Compare and Contrast Poems #9

Thesis: Emily Dickinson's poems "I never saw a Moor" and "'Faith' is a fine invention" use punctuation and a theme of vision to emphasize the different perspectives and opinions on faith.

1. The use of punctuation in the two poems help point out important points and perspectives. The dashes Dickinson uses act as means to make the reader pause and consider the content just read before continuing on to the next line. In "I never saw a Moor", Dickinson expresses, "I never saw a Moor-- / I never saw the Sea--" (1-2). The simple statements seem to be obvious to the speaker, but the reader might find it hard to imagine not knowing what such basic sights look like. The dashes act as a reminder that the speaker is drawing importance from her inexperience that needs to be understood in order to understand the rest of the stanza. In "'Faith' is a fine invention", Dickinson uses the dashes to separate the two main ideas being expressed. But the more important use to punctuation in the second poem involves the way the words "faith" and "microscopes" are expressed. The very first word of the poem boldly defines the speaker's opinion about faith's validity. By placing faith in quotation marks, falseness and artificiality extend from the word. It is then described as a "fine invention" (1), implying faith as being man-made and used as a tool. The Gentlemen use the false tool for status as it is expected by all of higher class. "'Faith'" is highly contrasted by the word "Microscopes" (3), both italicized and capitalized for emphasis. Dickinson draws attention to it and its importance. The microscopes show what faith alone cannot cause or explain. The over-emphasis shows the speaker's desperation to make the point that the correct way to go about a distressful situation is by relying on scientific facts and medicines. The use of punctuation in the second poem adds a humorous tone to it all, whereas "I never saw a Moor" remains almost entirely at peace and serious.
2. Though both poems highlight the importance of vision, they do so in such ways in order to come to different conclusions of faith. In "I never saw a Moor", Dickinson develops a speaker who uses their imagination without having experience. She is adamant about the power of her ability to see a "Moor"(1), "the Sea" (2), and "a Billow" (4). Her assurance is expressed with, "Yet I know how the Heather looks" (3). The entire first stanza makes known the speaker's unique connection with reality, strengthened by her strong faith. The second stanza refers to her belief in God. Though the speaker has no direct experience with God or heaven, "Yet certain am I of the spot" (7). Once again, the assurance is emphasized, therefore highlighting the speaker's unbreakable connection with religion and her vivid imagination. She can see without truly seeing, and knows without having had experience. The second poem takes an entirely different perspective on faith through vision. Using the word "see" (2) refers to the literal act of looking at the general picture. This kind of seeing skims the surface, skipping over details. The Gentlemen see with such a vague lens and they are in turn seen with a similar vagueness that guarantees their status and respect. Ambiguity is then compared to the "prudent" (3) way of seeing things when in a time of danger or distress: looking through "Microscopes" (3). Seeing scientifically under such magnification makes it easier to see factual details that could otherwise be missed. The speaker of this poem encourages microscopic vision as a way to see past the falseness of a status, for times of crisis call for the most precision.