"Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by Eton Truong (Student FVHS)

"Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by: Emily Dickinson

ebtruong100 — 2024-03-26 17:25:29 UTC

Much Madness is divinest Sense-

To a discerning Eye-

Much Sense-the starkest Madness-

'This the Majority

In this, as All, prevail-

Assent-and you are sane-

Demur-you're straightway dangerous-

And handled with a Chain-

Questions 4 & 6 | Kenny Pham

kmpham111 — 2024-03-27 16:59:06 UTC

Question 4)

When Emily Dickinson wrote poems she often used paradoxes. The paradox contributes to the tone (Accusing yet Humorous) because she states that those insane are actually sane while others who are "sane" are the actual insane ones.

Question 6)

The theme of the poem is that those who are considered insane are actually sane.

In the poem Emily Emily states that those with the discerning Eye (To think clearly/ to have your own opinion) will be considered insane because the majority opinion always beats the minority.

Analysis Questions 1 & 5 | Eton Truong

ebtruong100 — 2024-03-27 17:01:42 UTC

The poem is a paradox and the tone is dark as it's talking about death but also is accusing and humorous as it's blaming people who follow the crowd and labeling them as crazy while those who seem "different", and are already crazy are normal. The poem itself is ironic as its jokingly calling normal people crazy, and crazy people normal such as, "This the Majority In this, as All, prevail", (Dickinson, line 6-7). Emily, because of her introverted experiences thinks differently because of how different she was to people of her time.

The "discerning Eye-", (Dickinson, line 3). Represents humans and their judgment, while the "chain", (Dickinson, line 11). Represents their punishment/verdict upon those who are different/think differently. These symbols represent the standards of society and how the standards are unrealistic and crazy. And those who follow these crazed standards are insane themselves.

Picture for Analysis Questions

ebtruong100 — 2024-03-27 17:10:11 UTC

Those who follow the norms of society are insane.

Analysis Question to Biographical Information | Eton Truong & Kenny Pham

ebtruong100 — 2024-03-27 17:18:07 UTC

Emily was born in the 1800s where the American civilization When we think of the personality of Emily Dickinson, we must think beyond her poems and what she felt or thought throughout her life. We first must think about how she lived, for a good chunk of her life Dickinson never left her room or left her room rarely. Over this course, she wrote over 1800 poems about life and death, god, the individual, as well as sight believing it was a power. Emily within "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" talks about the norms of society and how those who follow these norms are crazed. Emily herself doesn't follow the norms of society as she's quite gloomy and mysterious as well as introverted but also passionate individual. Because of this, she can see beyond the normalities of society and dares to challenge them are call them insane and unjustified. Since Emily is so different herself and how she lived her life was different when compared to people of her time, she thought that those who followed society without any question were insane and that those who were different, like here were sane. In the 1800s they did not promote colored skin, homosexuality, etc which Emily did support as she believed being different was good. In this poem, she brings up the discerning eye which is the power to observe/see and judge what is good and what isn't. The poem states that those who are considered insane are actually the sane ones because they don't join the majority and are different just like Emily. Overall, the introverted poet portrayed a much more powerful and evoking character that would be later supported by many.