings” and the “disconnect between humanity and the natural world. We have built a society that often sees nature as something to be conquered or exploited, rather than something to be respected and revered.” What do you think of that?
To be honest, I can even see a connection to the advent of human language as the “mighty crack” that made all of humanity visible as we emerged from our caves.
What speaks to you in this poem? Is the “mighty crack” leading to exposure a positive manifestation – or is this more hopeless than hopeful?
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