How do you understand the idea of ‘internal difference’ (evoked in Emily Dickinson’s ‘There’s a
certain Slant of Light’)? Compile a creative and critical portfolio around this idea.
I am going to provide a meditation on Emily Dickinson’s remarkably complex poem ‘There’s a certain
Slant of Light’. My reflection will focus particularly upon the phrase ‘internal difference’, exploring its
meaning not only within the Dickinson poem but also through the work of three other renowned
female writers: Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys.
Seminal discussions of the intricate and distinguished Dickinson poem alluded to in the title often
skim over the phrase ‘internal difference.’1 Seemingly, Dickinson’s deceptively casual style leads such
meditations to dismiss ‘internal difference’ as a straightforward and loosely defined psychological
change. In doing so, critics fail to appreciate the ambiguity of Dickinson’s figurative language and are
thus deprived of the ‘revelatory grasping of multiple brilliant readings.’2 To illuminate such readings,
and to define them precisely, I turn to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) for guidance.
The OED primarily defines the adjective ‘internal’ ‘occurring within the interior of something’3. In the
case of Dickinson’s poem, I understand this ‘something’ to be occurring in the speaker’s ‘mind’ or
‘spirit’. Alternatively, as a noun, ‘internal’ can be understood to mean ‘of a person’s inner nature’,
perhaps referring to an intrinsic quality possessed by Dickinson’s speaker. I now look at the noun
‘difference’, defined as ‘the condition…of being different’4 or ‘a dispute’. To understand how such
definitions operate in ‘There’s a certain Slant of Light’, one must explore ‘internal difference’ as a
compound. Based on the aforementioned OED definitions and my own understanding of Dickinson’s
poem, I suggest that the compound ‘internal difference’ can be understood in several ways: the
speaker as intrinsically different from the person they once were, the speaker as differing from
society’s mould, and the speaker’s personal spiritual debate.
It’s a phrase which, regardless of how it’s understood, mentally wounds the speaker, causing ‘hurt’
and ‘despair’. Of particular note is that the speaker feels this mental pain is ineffable; it’s
incommunicable to ‘Any’. However, in her philosophical reflection ‘The Body in Pain’, Elaine Scarry
contends that ‘psychological suffering… is susceptible to verbal objectification’. In fact, Scarry argues
that it’s precisely the ability to express mental pain that makes it distinct from physical pain. Alas, as
demonstrated by Dickinson’s speaker, verbalising psychological distress is difficult. I propose that if
this psychological distress remains ‘internal’- if it isn’t communicated to and understood by others-
the affected individual will become mentally ill. Often this illness will be externalised as self-harm or
1
Iwata, M. (1997). Emily Dickinson: Translating Puzzling Expression in ‘There’s a certain Slant of
Light’ into Japanese. The Emily Dickinson Journal, 6(2), 62-66. doi:10.1353/edj.0.0108; Pavlovic, E.
(2004). “A certain slant of light”: Emily Dickinson and synaesthesia, South Dakota State University;
Rogoff, J. (2008). Certain Slants: Learning from Dickinson’s Oblique Precision. The Emily Dickinson
Journal, 17(2), 39-54. doi:10.1353/edj.0.0182.
2
Wargaki, J. (2011). Reduction and Negation in Emily Dickinson’s ‘There’s a certain Slant of Light’ and
Wallace Steven’s ‘The Snow Man’. The Explicator, 69(2), 90-99. doi:10.1080/00144940.2011.620542
3
"internal, a., and n." The Oxford English Dictionary. OED Online. 3rd ed. 2015. Oxford University
Press. 16 December 2020. < https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.sussex.ac.uk/view/Entry/98063?
redirectedFrom=internal#eid>
4
“difference, n.” The Oxford English Dictionary. OED Online. 3rd ed. 2016. Oxford University Press. 16
December 2020. < https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.sussex.ac.uk/view/Entry/52453?
rskey=Qn27p0&result=1#eid>
certain Slant of Light’)? Compile a creative and critical portfolio around this idea.
