Aesthetics In Literature: Poem 428 By Emily Dickinson

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When learning about aesthetics in literature I thought back to “Poem 428” by Emily Dickinson. I chose to dissect this poem because she uses many different types of aesthetics to get her message across such as personification, metaphors and imagery and those are only to name a few. In most literature one aesthetic is chosen to be carried through the entirety of the publication whereas Emily uses more than one to make the poem more profound. In analyzing this composition, I feel that in using the figurative language she selected it shows that if we are in a place of darkness and we take no action we will remain in the quicksand of our own brain and its feelings therefore light and happiness will seem unfeasible, this will be displayed in many different ways through the whole poem.

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In the first stanza Dickinson uses metaphors to convey the point of how when light and happiness isn't present it is easy to seem lost and dazed, almost living a life in denial of the happenings that you’ve experienced.

The metaphor that is used in this stanza is present in these two lines: “As when the Neighbor hold the Lamp / To witness her Goodbye-”. This is referring to a woman leaving a gathering and the host holding a light to see the guest leaving without providing any light to the guest's path. Use of this metaphor implies darkness coming by surprise since when walking away from the lamp light suddenly ceases to exist and you are in a state of shock due to sudden blackness, relaying the message of unexpected misfortune in life that comes quickly without warning.

Emily's use of metaphorical language continues into the second stanza and there is use of personification in the third stanza. In the last three lines of the second stanza the speaker says: “For newness of the night –Then – fit our Vision to the Dark –And meet the Road erect -”. The value of the words “Fit our vision...” insinuates that as humans we become accustomed to a depression in our lives and we remain there as we feel that we must accept what is dealt to us without questioning it. People often believe that patience will bring happiness and that our satisfaction is only brought on by the plan of the universe not us as individuals. Unlike in the second stanza the third verse hints to a “...larger Darkness” not just a common sadness. Dickinson uses personification by putting emphasis on the “Darkness” in this stanza hinting that the speaker has suffered a great loss and it only seems to get worse and no ray of light is in close proximity. This attributes to the meaning of how loss can create murkiness in our thoughts and prohibits our daily life and can greatly impact our personality.

In the second to last stanza, the quote that sticks out to me the most explains that when there is despair or loss in life sometimes you are so blind to see the things in front of you, such as the people who care and want to help you or you lack the ability to see the opportunity presented to you that may help you out of the depression even though it may be directly in front of your face. The quote that supports this idea is as follows: “...sometimes hit a Tree Directly in the forehead”. Lastly, the final stanza claims that when we adjust and cope with the things that have happened to us and hindered our mental well-being, life “...seems to step almost straight”. By using this choice of words, it presents the fact that when issues are coped with rather than bottled up life becomes easier to navigate rather than being astray in your own head unclear of your path.

Throughout this entire publication of “Poem 428”, by Emily Dickinson, her use of many types of language helped to create a deeper and more heavy-hearted sentiment. Reading this poem isn't just a surface relation to everyone's life, it digs into loss and distress that we as humans have all experienced, each word and metaphor contributing more and more to the meaning as the poem goes on. This just goes to show how much the use of complex language can give a whole new perspective and passion to a piece of literature.