The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky
The Brain—is wider than the Sky—
For—put them side by side—
The one the other will contain
With ease—and you—beside—The Brain is deeper than the sea—
For—hold them—Blue to Blue—
The one the other will absorb—
As sponges—Buckets—do—The Brain is just the weight of God—
For—Heft them—Pound for Pound—
And they will differ—if they do—
As Syllable from Sound—
Summary of The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky
- Popularity of “The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky”: Written by Emily Dickinson, a popular American poet, who has made a name in writing spiritualistic verses, the poem “The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky” is a beautiful and succinct poem. It first appeared, like all other poems of Dickinson, at the end of the nineteenth century, but Emily Dickinson composed its verses in 1862. She presents her thoughts about the brain, its power, and how it seems a blessed heavenly organ of human beings, giving mankind an edge in the wider scheme of the universe. The beauty and popularity of the poem lie in presenting poetic thoughts about the brain.
- “The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky” As a Representative of Excellence of Creation: The poet presents a speaker who uses a declarative statement to argue that the brain is the best organ a man has. Extolling the brain, the speaker goes on to state that it is wider than the sky and that it can even swallow or absorb everything that lies in the sky or under the sky, including “You,” the reader. This comparison leads to another such comparison in which the speaker states that the brain is even larger than the sea, adding that it can absorb everything that is in the sea, including its water and sponges. Even in the case of its comparison with God, it weighs heavily on its side and has more weight as it differs from God only in syllables.
- Major Themes in “The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky”: The power, significance, and weight of the human brain as compared to the universe and the divine power are some of the major thematic strands of the poem. In just three stanzas, the poet has compared the brain first with the sky, then with the sea, and finally with the Creative power of all of these two colossal creations. Even in the third stanza, the poet is of the view that the brain is weightier than God though there could be a difference in syllables. This power of the brain is significant in that it can imagine God though it may have more weight in terms of letters.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky
Emily Dickinson uses various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices Emily Dickinson used in this poem are as follows.
- Anaphora: It is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of the verses. The poem shows the use of “The Brain is…”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “As Syllable from Sound” and the sound of /o/ in “The one the other will contain.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /th/ in “than the.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /b/ in “For—hold them—Blue to Blue” and the sound of /s/ in “For—put them side by side.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Emily Dickinson uses imagery in this poem, such as “The Brain is deeper than the sea—”, “The Brain—is wider than the Sky—” and “The Brain is just the weight of God.”
- Irony: It means to the contradictory meanings of the words used in different contexts. For example, the verse “The Brain is just the weight of God” shows this irony at work in that God created the brain and everything and yet it is weightier than God.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet used implicit metaphors of the brain as bigger than the sea and wider than the ocean without naming anything to compare it with.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as the brain, the sky, and the sea to show the breadth, and width of the brain.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Brain Is Wider Than the Sky
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows very good use of formal and poetic diction with spirituality at the heart of it.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Emily Dickinson uses end rhyme in this poem, such as side/beside or blue/do.
- Quatrain: It means the use of four verses in a stanza. It has come from Persian poetry. This poem has three quatrains.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABCB rhyme scheme, and it continues throughout the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a comparative and religious tone with spiritual underpinnings.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about the power of the human being.
The Brain is just the weight of God—
For—Heft them—Pound for Pound—
And they will differ—if they do—
As Syllable from Sound—
