Emily_Dickinson

Emily Dickinson Much Madness is Divinest Sense “Much Madness Is Divinest Sense” was published in Emily Dickinson’s first collection, which was simply called Poems. This poem concentrates on society’s judgmental views of non-conformists. In this essay, I will be explicating this poem line by line paying close attention to the unique capitalization, rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, and wordplay. Much Madness is divinest Sense— To a discerning Eye— Much Sense—the starkest Madness— ‘Tis the Majority (1-4) The “Eye” (2) is a vague image. Dickinson utilizes a synecdoche to further the image of the “Eye” to be representational of a “wise” person who has the power to label behavior “normal” or “mad”. Much Madness is divinest Sense— To a discerning Eye— Much Sense—the starkest Madness— ‘Tis the Majority (1-4) The poem opens with a statement that is a paradox. The capitalization of “Much Madness” (1) draws the readers focus to and emphasizes the juxtaposition of “Much Madness” (1) and “divinest Sense” (1). Although these words are contradictory, Dickinson finds a relationship in meaning; while society views nonconformists as mad and conformists as sane, it is actually the nonconformist who is sane and the conformists who are mad. Questions that may arise with the first two words in this line might concern what she means by madness, line, poem, dickinson, sense, divinest, much, lines, words, word, majority, emphasizes, straightway, starkest, sane, rhythm, mad, image, iambic, discerning, capitalization, rhyme, much, handled, first, eye, chain, alliteration, utilizes, two, three, tetrameter, speaker, sense—the