2.3 There is Another Sky: Emily Dickinson
About the Poet:
Emily
Dickinson was born in 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. Though her
family was well connected and though her father took active participation in
both state and national politics, Dickinson seldom left her home. The number of
visitors was few, but they had a huge impact on her life and her poetry. Of
note is Reverend Charles Wadsworth, whose departure is believed to have given
rise to heartsick poetry. By the 1860s she lived in almost complete isolation.
Her work was not recognized during her lifetime, but the publication of her
poems posthumously gained her a large recognition and reputation. She died in
1886, aged 55.
About the Poem:
This poem was written by Emily
Dickinson to her brother, Austin, the eldest of the Dickinson’ children, who
was in Boston at the time. It was sent to him along with her letters. Different
people interpret this poem in different ways, and the real truth behind this
piece of poetry can be said to be known only to the persons involved.
Setting of the Poem:
The poem is inside a letter sent to
her beloved brother Austin. Hence the setting is just that; a letter. But
contained within, are fair skies, light and darkness, forests and fields and
many other elements of nature.
Poetic Devices:
Metaphor:
The poem’s name itself is a
metaphor. ‘There is another sky’, the starting line of the poem, is a metaphor
for ‘there is another place for you’. The poetess is saying that though he, the
brother is in someplace else; there is a home waiting for him.
Repetition:
‘There is another sky’ and
‘there is another sunshine’; this gives a poetic vibe enhancing the effect of
the individual meanings. ‘Never mind…’ and ‘Never mind…’ in lines 5 and 6 also
use the same poetic device. They put an emphasis on the ‘do not mind’ part.
Same is the case with ‘Here’ in both lines 7 and 9. In line 1 and line 3 of the
poem, repeated sentences are used.
Onomatopoeia:
In the 12th line
of the poem, use of ‘hum’ is seen in relation with bees.
Hyperbole:
There is not a place where
frost does not visit sometime or the other. Similarly, flowers are not for
eternity. They fade with time, dry and die. But this is exactly what the
poetess’s implies in the lines 10 and 11. This is an exaggeration which cannot
possibly be true. Hence, it is a hyperbole.
Slant Rhyme:
Fair-there, green-been
are examples of slant rhyme used in the poem in the lines 2-4 and 8-10 in the
poem.
Summary:
Austin, there is another sky, a sky
which is bright and calm. And though there might be darkness there where you
are, there is a place with sunshine here. Do not mind the faded forests that
you see, Austin; do not mind the silent fields too. Here is a little forest
which is exactly the opposite. The leaves in this forest are ever green. It has
bright gardens untouched by frost. It has bright, unfading flowers where you can
hear the bees hum. So listen to me, brother and leave where you are; and come
to this garden of mine.
Analysis:
Different people interpret this
poem in different ways. Some say this poem is an invitation to return back home
from a sister to a brother. Others say it shows the everlasting importance of
home. Everything else can fade away, but home remains bright for all time. But
I like to think there is a deeper meaning than just an invitation to her
brother. The poetess is asking her brother to read her poems, for in her poems
there is a different world. In her world, there is a different sky than that of
the outside. This sky is always calm and sunny. There is never darkness in her
world. There are no faded forests; neither are there silent fields. They all
exist in the outside world but here, in her world, they are not heard of. In
their place, there is a small forest of evergreen leaves and unfading flowers.
And into this garden of hers, she is inviting in her brother. Her poems are
always bright and evergreen. They do not fade with time and there is always
brightness. This can be related to the fact that poems are truly eternal. Poets
may pass away but their poems remain forever. And poets can create any type of
world in their poems. Mind is a well of limitless possibilities. Inside one’s
mid, one can be anything and everything. Inside one’s mind, one can forget
about the darkness of the outside world and just soak in pure happiness and
joy. My poems are an entry to such a mind, Emily Dickinson says through this
poem. So wherever you are in the world, you can just forget your worries and
enter into my world, my garden for a reprieve. This poem is at the same time an
invitation for a brother to come home, or/and find home within the poetess’s poems.
It is also a highlight of the boundless possibilities within one’s mind. Only
in one’s mind can there be a garden untouched by frost, only in one’s mind can
there be a unfading flower. In one’s mind, anything and everything are
possible. And poetry is a means to open up those possibilities.
Central Idea:
The central idea behind this poem
is to invite the poetess’s brother, Austin to read her poems. This is supported
by the fact that the world as showcased by the poetess is a practical impossibility.
Even when viewed as an exaggeration of one’s attitude towards one’s home,
believing it to be a place of untainted happiness, the poem cannot just be left
as an invitation to come home. This is because, in the last line of the poem,
the poetess says ‘Into my garden come!’ Not our, my; indicating that the world
is more in her imagination, more in her poems than in reality.
Tone of the Poem:
The tone of the poem is
encouraging, inspiring and hopeful. But it does not exactly start as such. In
the first few lines of the poem, it is more depressing. This is seen in the use
of ‘darkness’, ‘faded’, ‘silent’. But it is not all sadness as the poetess
always gives hope by saying, ‘There is another sky’ in the beginning. This is
also seen in the second part of the poem in which use of words such as
‘brighter’, ‘bright bee’ goes to show the positivity and hopefulness of the
poetess.
Conclusion:
Though the poem is originally
intended for her brother, as per one’s interpretations, one can easily view
this poem as a powerful message. No matter how much one is suffering, no matter
how much negativity there is in one’s life, there is always another place free
from them; there is always another sky awaiting. Emily Dickinson creates a
bright, evergreen world through her poems and invites her brother, who may be
experiencing depression or sadness into it. She is saying poetry is a way to
unlock new and personal and happy worlds.
