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Danira Ortega

Professor Batty

English 102

24 September 2017

Poetry: An Endless Road of Interpretations

Literature is one of the most interesting subjects to study because it has different

subgenres and every single one of them has a different structure, as well as a purpose. One of the

genres that many people discuss is poetry. This genre is often presented as one of the hardest

because of the structure it has as well as the meaning behind them. Emily Dickinson is one of the

many writers of poetry. All her poems are peculiar because the meaning may change depending

on each individual. The poem Wild nights, Wild nights is an interesting poem because it

differs on meanings, depending on the context an individual sees it from. Although some believe

this poem is referring to religion and a relationship with God, I believe there is another

interpretation for it. The poem can portray a desire for a significant other because of the

historical content behind the writer, the diction and the symbolism.

Emily Dickinson is an interesting author because before she started to write poems, she

wrote letters to her close friends and family. Its speculated that most of her poems were written

from the year 1862 and on. Its not certain that the poems reflect her feelings because as Janet

Gary mentions in her journal called Emily(Elizabeth) Dickinson, She wrote many of her

poems to send to friends on special occasions: to mourn the loss of a loved one or mark the

anniversary of a death, to congratulate or sympathize, or to accompany gifts or dried flowers.

(Gary) In the same article, Gary mentions that the meaning behind the poems depends on the

concerns and convictions the readers have. Dickinson didnt write publish her works and because
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of this, she could write more honest without having the fear of social repression. Even though

Dickinson had little interest in social issues, some of her poems are out of place in the literary

culture of her time. At the time that Dickinson wrote her poems, a new movement was starting,

the New Criticism. This movement consisted on the interpretations of texts. Poetic language was

apart from the standard English and authentic poetry was complex. (Gary)

Dickinsons poems can vary from interpretations. One of the factors that can distort the

meaning behind a poem is the diction, which is the use of words. In the poem Wild nights- Wild

nights, she uses the word futile in the fifth line, which can mean different things. According to

the Oxford Dictionary of English, futile means [1] Incapable of producing any result [,2]

occupied with things of no value or importance [and 3,] unable to hold ones tongue. (futile) If

we take the first definition and apply it to the line Futile-the winds- (5), then it can mean that

the wind didnt affected the individual or the situation. Another word that Dickinson uses is

moor. This word is defined by the same dictionary as [1] Marshland [,2] a piece of unenclosed

wasted ground [, and] a particular vein or lode of ore. (moor) If we apply one of these

definitions to the lines A-the sea/might I but moor tonight (10-11), then it can either mean the

ground that its around the sea or it can be a metaphor to express that the individual found

someone valuable. Depending on what definition a person wants to take from a word, the

meaning of a poem can change because it can lead to different directions.

Many times, the authors use symbolism to express the way they feel without being direct

with the message, which can help the reader to create their own interpretation of a text. If we

break down the poem Wild Nights-Wild nights, then we can see the symbols in each stanza.

The first stanza can give an impression that the individual whos narrating is maybe

remembering their significant other and the experiences they had together. On the next stanza,
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the same individual can be expressing how he/she feels that they found the right person, since the

lines says,

Futile-the winds

To a Heart in part

Done with the Compass

Done with the Chart! (5-10)

The first line can mean that the individual is observing their significant other because the wind

is having no effect in him/her, and the section where is talking about the compass and chart can

mean that he/she is no longer looking for a direction, that the place where they are is the right

one. Finally, the last stanza can mean that they are in paradise since it mentions Eden and the

sea, which are usually portrayed as a peaceful place as well as a paradise. By including many

symbols, Dickinson leaves up to the reader the interpretations they want to create.

In Literature, the interpretations may vary from reader to reader. Whether its because of

their age, their current emotions, the environment theyre surrounded by or the words used in the

text, the interpretations vary even though in some areas they may agree. Poetry is one of the most

difficult and beautiful genres from Literature because its usually where the authors express their

feelings. In this style of writing they can express a social point of view or even the emotions

theyre having at the moment. This style of writing its not only about the words that are written

but also the way that theyre read, whether its out loud or just in someones mind. The more one

reads a poem or any type of Literature, the more clues and new interpretations that an individual

can find because as we change from mind set as well as what we are surrounded with can change

the way we interpret a certain text and it can even relate to what were going through. The beauty

of Literature is that theres no right or wrong answer, every interpretation is valid.

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Works Cited

Dickinson, Emily, and Jackie Moore. "Wild nights -Wild nights." Selected Poems. Oxford: Oxford UP,

2006. Print.

Gray, Janet. "Emily (Elizabeth) Dickinson." American Writers, Retrospective Supplement 1, edited by

A. Walton Litz and Molly Weigel, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. Literature Resource Center

"futile, adj." OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2017. Web.

"moor, n.1." OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2017. Web.