Summary of the Dickinson Discussion

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more"
"King Henry V" by William Shakespeare: Act 3. Scene I

I was reminded of this particular passage when thinking of ways to facilitate the discussion of the three Emily Dickinson poems: "The Name of it is Autumn," "They dropped like flakes," and "It feels a shame to be alive --." Where Shakespeare (whose books were given to Dickinson by her father) made it very clear without a great deal of thought that an impending battle was the main topic in Act 3 Scene I, Dickinson made allusions to the Civil War in her own unique method of writing. She drew on her readings of how other authors had written about war in history and how she could frame the perspective of the Civil War from her point of view. Our discussion found she had placed elements of military, domestic, social, historical and religious references in these poems.

The ability of taking Dickinson's poems beyond the figurative meaning and placing them in their own perspective is a difficult process at best. With a bit of historical perspective, "The Name of it is Autumn" becomes the anthem for the battle of Antietam. The constant allusion through the use of metaphors for the blood, the battle and its aftermath presents a powerful visual image that rivals the scene of battle captured in photographs.

"It feels a shame to be alive --." comments on the war from the perspective of a northern woman, who is insulated from the war unlike her southern counterpart who sees it in her front yard. It can also allude to survivors guilt and the regret of not knowing where a brother or husband is and what occurred in their death. The most interesting part of the discussion centered on the use of the word pawn. Was it the soldier that was first to fall in battle, like the chess piece? Was it the slaves? Does it relate to the money in exchange for a life, like a pawnbroker?

"They dropped like flakes," in comparison, takes another meaning. The shortest of the poems with only nine lines invoked very powerful imagery and discussion of how this poem took different meanings. The first three lines alludes to soldiers falling after being shot when coupled with the fifth line invoking bullets and cannon fire rippling through the air on "A wind with fingers." With the second stanza, new meanings came to light, such as the dead with a fixed stare on the heavens or how the causalities were buried without no one knowing what had happened on that June day, except God. One interesting aspect that we did not discuss was the actual use of the word June, which has another meaning that could be more relevant than just the reference to the month. June, not capitalized, is a New England name for Kentucky blue grass. So, was Dickinson through her interesting use of capitalization, actually referring to the place of the battle rather than a time?

In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that the entire class, myself included, has gained new perspectives for Dickinson's writings. She is definitely more interesting than the person that is typically thought of. Perhaps we have graduated to a higher level of appreciation and perspective that will guide us in our further discussions and readings.

Michael