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Much Madness is divinest Sense






(1863)

This poem is one of Dickinson’s boldest declarations of independence. In addition to celebrating nonconformity, the poem provides implicit advice about how to negotiate social pressures imposed by the political majority. The “discerning Eye” mentioned in the second line immediately identifies the desired audience for the poem as those readers capable of recognizing that “Much madness” an indeed be “divinest Sense”. The language of the poem takes advantage of the aural eye/I pun, embedded in the reference to a “discerning Eye, ” to conflate visual discernment with the temperamental discernment that enables certain “Is, ” or personalities, to identify with the experience of those who feel oppressed by social norms or political policies and are considered mad by the majority. As a consequence, the finality of the “Chain” reference that concludes the poem would have a special resonance for this audience, metonymically reminding them of jails or other forms of punishment that could await them if they do not carefully monitor public awareness of their own dissent from the majority position. To avoid being “handled with a Chain”, the poem advises, be careful not to “Demur” too loudly. The safer course—implied by the knowledge that those who “Assent” are judged “sane”—would be to act with duplicity, giving the appearance of assent while persevering in nonconformity. The attention given to “Assent” in line 6 combines with the previous reference to “the Majority” in line 4, to establish the poem’s concern with democratic politics, according to which government is authorized by the “consent” of the people. As a poet who wrote with keen awareness of dictionary definitions, Dickinson would have known that assent and consent share the same Latin root, sentio and function interchangeably in common usage. Politically speaking, then, the poem illuminates the way democracies necessitate communities of dissenting minorities who are always on the watch for like-minded allies. One of the possible meanings conveyed by the poem is that the best interests of democracy are served by nonconformists who silently stand by their convictions when thwarted by the majority, awaiting the appropriate moment to express their views in concert with others and perhaps shape a new majority position. By that means, democracy can ultimately serve all of the people, even though at any given moment a dissenting minority will be quietly looking for allies.

 


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