Apparently with no surprise by Emily Dickinson
"Apparently with no surprise" is a poem by Emily Dickinson that explores themes of nature, death, and the indifference of higher powers. The poem presents a vivid scenario where a frost unexpectedly "beheads" a flower, which, intriguingly, does not react with surprise to its fate. Instead, the flower's demise is portrayed as an unfortunate yet anticipated aspect of life. The frost’s action is described as "accidental," leading to an exploration of the roles that unseen forces, like the sun, play in the cycle of life and death. The sun, characterized as "blonde," watches over the scene without intervening, highlighting a sense of detachment and the notion that some elements of nature operate without moral judgment. Furthermore, the poem suggests a hierarchy in nature's order, with God positioned above it all, approving this cycle of life, death, and renewal. This work encourages contemplation of the natural world's mechanisms and raises questions about existence and agency in the face of inevitability.
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Apparently with no surprise by Emily Dickinson
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1890
Type of work: Poem
The Work
The situation described in this short poem is simple. Frost “beheads” a “happy Flower” even as it plays back and forth in a breeze. The flower is not surprised that it has died in this way, even if the frost’s power was “accidental.” The wordplay on axe, beheading, and accidental is clear. What is a surprise is that the real assassin is “blonde.” It is clearly the sun, which withheld its warmth and allowed the frost to do its dirty job. The sun “proceeds unmoved,” the oxymoron emphasizing that the sun simply observes the workings of nature from its high vantage point. It metes out a day, and God, higher still, approves it all as director of the conspiracy.
Bibliography
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