theres-a-certain-slant-of-light

AppreciationofThere'saCertainSlantofLightThere'sacertainslantoflight,Onwinterafternoons,Thatoppresses,liketheweightOfcathedraltunes.Heavenlyhurtitgivesus;Wecanfindnoscar,ButinternaldifferenceWherethemeaningsare.Nonemayteachitanything,'Tistheseal,despair,-AnimperialafflictionSentusoftheair.Whenitcomes,thelandscapelistens,Shadowsholdtheirbreath;Whenitgoes,'tislikethedistanceOnthelookofdeath.Thispoembeginsbynotingtheoppressivesoundofchurchbellsheardinthebleakatmosphereofawinterafternoon.Theygive“HeavenlyHurt,”thoughtheyleavenoexternalscar.Withinsixlines,Dickinsonsynthesizesadescriptionofdepressionintermsofthreesenses:hearing,sight,andfeeling.Thisdepressionis,however,morethanordinarysadness.ItcomesfromHeaven,anditbearsthebiblical“SealDespair.”Ithurtstheentirelandscape,itsnonhumanaswellasitshumanconstituents,whichlistens,holdsitsbreathforsomerevelation,yetperceivesonlythelookofdeath.Significantly,thepoetnowhereimpliesthatnomeaningexists;indeed,inotherpoemssheiscertainthatadivinebeingexistsandthatthereisaplan.Evenso,theimplicationsofwhatshewritesarealmostasdevastating,fortheapocalypticsealofrevelationholdsfast,yieldingnoenlightenmenttothosebelowbuttheweakafternoonsunofaNewEnglandwinter.Dickinsonwasakeenobserverofherenvironment,dramatizingherreactionsinpoems.Hersenseofmelancholyinformsherobservationsoflightonwinterafternoons.ThispoemconsistsoffourstanzaswiththerimeschemeABCB.Thespeakerdramatizestheintensefeelingofspiritualintuitionthatisbroughtonbythesimple“Slantoflight”onawinterafternoon.Thelightpouringinthroughthewindowtiltsinawaythatcausesthespeakertoexperienceofsenseofspiritualmelancholy.FirstStanza:“There'sacertainSlantoflight”Inthefirststanza,thespeakerclaimsthatonwinterafternoons,thelightthatshinesthroughherwindowhasa“certainSlant”toitthat“oppresses,liketheHeft/OfCathedralTunes.”Somethingasweightlessas“light”feelsheavytothespeaker.Theweightof“CatheralTunes”wouldbequiteprofound,soundbeingheavierthanlight,buttothespeakerthat“certainSlant”causesthelighttobeasheavyasthatheavysoundcomingfromthegiganticorgansthatdeliverchurchmusic.Becausechurchmusicismeanttobeuplifting,thespeaker’swordsbecomeparadoxical:howcananinspirationallyupliftinghymnbeoppressive?SecondStanza:“HeavenlyHurt,itgivesus”Theprofundityofthe“CathedralTunes”causesthespeakertoexperiencea“HeavenlyHurt.”Sheconfirms,however,thatthe“hurt”leavesnoscar,becauseitisinside;itisthesoulthatisaffectedbytheoppressionor“HeavenlyHurt.”Thespeakersaysthatthepainisontheinside“Wherethemeaningsare.”“Meaning”isveryimportanttoallhumanbeings,whethertheyareyetawareofthatfactornot.Thespeakeriskeenlyawareofthesoul’ssensitivitiestothe“meanings”ofphysicalthingsandevents,andsheisawarethattheyareinternal—notexternal.ThirdStanza:“Nonemayteachit—Any”Thespeakerdeclaresthatnoonecanteachanotherhowtobecomeawareofthemysticalattributesoftheyearningformeaning.While“Despair”leadsoneinthatdirection,andthedesireisuniversal,itcomestoeachoneassimplyasbreathing.One’sspiritualdevelopmenthastoberightbeforeonecanentertainsuchdivinecravings.FourthStanza:“Whenitcomes,theLandscapelistens”Whenthestrongspiritualdesireforunderstandingthenatureofrealitycomes,everythingseemstostopandlisten.Shespeakerdramatizesthatutterstillnessbyclaiming,“Shadows—holdtheirbreath.”Thequietnessimpliedby“shadowsholdingtheirbreath”isastounding;itisamiracleofstrikingawareness,undetectabletomostandunceasinglysecuretobutafew.Thenthespeakeravowsthatwhenthesenseofmelancholygoes,whenthe“heavenlyhurt”lightensintounderstanding,itis“liketheDistance/OnthelookofDeath.”Ofcourse,itisnotdeathitself,butmerelyliketheblankstarethatnonecanfathom,savethosewhocandistinguishthatprofoundmelancholyinthe“certainSlantoflight”on“WinterAfternoons—.”Inthispoem,EmilyDickinsontreatsanirrationalpsychologicalphenomenonakintothoserecordedbyWordsworthinStrangefitsofpassionhaveIknown(Downbehindthecottageroof,Atonce,thebrightmoondropp'd....'0mercy!'tomyselfIcried,'IfLucyshouldbedead!')andbyTennysoninMariana(ButmostsheloathedthehourWhenthethick-motedsunbeamlayAthwartthechambers,andthedayWasslopingtowardhiswesternbower.)Acertainexternalconditionofnatureinducesinheracertainfeelingormood.ButthefeelingismorecomplexthanWordsworth'sorMariana's.Thechiefcharacteristicofthisfeelingisitspainfuloppressiveness.Oppresses,weight,hurt,despair,andafflictionconveythisaspect.Alargecomponentinitisprobablyconsciousnessofthefactofdeath,thoughthisisprobablynotthewholeofitscontentnoristhisconsciousnessnecessarilyfullyformulatedbythemind.Yethereweseethesubtleconnectionbetweenthehourandthemood.Fortheseasoniswinter,whentheyearisapproachingitsend.Andthetimeislateafternoon(winterafternoonsareshortatbest,andthelightslants),whenthedayisfailing.Thesuggestionofdeathiscaughtupbytheweightycathedraltunes(funeralmusicpossibly—buthymnsarealsomuchconcernedwithdeath—DiesIrae,etc.)andbythedistanceonthelookofdeath.Thestillnessofthehour(thelandscapelistens,Shadowsholdtheirbreath)isalsosuggestiveofthestillnessofdeath.Butbesidestheoppressivenessofthefeeling,ithasacertainimpressivenesstoo.Itisweighty,solem