Emily Dickinson by Ashlee Cournia

What does this poem mean and how does it relate to Transcendentalism?

ashbernhardt — 2016-11-14 15:24:57 UTC

The Soul selects her own Society —
Then — shuts the Door —
To her divine Majority —
Present no more —

Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing —
At her low Gate —
Unmoved — an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat —

I’ve known her — from an ample nation —
Choose One —
Then — close the Valves of her attention —
Like Stone —

c. 1862

Jake Kava

jkava8 — 2016-11-14 16:12:17 UTC

Caira Berg

caira_berg — 2016-11-14 16:13:26 UTC

In The Soul Selects her own Society, by Emily Dickinson is about how the soul wants to be free from society and wants its own way of life. She thinks that you choose your society and she chooses to be a society of just herself. Emily Dickinson does not want to be ruled by a greater being but herself. Dickinson shows this by saying “unmoved- an Emperor be kneeling” (7). She says the Emperor is below her because it is not ruling her society. This relates to the idea of Transcendentalism because Emily Dickinson wants to be self-reliant and independent. She wants to live on her own and live as a recluse. Dickinson connects to nature by turning away from material goods. Transdentalists believe that material goods corrupt society and she does not want society to corrupt her.

Grant Hanson

grant_hanson — 2016-11-14 16:13:29 UTC

The poem is about Emily Dickinson passion to live as sort of a hermit, rejecting society and living a recluse life with only few connections to family. Dickinson talks about her soul and how it goes on its own values instead of being influenced by society. Her soul is not fazed by the temptations of society. She states that the world is full of artificial happiness and that her soul is unmoved by them. It relates to transcendentalism because she ignores society and follows her inner feeling or "force". She also hermits herself from society just like most of transcendentalists would do.

Cam Saville

cameron_saville — 2016-11-14 16:15:25 UTC

This poem is about how a person is having a divine spark. This person is having a feeling that selects her society or the path she wants to take. When the person shuts the door to the “Divine majority,” it means that she is not like the others. This is comparable to Emily Dickinson because she isolated herself and was frustrated with social obligations. Just like Emily Dickinson’s soul, the soul remains the same in this poem. You can compare this poem to Transcendentalism because in this poem it talks about how the soul is divine and how the person does not want to be like society. The soul wants to choose its own path and be different from others. Lastly, this poem relates to human experience and how important it is to find the truth.

Jake Kava

jkava8 — 2016-11-14 16:15:52 UTC

It relates to transcendentalism because of the way Emily talks about the way the soul is free and different from society. When she talks about the Emperor kneeling she means that the leader of the divine majority is no longer leading the majority, but now he is starting to feel the same as her. The leader is turning away from his old ways. Then she mentions that she has known her from an ample nation, which can be related back to transcendentalism because of the lack of going with the flow. She chooses one then closes the valve of her attention, therefore isolating her from society. Like a rock she shows no emotion on the outside, a stranger walking by may never know what she is feeling on the inside because she hides it extremely well. Like a transcendentalist she finds beauty in the simple things.

Amanda Cahill

amanda_cahill — 2016-11-14 16:17:37 UTC

Emily Dickinson’s poem is all about somebody seeing so many things in the world. She sees everything but can not quite open the door to let everything into her life. She connects with nature more than anything and although there are many material things on earth she isn’t connecting to anything. She has the ability to listen and act but is not going to move. She has her own spirit and picks what part of society she wants to attach herself to. The idea of transcendentalism is present in this because only a certain part of society is present in her life even though she sees other parts. She sees everything else that is going on but she closes the door, like stone, so she can only let certain parts into her life.

john Harvey

2016-11-14 16:17:38 UTC

This poem means that when we find a way of life or something that like, we tend to stick by that and don’t like change. All other experiences or things that are presented to us are just shut out by a door like object. This relates to transcendentalism because of the way she says the soul is different for everyone and free. The soul blocks out all other concerns of society that people tend to worry about and once it selects what it likes it closes. Like a rock she shows no emotion and is unmoved by things in society. Emily Dickinson says that the soul chooses its own path and shuts the door to societies ways. The soul is free and doesn’t listen to the rules or wants of society.

Emma Snyder

emma_snyder — 2016-11-14 16:19:19 UTC

Alexis Wanner

alexis_wanner — 2016-11-14 16:19:29 UTC

The Soul Selects her Own Society by Emily Dickinson reflects upon the later portion of her life, mostly spent as a recluse. Emily was skeptical against organized religion and frustrated with social obligations. She shows in her poem that a person chooses their surroundings and their society. She chose to select her society, particularly her society of one, and “then - shuts the Door” (2). I believe that her struggle with depression influenced her decisiveness to not admit anyone else to her own personal society, even and emperor, as she states “Unmoved – an Emperor be kneeling Upon her Mat” (7-8). Emily shows her self-reliance in stating her choice of herself, “I’ve [Emily] known her [herself]- from an ample nation- Choose One” (9-10). She comes to the understanding that only she knows herself best and then cuts herself off from the rest of society by “close[ing] the Valves of her attention” (11). Emily uses this poem to express her purpose in her reclusiveness and give the reader insight into her mindset.

