tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post6651164868258588151..comments2024-03-29T06:02:33.720-07:00Comments on the prowling Bee: I'm "wife" – I've finished that –Susan Kornfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-27664670277622279032023-01-28T15:43:04.109-08:002023-01-28T15:43:04.109-08:00Stanza 1:
I am a wife, I’ve finished that,
That o...Stanza 1:<br /><br />I am a wife, I’ve finished that,<br />That other state of girlhood - <br />I’m Czar, ruler of my own life – I am a Woman now, an adult in control of my decisions<br />It's safer so – No money worries, family wealth under my control; no pregnancy with its high mortality.<br /><br />Stanza 2 (First definition of Eclipse in ED Lexicon: “Intervention or intercession”.<br /><br />How odd the Girl's life looks – From the perspective of an independent woman<br />Behind this soft Eclipse – , the intervening transition to adulthood<br />I think that Earth feels so - Mortal life and immortal life<br />To folks in Heaven – now – With death separating the two<br /><br />Stanza 3<br /><br />This being comfort – then, This adulthood is comfortable,<br />That other kind – was pain –, Girlhood was painful - <br />But why compare? Comparisons are odious, why not let that lie?<br />I'm "Wife"! Stop there!, I am married to poetry! I’m committed to this marriage!<br />Larry Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-75395520172065715982023-01-28T14:31:02.001-08:002023-01-28T14:31:02.001-08:00In all of ED’s poems, she uses the word “wife” onl...In all of ED’s poems, she uses the word “wife” only six times; three of the six times are in quotation marks (twice in this poem, F225). She uses the word “girl” 12 times, none in quotation marks, and the word “woman” 12 times, only once in quotation marks (in this poem). <br /><br />In all cases where ED uses a word without quotation marks, she clearly means the common definition of the word, as in “Title divine - is mine! / The Wife without the Sign!” (F194), “I prayed, at first, a little Girl, / Because they told me to-” (F546), and “A solemn thing - it was - I said - / A woman - white - to be-” (F307). ,<br /><br />In each case where she uses quotation marks around a word, she does not mean the common definition, as in ‘We - Bee and I live by the quaffing' (F244): “Do we "get drunk"? / Ask the jolly Clovers! / Do we "beat" our "Wife"? / I - never wed - / Bee-pledges his-in minute Flagons / Dainty as the tress - on her deft Head -”.<br /><br />All other cases of “wife” and “woman” in quotations are in this poem, twice and once, respectively (F225), and neither of these words means its common definition.<br /><br />(Stay tuned)<br />Larry Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-515221790115425452021-05-01T23:03:36.586-07:002021-05-01T23:03:36.586-07:00Thank you for this commentary. I was coming around...Thank you for this commentary. I was coming around to this reading and your comments helped cement it. I do think now that she is adopting a persona -- perhaps the persona of a woman she knows and whose life path she regrets. <br /><br />I, too, find it sad, as a 2nd wave feminist, that here in the USA women still bear most family burdens (and I won't get into stiletto heels... at risk of sounding old and cranky). 19th-C female burdens in modern China does sound sad. What a world.Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-74683711883941128152021-05-01T09:21:43.006-07:002021-05-01T09:21:43.006-07:00I think another Dickinson’s poem (F857), begain as...I think another Dickinson’s poem (F857), begain as “ She rose to his requirement, dropped The playthings of her life”, would help to get a better understanding of this one. <br />To me, it is sarcastic in the core. Here, ED mirrored the mind of a wife, who probably yield to the social pressure to get married and then immediately felt safer, for she would not be viewed as a freak (or an oddity) who refuse to fulfill the duty of being a woman anymore. But she must have gradually realized there was something wonderful lost in this fulfillment; therefore she could not help to make a comparison. That is, if she were completely content with the current wife-state, she would not bother to make such a comparison. And as the comparison going on, it seemed to become bitter, so she had to stop there.<br />This explication of mine is drawn from the confessions of many of my married female friends. It is very sad to me that as girls living in 21 century China, we still have to take the burdens as 19th-century girls had.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01962078166173595375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-25806918570877869442019-11-30T14:58:42.544-08:002019-11-30T14:58:42.544-08:00I agree about the patriarchal reading. I think my ...I agree about the patriarchal reading. I think my explication explains how I arrived at it. An earlier responder suggested there was a note of sarcasm, and I do think the poem is written ironically (which is not in my explication but rather a later conclusion). I would like it very much if you could share your reading from a feminist perspective. It would be a valuable addition to the discussion here and to a deeper understanding. Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-49045471021142542172019-11-29T02:47:48.365-08:002019-11-29T02:47:48.365-08:00I find this to be a rather patriarchal reading of ...I find this to be a rather patriarchal reading of the poem. I mean, if we look at it from a feminist perspective, the woman mentions nothing that points towards the interpretation you mentioned. What is your take on the matter.