Elysium is as far as to Analysis

Elysium is as far as to
The very nearest Room
If in that Room a Friend await
Felicity or Doom--

What fortitude the Soul contains
That it can so endure
The accent of a coming Foot--
The opening of a Door--

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Dickinson is well known for he brilliantly thought out diction. Here's my shot at it ... Elysium by meaning is a place or condition of ideal happiness. Sometimes, for some reason people misread the word itself as asylum. The nearest room can be interpreted as others. Doors are separators. They exist to maintain privacy between people. They are a vector of access in which another rejects or accepts another. By entering the door you are now in their territory. If it's a friend, you surrender yourself to the possibility of getting since your in their territory. Metaphorically if you open up to someone, they can give their validation and you're happy. If they reject, -doom. You've been destroyed. You've opened up and they trashed the place. Another subject of teen angst poems put brilliantly.

Second paragraph. fortitudea (strength). Soul edure. If you've been crushed after pouring your heart out opening with your feelings, you know what this feels like. The cynicism... You have a distrust in mankind. "accent of the comming foot" Flashbacks to the time it happened as it happens again. Instinct says "NO!". It's like drawing blood. The prick is small, but the anticipation is the killer, except this is just plain picking at emotional scaps. The opening of the door again. "What fortitude the Soul contains"...


Manipulation upon the showing of weakness necessary in the risk of love.

| Posted on 2004-08-09 | by Aksuri

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Really now, there doesn't need to be a numbered rhyming structure for this poem.

Elysium in this piece most likely could translate to "a safe room". And at the same time, the elysium is only as safe as who is within. Felicity best meaning happiness, and doom as in
meaning well, death.

The second stanza expresses that to open the door could bring such anticipation and stress- however the soul can endure it.

Too many people get hung up looking for a rhyming structure when there may not even be one. There isn't even much assonance or alliteration within this piece. The message might seem vague, however it is quite clear- but don't overrate it- since you'll miss the message, which within itself isn't too great.

| Posted on 2004-07-29 | by RequiemOfDreams

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The use of the word Elysium is intriguing in this poem. It makes one thing that the protaganist is trying to escape something in one room by moving to the next. I must admit though at this point this poem's content is above my comprehension. The structure is 1, 2 , 3 , 2 which is only given away once you get to the last stanza for to and Room rhyme in the first but after reading stanza 2 I take that as only coincidence. Overall, Emily has surpassed me again in comprehension and amazed me again with ability.

| Posted on 2004-07-10 | by Mister Fizzle