There's A Certain Slant Of Light Analysis

Thoughts and ideas, either salubrious or deleterious, constantly swarm the human mind. At one point, our thoughts reinforce our spiritual and worldly beliefs; at other times, our thoughts vanquish our life values, tarnishing our personalities. Emily Dickinson addresses changing, ambiguous mental states in her poem “There’s a certain Slant of Light”, describing her personal rise and falls while coping with depression. To convey this theme, Dickinson relies on a single literary device: juxtaposition. Through contrasting definitions of light and spirituality, Dickinson illuminates how depression affects the various mental states, creating a warped outlook on life. Within her poems, Dickinson employs religion as a symbol of hope. However, Dickinson’s

When describing the “Heavenly Hurt” (5) from the light, Dickinson states one can find “internal difference / Where the Meanings are---” (6-7). Pain, in this sense, is an individual experience--yet, the ‘difference’ is unknown. Then, a brusque shift to the next stanza takes place, where she says “None may teach it--Any--” (9), contradicting herself from the previous stanza. This change in tone, from contemplative to severe, highlights the poet’s aberration of faith. While pain may be felt universally, the unique definition cannot be explained verbally, as the feeling varies amongst people. Dickinson utilizes juxtaposition again when describing her “Despair” (10) as “an imperial affliction” (11). In this sense, sorrow is depicted as an ailment, yet ‘imperial’ describes a kingdom or an empire. Dickinson derives ambiguity from her oxymorons; morose emotions can very well be predetermined, a feeling that is brought down from another world. Once again, Dickinson proves that once depression hits, previous conceptions held can be eternally tarnished, leaving a sordid mindset is accurately