| THE BUTTERFLY’S assumption-gown, | |
| In chrysoprase apartments hung, | |
| This afternoon put on. | |
| How condescending to descend, | |
| And be of buttercups the friend | |
| In a New England town! |
I think Emily Dickinson is trying to show people the everyday beauty and regality of nature. She personifies the butterfly and describes its usual living place (using words like "chrysoprase," which is a kind of gem. Instead of treating living among humans as an honour, as people self-centeredly would like to, she says that it's "condescending" for the butterfly to dwell among us. She treats the butterfly, whom some would consider a mere insect or even a pest, as a symbol of beauty and richness that is even more valuable than the people living in the town.
"She treats the butterfly, whom some would consider a mere insect or even a pest, as a symbol of beauty and richness that is even more valuable than the people living in the town."
ReplyDeleteConsidering the way she treated her neighbors by ignoring them, it would not be hard to think she believed in butterflies rather than people. This is an excellent analysis.