ABOUT
THIS POEM:
meaning:
Exemplified in this poem is Emily Dickinson's pure and beautiful descriptive
talent. She looks at something simple and everyday, with the eyes of
a child exploring and seeing these things for the first time.
I tend to agree with Freud's opinion when it comes to this poem. He
thought that sometimes, just sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar and
not a symbol for a penis. This is a poem without hidden meaning for
most readers. Just a clean, bright and fresh approach to a plain old
sunrise.
imagery:
A nice and recurring image is that of the ribbon crossing the morning
sky as the sun rises. This image comes back when she describes the hills
untying their bonnets, in other words then streaks of the sunrise becoming
brighter and filling the morning sky.
Also the color amethyst of the sunrise is used again in the description
of sunset; however it has then taken on a darker color (purple).
Some religious images are used in this poem, namely the dominie (clergymen)
and steeple (of a church). The dominie is described as taking the yellow
children (rays of the sunset) away after they reach the other side of
the stile (steps to climb over a fence). As they climb over the stile,
the color of the sunset darkens since night is falling.
symbolism:
Although I expressed my opinion of the meaning of this poem earier,
there are those who want to see a meaning in everything (High School
English teachers tend to have this nasty trait). Even something that
is beautiful because it's simple.
For those people: Some images in this poem are used traditionally in
poetry as symbols. The images described of sunrise and sunset are recurring
symbols for birth and death. Emily Dickinson has been known to use these
symbols in her poetry before.
Ribbons and yellow boys and girls could represent innocence, or the
ribbons might also portray vanity. The frantic squirrels could symbolize
the frantic pace of life we lead.
Obviously, steeples and a dominie symbolize religion. But if you want
to dig deeper, you might even say that the dominie symbolizes the call
of God (since he collects the children climbing over the sunset, or
death, he would seem a kind person).
ABOUT
THE PAINTING:
place
and time:
Monet painted this masterpiece when he was visiting the port city of
Le Havre in 1872. The outlines were sketched quickly to capture the
essence of the moment, after he filled in the blanks at a later time.
representation:
"Soleil Levant" represents the morning sunrise as seen through the mist
at the docks. For the non-french-speakers (or those who didn't pay attention
in High School) "Soleil Levant" literally means "Sunrise".
Details of the painting are not directly obvious out of context so the
painting must be seen in its entirety. People, buildings and ships are
vaguely recognizable. But the colors (like blu and orange) used in the
painting are unusual since they contrast and thus spring to life even
more (they create illusions, or impressions). The combination of colors,
blobs of paint representing people or things, and the stroke with which
is painted are all typical of the style that Monet brought to life:
impressionism.
LINKS:
EMILY DICKINSON:
Emily
Dickinson International Society
This society creates a forum for appreciation of Emily Dickinson's life
and writings and for scholarly research on Dickinson and on her relation
to the tradition of American poetry and women's literature.
http://www.cwru.edu/affil/edis/edisindex.html
The
Emily Dickinson Homestead
Visit the Dickinson Homestead and its lovely grounds and garden to learn more about the poet Emily Dickinson.
http://www.amherst.edu/~edhouse/
The
Academy of American Poets- Emily Dicksinson page
Lots of links, some biographical info and selected works.
http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=156
CLAUDE MONET:
Welcome
to Claude MONET's
A site dedicated to Monet, his life and his works. In English and French.
http://giverny.org/monet/welcome.htm
Webmuseum:
Monet, Claude
A site with a short biography and images of selected works.
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/
Claude
Monet on the Internet
Entry in the Artcyclopedia about Monet, with an extensive list of links.
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/monet_claude.html
RANDOM:
Data Services
Complete sun and moon data for one day, a table of sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset, or twilight times for an entire year (and more info).
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/
Sunset
Station Casino
Sunset Station Hotel & Casino is a "unique entertainment experience" that offers a total package of fine dining, gaming, live concerts, special events and the finest, most secure child care service in the United States.
http://www.sunsetstation.com/
Sunset Crater
Volcano National Monument
All about Sunset Crater Volcano which is a National Monument located in Flagstaff, AZ.
http://www.nps.gov/sucr/
Sunset Radio
A compilation of links to streamed radio stations worldwide.
http://www.sunsetradio.com/
