Emily Dickinson's Poem 'I' Ll Tell You How The Sun Rose

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Recommended: Note on main features of Emily Dickinson poetry

Emily Dickinson divides her poem “I'll tell you how the Sun rose” into a section about the sunrise and a section about the sunset. For many, the rising Sun brings a new day and new opportunities; the setting Sun reflects the individual’s desire to rest from their busy lives. By looking at the Sun, the speaker evaluates nature and its significance. Through her first person persona, Dickinson reveals the corruptive nature of society that contrasts the bringer of life that is nature itself. The speaker boldly begins by addressing the reader to tell them “how the Sun rose.” Her boldness does not come from controversial words or claims; instead, her confidence makes her a bold, courageous speaker that compels the reader to listen to her tale. By capitalizing “Ribbon” in the next line, she emphasizes the individual rays of the Sun expanding. The speaker shifts …show more content…

In contrast with the joyful Yellow, The Grayness of the Dominie, a schoolmaster or pastor, highlights the bleakness and boredom the speaker associates adults with. Furthermore, the Dominie putting up “the evening Bars” parallels the setting of the Sun. He bars out freedom, what the Sun brought to the world earlier. The gentleness of the action reflects the lack of guilt or thought the Dominie has in stealing the freedom; it is an everyday occurrence to him. Finally, he leads them away. Suddenly, they are not children anymore; they are a flock. Like sheep, they lack individual decision making skills and rely on the shepherd to guide their lives. The speaker does not even close the poem with a period and leaves the reader wondering where the Dominie is herding them. The once confident individual who tells the tale of the Sun can only watch the situation from afar and cannot stop the progression. If sunrise represents freedom and life coming from the hands of nature, sunset represents them leaving by the hands of

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