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Comment 11 of 11, added on May 30th, 2012 at 3:33 AM.
nothing
I liked your poem. Very good
jayant from India
Comment 10 of 11, added on May 10th, 2011 at 11:48 AM.
I think Emily is just talking about how we are deceived by our senses. We
cannot trust what we see, we need to be more keen in our judgements.
Debra from Philippines
Comment 9 of 11, added on September 14th, 2010 at 12:40 AM.
These are the days when birds come back
The first two stanzas introduce a change in season that is both sudden and
false (“sophistries”). Thus, I believe Dickinson is referring to an Indian
Summer, where cold weather is experienced one day and warm the next. Such
is why only a few birds are duped into returning from their migration. The
“blue and gold mistake” emphasizes this feeling of a change in temperature
which should not have occurred, and is seemingly unreal. For some reason “a
blue and gold mistake” also brought imagery of death to my mind, which at
first seemed out of place, but I believe shares a connection with the
Indian Summer. It is the brief, fleeting sense of summer (life) as the
cold, winter approaches (death). “Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee,”
seems to say that though this Indian Summer has a few of the birds guessing
what season it truly is, such duplicity has not fooled the bees. The next
two lines stress that the trickery has “almost” fooled Dickinson as well –
here, I must stress “almost.” This line also serves as the introduction to
what I believe is the theme of the poem – religion and the afterlife –
with the word “belief”.
As the poem continues, the religious allusions become far more obvious and
meaningful. The next stanza brings us back to the change in season with the
“altered air.” Here, I noticed that the word “altered” also fits quite well
with the religious theme. In the last two stanzas the religious allusions
are rampant, forming meaning and shape in each line. “Sacrament,” “Last
Communion,” “sacred emblems,” “consecrated bread,” and “immortal wine”
finally brought me to my best understanding of this poem. Dickinson has
created a metaphor of the Indian Summer, filled with religious allusions,
to discuss faith in the afterlife and the immortality it supposedly grants.
I believe that Dickinson is asserting that the afterlife and faith in
immortality through heaven, is an illusion much like an Indian Summer. It
fools us, with a taste, a hope of life as death is coming, but that
inevitably the Last Communion – final judgment before death – is actually
nothing more than a chicanery, that immortality cannot be found through
religion, for we must remember that the 'Indian Summer' only “almost”
fooled her.
Adrian Wassel from United States
Comment 8 of 11, added on September 14th, 2010 at 12:40 AM.
These are the days when birds come back
The first two stanzas introduce a change in season that is both sudden and
false (“sophistries”). Thus, I believe Dickinson is referring to an Indian
Summer, where cold weather is experienced one day and warm the next. Such
is why only a few birds are duped into returning from their migration. The
“blue and gold mistake” emphasizes this feeling of a change in temperature
which should not have occurred, and is seemingly unreal. For some reason “a
blue and gold mistake” also brought imagery of death to my mind, which at
first seemed out of place, but I believe shares a connection with the
Indian Summer. It is the brief, fleeting sense of summer (life) as the
cold, winter approaches (death). “Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee,”
seems to say that though this Indian Summer has a few of the birds guessing
what season it truly is, such duplicity has not fooled the bees. The next
two lines stress that the trickery has “almost” fooled Dickinson as well –
here, I must stress “almost.” This line also serves as the introduction to
what I believe is the theme of the poem – religion and the afterlife –
with the word “belief”.
As the poem continues, the religious allusions become far more obvious and
meaningful. The next stanza brings us back to the change in season with the
“altered air.” Here, I noticed that the word “altered” also fits quite well
with the religious theme. In the last two stanzas the religious allusions
are rampant, forming meaning and shape in each line. “Sacrament,” “Last
Communion,” “sacred emblems,” “consecrated bread,” and “immortal wine”
finally brought me to my best understanding of this poem. Dickinson has
created a metaphor of the Indian Summer, filled with religious allusions,
to discuss faith in the afterlife and the immortality it supposedly grants.
I believe that Dickinson is asserting that the afterlife and faith in
immortality through heaven, is an illusion much like an Indian Summer. It
fools us, with a taste, a hope of life as death is coming, but that
inevitably the Last Communion – final judgment before death – is actually
nothing more than a chicanery, that immortality cannot be found through
religion, for we must remember that the 'Indian Summer' only “almost”
fooled her.
Adrian Wassel from United States
Comment 7 of 11, added on March 26th, 2010 at 10:35 AM.
reading Dickinson
I agree with k but not with Sarah. The deceptive and temporary beauty of an
Indian summer "ALMOST induces" the speaker's belief, but she will not be
fooled by what it would be nice to think. Dickinson was a naturalist and a
nonbeliever, a tough-minded realist.
George Wolff from United States
Comment 6 of 11, added on October 17th, 2008 at 7:08 AM.
You guess know nothing about poetry. First you must remember that this a
Emily Dickison. Her poems were meant for no one but her. So you can never
really be too sure what she was talking about but it sure as heck isn't
death or animal intuition. It is about Indian Summer and how it tricks her
into thinking it is Summer again. Its not religious she is just comparing
communion to Indian Summer. You people are way off base.
Manny K from United States
Comment 5 of 11, added on February 21st, 2008 at 5:52 PM.
The birds coming back is meant to be the beginning of summer, when the
birds come back... however, the poem is a progression through summer.
Summer makes us feel young and invincible. Yet the changing of the season's
represents death
Jim from United States
Comment 4 of 11, added on January 29th, 2006 at 11:56 AM.
Second from last line should read, "Thy consecrated..."
It's about Indian Summer, a climatic condition in New England, other
places. Take care, pilgrims.
K from United States
Comment 3 of 11, added on October 13th, 2005 at 12:21 PM.
how can it be about winter coming if the birds are coming BACK? if they're
coming back, they would have had to leave. durr?
lisa from United States
Comment 2 of 11, added on April 20th, 2005 at 10:30 PM.
This poem is so much more than just about the intuition of animals. It is
very religious (the allusions are rampant) and the poem itself discusses an
'indian summer' or if taken figuratively a season when death is approaching
but the vitality of summer is still there -- the last communion being the
final confession before death, the fact that she is almost fooled by the
summer or the life that is still present before death -- and that she looks
for immortality and is hopeful but unsure of it.
sarah
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I liked your poem. Very good
jayant from India