Back in mid-September, HERE, I discussed two of Dickinson’s bird poems, “The birds begun at Four o’clock” and “At Half past Three, a single Bird,” both of which seem to have been inspired by an essay written by her friend and mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson. For that second poem, I examined Dickinson’s use of the word “circumference,” used in 17 different poems and defined in the Dickinson Lexicon with thirteen different definitions beyond its basic meaning as the perimeter of a circular boundary.
In that same post, I shared Michael Bird’s opinion from his essay, "Dickinson's at Half Past Three, a Single Bird,” that Dickinson’s use of “circumference” incorporates the idea that once a work is created, it takes on an independent life, separate from its creator; additionally, Bird referenced other critics who saw "circumference" as both a barrier and a way to expand comprehension. Hmm…that sounded a bit contranym-ish to me.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term contranym, it denotes a word with two opposite meanings, like “sanction.” “Sanction” means both “a penalty for disobeying a law” and “official permission or approval for an action.”
Some of my favorite contranyms are the following:
Bolt: To secure, or to flee
Clip: To fasten, or detach
Continue: To keep doing an action, or to suspend an action
Dust: To add fine particles, or to remove them
Fine: Excellent, or acceptable or good enough
Left: Remained, or departed
Throw out: To dispose of, or to present for consideration
Variety: A particular type, or many types
Weather: To withstand, or to wear away
Speaking of contranyms, in another September post (HERE) I discussed Dickinson’s “Two butterflies went out at noon,” a poem for which Dickinson considered numerous alternative word and line choices. At that time, I explored various analyses of the poem’s different versions, and I came across this comment:
In that same post, I shared Michael Bird’s opinion from his essay, "Dickinson's at Half Past Three, a Single Bird,” that Dickinson’s use of “circumference” incorporates the idea that once a work is created, it takes on an independent life, separate from its creator; additionally, Bird referenced other critics who saw "circumference" as both a barrier and a way to expand comprehension. Hmm…that sounded a bit contranym-ish to me.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term contranym, it denotes a word with two opposite meanings, like “sanction.” “Sanction” means both “a penalty for disobeying a law” and “official permission or approval for an action.”
Some of my favorite contranyms are the following:
Bolt: To secure, or to flee
Clip: To fasten, or detach
Continue: To keep doing an action, or to suspend an action
Dust: To add fine particles, or to remove them
Fine: Excellent, or acceptable or good enough
Left: Remained, or departed
Throw out: To dispose of, or to present for consideration
Variety: A particular type, or many types
Weather: To withstand, or to wear away
Speaking of contranyms, in another September post (HERE) I discussed Dickinson’s “Two butterflies went out at noon,” a poem for which Dickinson considered numerous alternative word and line choices. At that time, I explored various analyses of the poem’s different versions, and I came across this comment:
| “I really have to like a poet who can convey a message and its converse in the same poem: observe your measurable limits and fall in love without limit or boundary. In the second version, the butterflies seem to have found a different path.” That idea of a single poem that could “convey a message and its converse” called to mind Dickinson’s “How happy is the little stone.” I can interpret this poem in conflicting ways. For now, I’ll just post the poem, and then I’ll return to it tomorrow. |  |
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