Emily dickinson's "Tell all the Truth but Tell it Slant". Poetry analysis

Essay by hamncheese132High School, 12th gradeB+, November 2005

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"Tell all the truth but tell it slant"

By Emily Dickinson

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant---

Success in Cirrcuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightening to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind---

Emily Dickinson poem "Tell all the truth but tell it slant" is about telling the full 'truth and nothing but the truth' and how its affects ones perception of how "truth" should be told.

The opening line "tell all the truth but tell it slant" is the same as that of the title. Emily Dickinson does this because she wants the reader to realise that the poem's main idea is that truth is stated indirectly toward us. It is supposedly too powerful to be taken in all at once and that we are unprepared and not willing to admit to it.

The word "slant" could have several meanings to it, for it could mean that something is not straight or it can give greater significance to a letter or word that is slanted or put in italics. Furthermore it could be used as a bias, a persons point of view to which he believes is correct.

However, the second line indicates that lies are in "Cirrcuit." Dickinson misspells the word 'Circuit' to give it greater emphasis. . It is also used to place a greater emphasis on the idea, that the truth is not straight. This idea in turn connects to the 1st line that one must tell the truth, but in slant. She repeats this theme throughout the poem and indicates that, the truth must be told indirectly as it is "too bright for our infirm delight" meaning that we are not able to handle...