I am going to provide a meditation on Emily Dickinson’s remarkably complex poem ‘There’s a certain
Slant of Light’. My reflection will focus particularly upon the phrase ‘internal difference’, exploring its
meaning not only within the Dickinson poem but also through the work of three other renowned
female writers: Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys.
Seminal discussions of the intricate and distinguished Dickinson poem alluded to in the title often
skim over the phrase ‘internal difference.’1 Seemingly, Dickinson’s deceptively casual style leads such
meditations to dismiss ‘internal difference’ as a straightforward and loosely defined psychological
change. In doing so, critics fail to appreciate the ambiguity of Dickinson’s figurative language and are
thus deprived of the ‘revelatory grasping of multiple brilliant readings.’2 To illuminate such readings,
and to define them precisely, I turn to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) for guidance.
The OED primarily defines the adjective ‘internal’ ‘occurring within the interior of something’3. In the
case of Dickinson’s poem, I understand this ‘something’ to be occurring in the speaker’s ‘mind’ or
‘spirit’. Alternatively, as a noun, ‘internal’ can be understood to mean ‘of a person’s inner nature’,
perhaps referring to an intrinsic quality possessed by Dickinson’s speaker. I now look at the noun
‘difference’, defined as ‘the condition…of being different’4 or ‘a dispute’. To understand how such
definitions operate in ‘There’s a certain Slant of Light’, one must explore ‘internal difference’ as a
compound. Based on the aforementioned OED definitions and my own understanding of Dickinson’s
poem, I suggest that the compound ‘internal difference’ can be understood in several ways: the
speaker as intrinsically different from the person they once were, the speaker as differing from
society’s mould, and the speaker’s personal spiritual debate.
It’s a phrase which, regardless of how it’s understood, mentally wounds the speaker, causing ‘hurt’
and ‘despair’. Of particular note is that the speaker feels this mental pain is ineffable; it’s
incommunicable to ‘Any’. However, in her philosophical reflection ‘The Body in Pain’, Elaine Scarry
contends that ‘psychological suffering… is susceptible to verbal objectification’. In fact, Scarry argues
that it’s precisely the ability to express mental pain that makes it distinct from physical pain. Alas, as
demonstrated by Dickinson’s speaker, verbalising psychological distress is difficult. I propose that if
this psychological distress remains ‘internal’- if it isn’t communicated to and understood by others-
the affected individual will become mentally ill. Often this illness will be externalised as self-harm or
1
Iwata, M. (1997). Emily Dickinson: Translating Puzzling Expression in ‘There’s a certain Slant of
Light’ into Japanese. The Emily Dickinson Journal, 6(2), 62-66. doi:10.1353/edj.0.0108; Pavlovic, E.
(2004). “A certain slant of light”: Emily Dickinson and synaesthesia, South Dakota State University;
Rogoff, J. (2008). Certain Slants: Learning from Dickinson’s Oblique Precision. The Emily Dickinson
Journal, 17(2), 39-54. doi:10.1353/edj.0.0182.
2
Wargaki, J. (2011). Reduction and Negation in Emily Dickinson’s ‘There’s a certain Slant of Light’ and
Wallace Steven’s ‘The Snow Man’. The Explicator, 69(2), 90-99. doi:10.1080/00144940.2011.620542
3
"internal, a., and n." The Oxford English Dictionary. OED Online. 3rd ed. 2015. Oxford University
Press. 16 December 2020. < https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.sussex.ac.uk/view/Entry/98063?
redirectedFrom=internal#eid>
4
“difference, n.” The Oxford English Dictionary. OED Online. 3rd ed. 2016. Oxford University Press. 16
December 2020. < https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.sussex.ac.uk/view/Entry/52453?
rskey=Qn27p0&result=1#eid>