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02991250828623443224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-80793446996152138692018-09-20T07:19:53.385-07:002018-09-20T07:19:53.385-07:00It is not clear to me what she means when she says...It is not clear to me what she means when she says "I'm Wife." The fact that she uses quotes would seem to me she is making a reference to some other well known information about wifehood. Emily was never married, so why declare that she is wife? In what sense does she mean this? <br /> Czar/Woman seems to indicate some feminist ideology before the time that it became a societal movement. <br />We know that there is "no marriage in heaven," so perhaps she is saying that our marriage relationships here on earth look strange from the viewpoint of heavenly citizens.<br />I also think she is saying that it is safer to be a Czar, not the other way around. Perhaps this is because she has been hurt when she had relied on another person in a prior relationship. Now, there is no one to dissapoint her.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-37296551973558918092018-07-02T20:45:20.696-07:002018-07-02T20:45:20.696-07:00Maybe so. The 'stop there' might be reflec...Maybe so. The 'stop there' might be reflecting some women's change from a single woman to a smug and safely married one. 'No -- let's not scrutinize it -- I'm Czar!' Perhaps she is making a veiled reference to a dear friend who married and whose interactions with Dickinson immediately tailed off.<br /><br />Anyway, I hadn't thought of reading the poem this way, so thanks for the comment. I think it's definitely worth considering!Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-82951653004311743502018-07-02T18:18:00.849-07:002018-07-02T18:18:00.849-07:00What about the possible interpretation that she is...What about the possible interpretation that she is actually being sarcastic in the poem and is acting like society forces "girls" to need to grow up and get married to become "safe". It's almost like in the last line she is a married woman having second thoughts and looking back on her single life/childhood and her husband shouts, "stop there"!Matthew Zingghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06890086214439099461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-58682075557192091352018-04-09T23:27:31.484-07:002018-04-09T23:27:31.484-07:00I'm still a little bit confused about the last...I'm still a little bit confused about the last line and the meaning of it, but it was very helpful in general. Appreciate it!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17555432561396553079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-85097826253651265312017-03-15T09:53:43.728-07:002017-03-15T09:53:43.728-07:00When/Who published this piece by her? and what yea...When/Who published this piece by her? and what year? thanks xxcasie fayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00091442188216551182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-83256784021090823062017-01-18T21:19:48.357-08:002017-01-18T21:19:48.357-08:00I don't see another woman in the poem -- can y...I don't see another woman in the poem -- can you explain your thinking there? I've never heard of a 'soft eclipse' as a real astronomical term -- and I don't think Dickinson means to be 'science-y' here. In thinking about it, though, I suppose a lunar eclipse is softer than a solar. But I think she is using 'soft' here as a way to distinguish the transition between unmarried and married. It comes softly like the creeping shadow of the earth across the moon. Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-42993912846798566422017-01-18T20:19:53.699-08:002017-01-18T20:19:53.699-08:00Would it be possible to expand your definition of ...Would it be possible to expand your definition of "other state" to include that of the other woman? It is entirely speculative, of course. Also, is a soft eclipse caused by a shadow from another planet and is that a significant distinction?mcjeepshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15354406129562154763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-64855812211139813792016-04-07T08:26:46.127-07:002016-04-07T08:26:46.127-07:00Thank you! I remember searching for poetry analyse...Thank you! I remember searching for poetry analyses as a student -- and how much I learned from them about poetry and how to write about it.Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-50274071645288501282016-04-07T00:25:03.066-07:002016-04-07T00:25:03.066-07:00Your blog is glorious! I'm taking an Emily Dic...Your blog is glorious! I'm taking an Emily Dickinson class right now, which has proved to be very intimidating, but your blog is helping me through it. I don't know how many of your posts I've read--probably at least thirty. Every time I come across a confusing poem I turn to Google in hopes that you've analyzed it already. So I'd like to say thank you and that you're awesome. :)Charleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-7408056151815021332014-12-10T09:43:23.581-08:002014-12-10T09:43:23.581-08:00Wow. Your blog is amazingWow. Your blog is amazingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-59493894758942596582014-09-02T19:55:45.486-07:002014-09-02T19:55:45.486-07:00Very useful analysis! I was a little lost but you ...Very useful analysis! I was a little lost but you helped wring out the meaning for me :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-45290949111107825232014-04-17T19:29:51.800-07:002014-04-17T19:29:51.800-07:00Your blog is awesome!Your blog is awesome!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-10198071734234723542014-04-11T18:23:35.787-07:002014-04-11T18:23:35.787-07:00thanks for this analysis. very helpfulthanks for this analysis. very helpfulAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-62693894616818315032012-06-20T01:32:58.356-07:002012-06-20T01:32:58.356-07:00Thanks!Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com