First the poem, then a few words on it ...
There is a solitude of space
A solitude of sea
A solitude of death, but these
Society shall be
Compared with that profounder site
That polar privacy
A soul admitted to itself —
Finite infinity.
There are many kinds of solitude. There is the solitude of space, of all the planets and stars in the sky quietly being. The solitude of the sea experienced by those laying on the beach listening to the waves. The solitude of death, when a loved one departs. But for every solitude in the society of solitudes, there is a solitude that is profounder, one that is different - has a different polarity. And that is a soul admitted to itself: Ekonkar -- oneness, that is finite, one, yet infinite, and endless. Finite infinity. Ekonkar.
What a beautiful definition of Ekonkar, the one sound of the universe that binds everyone and everything. And a startling observation that the soul admittance to one's self is that Ekonkar. The true identity of self: Satnam.
It reminds me of Kabir's Tu Tu: Saying you you I have become you. Now wherever I look, I see you.
There is a beauty that Emily Dickinson finds in solitude. It reminds me of Wordsworth's poem on Daffodils. She enjoys the solitude somewhat like Wordsworth enjoys remembering the dancing daffodils when he is alone and pensive. Dickinson envisions profundity of solitude in the winter, while Wordsworth finds bliss of solitude in remembering daffodils.
Analysis by Thomas Collyns, Charlie Dunkin and Sean Smith
This poem is trying to convey the fact that there are situations and places where one can be alone. Society can provide a solitude of space, meaning you can be alone and able to reflect in different spaces throughout the world, such as the "sea."
Then, there is the solitude of death, which is a removal from society entirely and the perpetual solitude of the grave.
Dickinson says that all these types of solitude, when compared with that profounder site, "That polar privacy," which is "A soul admitted to itself" -- you'll find a different kind of solitude, one that possesses "Finite infinity." The key here is a "soul admitted to itself," meaning when you allow your soul or inner self to look inside itself, you'll understand the true nature of solitude, of being truly alone, without the illusion of being with anyone or anything. This discovery can be attributed to feeling lonely compared to a huge world surrounding you, and/or it can be a mental loneliness.
Throughout the poem, Dickinson is dealing with a sense of solitude, whether from someone close to her dying, leaving, or simply ignoring what she thinks, says or does. She deals with this by analyzing what being alone is all about and ends with the realization that we are all alone, and once we understand how alone we really are, we will never feel alone when we are amongst others and don't have to be by ourselves, within ourselves, looking at that "finite infinity" of space we call the soul.
Solitude of Space: The solitude of space represents the opportunity for one to find a moment of loneliness to reflect on himself in different places throughout the world. It also represents an opportunity for one to feel depression while individually reflecting on how insignificant he is compared to the large universe.
Solitude of Sea: The solitude of sea is a great example of an open environment where one can go to be alone and reflect. It is also symbolizing the sea of humanity which can represent one getting lost in a crowd and becoming alone.
Solitude of Death: The solitude of death represents a quiet and dark space where one can reflect individually and feel lonely as he is forever alone.
Images:
The solitude of space, sea and death are forms of imagery used in the poem because they provide the mental images of different forms of spaces where one can feel lonely and reflect. These images provide the basis for the whole poem to be able to compare the different places where one can experience the same feeling of loneliness.
Figurative Language:
Dickinson uses many forms of figurative language throughout the poem. We can find the use of a metaphors as she relates solitude to space, death, and the sea.
Another form of figurative language used was alliteration. This technique was used in three specific instances:
“solitude of space”
“solitude of sea”
“polar privacy”
Tone/Theme:
The tone of this poem is depressed and open. This is because Dickinson is describing her sad life in a very revealing and in-depth kind of way.
The overall message of this poem is that we are all alone, and once we understand and reflect on how alone we really are, we will never feel alone when we are amongst others and don't have to be by ourselves, within ourselves, looking at that "finite infinity" of space we call the soul.
Poetic Devices
SIFT
Repetition: Dickinson frequently repeats the word "solitude."- We believe that this illustrates her loneliness because the repetition puts continual emphasis on the word “solitude.”
Exact Rhyme: Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses the technique of exact rhyme. As with all her poems though, she has bent the definition, so she has used exact rhyme on alternating lines where two alternating lines do not rhyme, while the next set of alternating lines do rhyme.
Oxymoron (a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction): “Finite infinity”- Finite refers to boundaries or limits while infinity refers to no limits.
Singing oneness!
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