Emily Dickinson - the Process of Thought and Creativity

In Emily Dickinson’s poems “They shut me up in Prose—” and “The Brain—is wider than the sky,” Dickinson explores the process of creativity and thought. Similarly, Emily Bronte in her poem “To Imagination,” explores imagination and praises the benefits of creativity. Dickinson, as well as Bronte, speak of the brain’s tremendous strength, the power of imagination, as well as the struggle when creativity is held captive. Dickinson, through interesting style techniques as well as imagery, boasts the liberating effect of creativity. Both authors link the brain’s power of creation to more than just the ability to create poems—it creates solace, liberation, and ultimately, vitality to both authors.

In the poem “The Brain—is wider than the sky,” Dickinson speaks highly of the strength that the brain possesses. In the opening stanza Dickinson writes:

The Brain—is wider than the Sky—

For— put them side by side—

The one the other will contain

With ease—and You—beside— (1-4)

The speaker of the poem compares the sky to the brain. The brain, as Dickinson sees it, is far more spacious and extensive than the sky could ever be. The choice of capitalization is very interesting here. Other than the first word of every line, the only words to be capitalized are “Brain” (1), “Sky” (1), and “You” (4). The idea of self (you) and an actual part of oneself (brain) forces the reader to contrast the unparalleled vastness of human creativity against the sky. This is shown visually in the poem, also. The “You” in line 4, separated by two lines, falls directly in the middle of “Brain” and “Sky” in line one. This creates the image of a scale. By doing this, Dickinson not only adds depth to poem, but forces “You” to act as a scale—judging the “Brain” against the “Sky.” Dickinson also plays with the ease of how the sky will be contained. Line three, which ends with the word “contain,” is the only line without a dash, leaving the sky contained both in the brain and physically in the poem.

In the second stanza of the poem then compares the brain depth against that the of sea:

The Brain is deeper than the sea—

For—hold them—Blue to Blue—

The one the other will absorb—

As Sponges—Buckets—do— (5-8)

Dickinson believes that depth that the brain possesses cannot be compared to the depths of the sea. The idea here is that the brain’s ability to comprehend will always overshadow the abilities of the sea. The human brain is alive—constantly thinking and creating—but the sea, while it provides life, cannot touch the immensity of the human mind. The brain will absorb the sea, and all that is contained within it, in the same manner a sponge or a bucket contains water.

In the final stanza, Dickinson compares the brain to God. She does not say that God falls short of the majesty of the brain, but says:

The Brain is just the weight of God—

For—Heft them—Pound for Pound—

And they will differ—if they do—

As Syllable from Sound— (9-12)

Dickinson makes very little distinction between the two. The brain and God are brought to the same level. The inclusion of “if they do” in line 11 allows Dickinson to take a jab at the idea of God. The difference between God and the brain is minimal at most—being as different as a “Syllable from Sound” (12). The comparison of the brain’s power to that of God’s clearly makes an important statement about the capabilities that humans possess. The brain and its ability for creativity, like God, is not contained. It is immeasurable and infinite. However, “God” is not revered but seen as an equal, at most, of the ability of the brain. Some might argue that the brain, with all it’s power, actually contains God. Dickinson, on the other hand, leaves the ending ambiguous. Leaving the reader to choose whether it is God or the expanse of the brain’s creativity