Is wholesome
even for the king,
But God be
with the Clown –
Who ponders
this tremendous scene –
This whole
Experiment of Green –
As if it
were his own!
F(1356)
Dickinson often used nature as a means of defining the world around her
and equated it to a place of worship. Through this poem she rants about the
power of nature and its liberation of ownership. It asserts that the
unpredictability of “Spring” or nature is a necessary experience for those in
power to remind them of their inferior position. Leadership is easy to conflate
into ownership.
The speaker of this poem has a tone
of pity and belittlement towards those who feel entitled to claim nature as his
own. By referring to these individuals as clowns, the speaker reduces them to
mere caricatures of actual people, and strips them of intelligence as nature
cannot be claimed or tamed and anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant to
reality. As the foundation of our world, nature was in existence long before man
made his footprint and will continue to thrive long after his probable demise.
A self-sustaining entity, nature’s survival is not dependent on outside
assistance and the opposite is true for humans whose very livelihood is hinged
on the state of their environment. The relationship of man with nature is not
one of codependence but this fact is often overlooked considering the
superiority of nature is not readily noticeable. And until man is crippled by life
without the sustaining hand of nature, they will not realize the level of their
dependence.
With clear-cut language, the
meaning of this poem is difficult to misinterpret. Considering the length,
every word had to be impactful. For instance, springtime is typically
associated with beautiful weather, but the author chose to describe it as “madness.”
This shows intent to conjure thoughts of the wild, unpredictability of nature.
The perfect example of this can be seen in weather predictions; there have been
instances when meteorologists have been inaccurate in their forecasts, over or
underestimating the severity of storms. In fact, there are still weather
patterns they are unable to predict like earthquakes, tsunamis, and the path of
tornadoes which are the physical embodiment of the erraticity of nature. Further
detail to language is seen in Dickinson’s decision to use “king” over other
social standings like “merchant” or “civilian,” which places emphasis on power
and influence. This is because of the ease with which those in positions of authority
become swept away in mindsets of omnipotence and attempt to extend themselves
over that which they do not control.
Furthermore, the form of this poem
lends effortlessly to its theme as the inclusion of true rhyme gives a
sing-song sensation and makes the poem ominous. It feels as though the speaker
is addressing the reader directly and letting them in on a dark secret about
the power of nature, warning them to proceed in reverence. Even the attention
to capitalization seems like an intentional choice as Dickinson is keen to
capitalize “Spring” but not “king” which is a nod to which is the superior
force. Also an interesting twist of form, Dickinson chooses to use an
exclamation mark to signal the conclusion of the poem rather than her famed
dash. Having the option to give the poem an open ending, she takes a hard right
and closes with a declarative statement. This not only demonstrates a passion
for the subject matter but removes any room for argument or misinterpretation.
Many of the symbols here allude to
the previously mentioned instinct to control and conquer. However, the speaker
seems to argue against this, saying that madness is “wholesome” – or humbling –
for a king to experience. In this instance, the king symbolizes the powerful
and prideful men of Earth – the rule makers and shot callers. The chaos serves
as a neutralizer to remind them of the natural hierarchy; though they rule the
people, they do not rule the land. With this poem, Dickinson demonstrates
nature’s ability to remind us who is boss and calls for mercy on those who do
not heed the warning.
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