Rachel von Ebers

rachel_vonebers — 2016-11-14 16:19:32 UTC

In The Soul Selects Her Own Society , by Emily Dickinson
believe this poem is talking about one closing herself off from the world and society and living on her own. The person wants to close herself off not only physically but also emotionally, using the metaphor of a closing door to represent the closing of one’s private life. Emily Dickinson lived most of her life as a recluse so she may be talking about herself. A very important aspect of Transcendentalism is self-reliance and escaping society which Emily is a perfect example of. Emily closed herself off from the world and was content to only writing poetry. The person in the poem chooses what and who she wants to focus her attention and energy on, anything else she ignores. In the lines 14-17 of the poem, it says, “Choose one- Then- close the Valves of her attention- Like Stone” which supports this theory. /w~��o!

Sarah Lefor

sarah_lefor — 2016-11-14 16:19:53 UTC

“The Soul selects her own Society” is a poem by Emily Dickinson written in 1862. The poem expresses Emily Dickinson’s want to live as a recluse, rejecting society and living with only a few familial connections. Ms. Dickinson shows that the soul chooses its path and rejects all else. Her feelings are unmoved by the temptation and fabricated happiness of the world. Through this poem, she shows her deep connection to the natural world by rejecting everything else. The majority of people give in to the livelihood of the world and accept it, but Ms. Dickinson turns away from this popular lifestyle. Nothing phases her when it comes to temptation. She does not seem to be moved by any worldly matter, no matter how large. She is closed off from most of the world in this way.

Lexi Grotte

alexis_grotte — 2016-11-14 16:20:01 UTC

Miguel Hanson

miguel_hanson — 2016-11-14 16:21:12 UTC

Jacob McKeever

jacob_mckeever — 2016-11-14 16:24:22 UTC

Gabby Dye

gabrielle_dye — 2016-11-14 16:26:53 UTC

This poem is about how sometimes women in society don’t willingly want to conform to the beliefs or customs of society and the roles that it gives to people. It talks about how a person’s divine Majority can be shut out, which means that society is trying to stop or corrupt a person’s divine inner nature so that it is no longer there. Also that a person or the women in the poem, Emily Dickinson, must remain strong against the corruption of society, so that the “valves of Her attention” must not be shut down by outer being and materials that could hurt a person’s true and divine nature. These ideas are closely associated with the beliefs of a Transcendentalist. The beliefs that a person must protect their inner nature and intuition and ignore the corruption of society, so that they can live their life in complete happiness.

Miguel Hanson

miguel_hanson — 2016-11-14 16:37:06 UTC

This poem relates to transcendentalism in a way that Emily Dickinson says let the soul guide her with God in present society. Emily Dickinson is talking about love and friendship. She says pick one person to love and share friendship and forget about everything else. In Emily Dickinson’s “The Soul Selects her Own Society,” she writes, “Choose one- Then-close the valves of her attention” (14-15). This meaning makes sense because Emily Dickinson was known for exclusion of people and things. Transcendentalism has to deal with God as an internal force and that everyone has their own divine spark. Also, that we all need to experience the inner light. Emily’s poem has to do with God because she speaks of the soul choosing which relates to God. And uses words like divine that have deeper meanings but still pertain to God. 3E9F6C"r��f�5

Karsen Aune

karsen_aune — 2016-11-14 16:37:57 UTC

I think this poem is about someone finding her own society within her soul, and finding her divine spark, and then shutting out the rest of the world. This poem relates to Transcendentalism because it has to do with nature. It also relates to Transcendentalism because it talks about divine Majority, and Transcendentalists believe that every person and everything has a divine spark, and in that poem it is talking about a girl finding her divine spark and then shutting the door on the rest of society. This poem also has to do with Transcendentalism because it is about self-reliance, because the girl is on her own, and she has her own society within her soul.

Tom Erie

2016-11-14 16:47:18 UTC

This poem explains the characteristics of an individual’s soul. Once the soul finds what it likes and selects its society, it is very careful about what it lets in. I believe that this poem is talking about Emily Dickinson and how she is very careful about what she lets into her life. Dickinson writes that she “closes the Valves of her attention —Like Stone” (15-17). She is stating that she realizes everything going on around her, but she turns her attention away from these troubles. This poem relates to Transcendentalism because it deals with the soul of an individual. It talks about how a soul selects its own society and no one can change its decision. Also, this poem has a spiritual aspect in it because it talks about the soul which is a supernatural concept.

Elizabeth Salonen

2016-11-15 01:46:42 UTC

The poem relates to transcendentalism very clearly with the theme of a person finding his or her own soul within his or her self. Essentially the poet is talking about how the soul seeks out what it is naturally drawn to. Once this person or thing is found or discovered, the soul will then shut its doors to anything that is no longer important. No matter how important it may have seemed once, it doesn't matter anymore and therefor your soul will not be bothered with it.

