Topic > The concept of ambiguity in Emily Dickinson's poems

Emily Dickinson, in most of her poems, shows that she loves ambiguity. Some of his poems can be perceived in multiple different ways, none of which are right or wrong. Depending on how the reader sees and interprets the poem, the meaning is distorted to fit his or her vision. The ambiguity in his writing refers to the idea that humans cannot say what the world means, but still try to understand it. Dickinson offers explanations and answers in a way that does not state them as facts, but presents them as possibilities. In his poems "I heard the buzz of a fly - when I died -" and "I died for beauty - but it was scarce", Dickinson uses ambiguity to suggest that there are different ways of seeing the mysteries of the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayIn the poem "I heard the buzz of a fly - when I died -", Dickinson proposes answers to the question of the existence of divinity in the world world. The narrator is dead and lingers around, with other people, waiting for the presence of the “King” (“I heard the buzz of a fly” line 7). The “King,” in this usage, is God. They want to bear witness to a sign that there is divinity in the world around them. The only sign of anything in the room, though, is a fly. The ambiguity of the poem comes into play with two different readings, one negative and one positive. In the negative reading, the poem tells the story of the anti-climax in belief in divinity. People wait their whole lives looking for a sign of God, or divinity. In death they hope to see a hint of what they believe, but instead all there is is a fly buzzing around. In this reading, humans never get to experience God, despite their lifelong beliefs. In the positive reading, however, man ultimately sees that everything is divine, including the fly. This interpretation suggests that the fly might be God, and while there's no way to be sure, there are subtle clues. The fly is described as "Blue", which is a color associated with the Virgin Mary and divinity ("I heard the buzz of a fly", line 13), and appears between the light and the narrator, suggesting that the light is a representation of understanding or heaven (“I heard the buzz of a fly” line 14). This reading suggests that, although they may never appear to be signs of true divinity while alive, humans will eventually understand that everything they saw was divine. The two separate ways of interpreting this poem were purposely designed by Dickinson as offerings to the question of divinity that humans will never know the answer to. The ambiguity of this poem can lead readers in either direction, altering the meaning and response they see. The poem “I died for beauty – but it was scarce” tells the story of two deceased people. One lived life for beauty and the other lived for truth. The two spoke at night until the moss that grew covered their lips and their names. This poem offers readings in the same way as the poem "I heard the buzz of a fly - when I died -". The negative reading suggests that death and nature ultimately obliterate all noble searches for such things as truth and beauty. These noble activities are worth nothing when death approaches. The names of truth and beauty, and the names of the people who have dedicated their lives to these virtues, are hidden by nature's growth and seemingly forgotten. The positive reading, however, proposes that since divinity is in all things, moss is also divine, even when it grows and hides noble activities. Furthermore, the death of those who in the.