The Soul Selects Her Own Society
The Soul selects her own Society —
Then — shuts the Door —
To her divine Majority —
Present no more —Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing —
At her low Gate —
Unmoved — an Emperor be kneeling
Upon her Mat —I’ve known her — from an ample nation —
Choose One —
Then — close the Valves of her attention —
Like Stone —
Summary of The Soul selects her own Society
- Popularity of “The Soul selects her own Society”: Written by Emily Dickinson, a reclusive American poet, the poem “The Soul selects her own society” first appeared in 1862. It was included in her first collection, published in 1890. The poem presents her thoughts about the independence of a soul. The beauty of the poem lies in the presentation of individuality which is also the major reason for its popularity.
- “The Soul selects her own Society” As a Representative of Individuality and Self Reliance: The poem presents a speaker, who happens to be Dickinson herself, stating that the soul has selected her own circle of friends, excluding all others out to shut the door to the majority as if none exists outside of this circle. Interestingly, this is the solitude that she has selected. She is of the view that none could move her gate, whether it is an emperor coming on his chariot or somebody else. It is because she is enjoying the company of her own solitude, for she has become so much self-reliant. Calling the soul “her,” Dickinson has personified the soul, showing that she knows the Soul very well that it has selected one from the lot and has become content with solitude, leaving all others firmly outside of this circle and as firmly as a stone that does not move.
- Major Themes in “The Soul selects her own Society”: Spirituality, individuality, and self-reliance are three major thematic strands of the poem “The Soul selects her own Society.” Dickinson shows that when the Soul wants to live an independent life, she selects solitude in view of self-reliance. She becomes independent and does not even bow to kings or chariots when they come to her doorstep. Presenting the Soul as a feminine figure, she goes on to say that she selects just a single individual and leaves all others. It could be that she was an independent individual and thought of every person as having an independent mind to select or exclude any person from the circle of close acquaintances.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Soul selects her own Society
Emily Dickinson has the requisite skills and aptitude to use literary devices in her poetry. Some of the major literary devices she has used in this poem are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “The Soul selects her own Society” and the sound of /o/ in “Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /s/ in “sweet spring” and /th/ in “though the” and again /s/ in “Soul selects.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing” and the sound of /s/ in “The Soul selects her own Society.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Emily Dickinson used imagery in this poem, such as “The Soul selects her own Society”, “Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing” and “Then — close the Valves of her attention.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has presented the Soul as a person who has the power to select or deselect figures to accompany her.
- Simile: It is a figure of speech that shows a direct comparison of things to clarify meanings. Dickinson has used the simile of stone such as “close the Vales of her attention – Like stone.”
- 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 society, door, chariot, gate, and emperor to show the indifferent attitude of a reclusive person.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Soul selects her own Society
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 the use of formal and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Emily Dickinson used end rhyme in this poem, such as door/more and gate/mate,
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each Stanza is quatrain.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a religious as well as spiritual tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about a woman having an independent mind.
I’ve known her — from an ample nation —
Choose One —
Then — close the Valves of her attention —
Like Stone —