Grace Noack

2016-11-15 15:12:43 UTC

The poem, "The Soul selects her own Society" by Emily Dickinson is about someone shunning organized thought and selecting her own ideals instead. She is not moved by conformed, societal preaching. She must choose between following society or forging her own path. She closes herself off from society. Dickinson could be speaking about herself in this poem, considering she sealed herself off from society as well. The major Transcendental element featured is that of rejecting conformity and pursuing original thought.

Adam Sayler

2016-11-15 15:32:22 UTC

In the poem, The Soul Selects Her Own Society, by Emily Dickinson, the transcendentalist theme of Self-Reliance becomes obvious in the work. Ms. Dickinson speaks of first finding your own soul and then sealing it off from society. In this way she can find herself and then effectively avoid having her inner person tampered with by society. In this way Emily Dickinson relates back to all the Transcendentalist writers who came before her. This poem also relate personally to Emily Dickinson who herself was a hermit. In this way she can easily relate to the idea locking oneself away either metaphorically or literally. BORK

Julia Krause

2016-11-15 16:48:07 UTC

This poem relates to transcendentalsim by talking about people not conforming to society's standards. The soul in this poem does not want to be like everyone else- it wishes to be unique. It does not want a large majority of people to be the same; it wants them to all be different and diverse. When Emily talks about the chariots pausing at the gate and the emperor kneeling, she is expressing that the "role model" for the divine majority is stepping down so that the people of that society can be more distinct from one another and finally open the gates to a new type of culture. In the last stanza, Emily suggests that the soul chooses to follow the values that are close to her heart. This can help unite people of different cultures and bring the world together as one.

Jacob McKeever

2016-11-16 01:01:38 UTC

Emily Dickinson`s “The Soul selects her own Society” is a tragic love poem, with a very somber mood. Dickinson`s poem relates to transcendentalism because the poems displays themes of not being conforming to a greater being, self-reliance, and rebellion against society. The opening line “The Soul selects her own Society –“ (1). This line shows that Dickinson is against society which is a key and fundamental theme in transcendentalism writing. The line “Shuts the Door,”(3) can also be seen as self-reliance because the speaker is refusing help, and holding all of his or her emotions in which shows self-reliance. Finally Dickinson says “To her Divine Majority, Presents no more” (4-5). These lines show the theme of not following a greater being or a god. Dickinson believes that the soul chooses its own path and the soul is not influenced by a greater being or a god.

Jordan Pederson

2016-11-16 02:49:27 UTC

The poem we are reading is about the choice a person must make, the decision of choosing between friendship or love. When making the decision between love and friendship you must block out all others and not let them hinder your decision process. She must not allow for the soul to choose more than one person. This poem relates to transcendentalism through the soul. The soul is how the person connects to nature. When a person is choosing between friendship and live a person must look deep into their heart which is the closest thing to the soul. When the person finally chooses between love and friendship the human soul truly connects with nature which relates this poem to transcendentalism.

Emma Snyder

2016-11-16 03:58:26 UTC

What I think this poem is talking about is that we have the freedom to do what we want. We do not have to conform to society; we are free to choose our own path. No matter how many times society begs us to change, to be exactly like everyone else, we can stand strong. Emily Dickinson said in her poem, “Unmoved-she notes the / Chariots-pausing- / At her low gate…” (The Soul Selects Her Own 6-8). The chariots symbolize society try to get us to change. We do not have to change no matter what. This poem relates to Transcendentalism in the way that it invokes self- confidence. Dickinson’s poem is talking about standing strong. Her poem includes works like “unmoved” and “own.” This poem also promotes individualism. Emily Dickinson’s poem includes the speaker “shutting the door”. This symbolizes the speaker not changing and being her own person. She is literally shutting the door on society.

Lilly Rivard

2016-11-16 15:49:23 UTC

This poem relates to transcendentalism because Dickinson talks about how the soul selects its own society and transcendentalists believe that you shouldn't be wrapped up in society and you should be your own person. The poem is saying that we should be free to be our own person and no one should interfere with our choices that we make in life.

Lilly Ri

2016-11-16 15:49:33 UTC

Lexi Grotte

2016-11-16 22:52:01 UTC

This poem means people don’t have to be what society wants you to be. A lot of times women are expected to live a certain way. They are expected to cook, clean, and tend to their families. In this poem, she basically says that it’s okay to be your own person and make your own decisions. Emily Dickinson wrote this poem because she wants to live as a recluse and to just have a few close family ties. She doesn’t want to what society is telling her to be and she shows that through her poems. This poem relates to transcendentalism because she only relies on herself. She doesn’t need anyone else and that is why she didn’t have very many friendships and why she didn’t go out of her home much. That is what I believe this poem means.

Sam Henning

srhenning99 — 2016-11-17 00:19:46 UTC

The poem exemplifies a transcendental way off life because of many reasons some of which include. The introspective look of not conforming to others ways of life. It shows that Dickinson wasn't going to let society tell her how to act and what she would be like. In a sense she says that her ruggedness is what makes her into her own person.
This poem is written in regard to her spirit/soul and how it picks what its like, it wont let what others believe influence or force her to be any other way. She wont follow society because its the norm she will follow what she truly feels is right. She follows what she believes and wont let society makeup her mind for her, that is transcendentalism.