Sweet safe Houses-Emily Dickinson Analysis.

Sweet—safe—Houses

Sweet—safe—Houses—Glad—gay—Houses—
Sealed so stately tight—
Lids of Steel—on Lids of Marble—
Locking Bare feet out—

Brooks of Plush—in Banks of Satin
Not so softly fall
As the laughter—and the whisper—
From their People Pearl—

                                                  No Bald Death—affront their Parlors—
                                                  No Bold Sickness come
                                                  To deface their Stately Treasures—
                                                  Anguish—and the Tomb—

                                                  Hum by—in Muffled Coaches—
                                                  Lest they—wonder Why—
                                                  Any—for the Press of Smiling—
                                                  Interrupt—to die— 

Emily Dickinson

A poem satirizing the snobbery and condemnation of the working class people by the upper classes.

It is a general view conceived by society that houses are usually represented as places of solitude, a haven that allows you to feel safe from the outside world.

‘Sweet –Safe-Houses’ by Emily Dickinson represents home in the traditional view as I have stated above she uses home as a metaphor that explores the divide between social classes. The house represents the naivety that is believed to keep someone safe from issues in the outside world; themes of snobbery and pride are addressed.the first stanza consists of five lines, this introduces the reader to the irony behind the title of the poem. Moreover, the rest of the structure of the poem is consistent and has a set structure since the remaining stanzas are written as quatrains. This set structure represents the definite structure of society during the era that the poet wrote in. Furthermore, the poet conveys her view against the difference in social class by defying convention; since her form of expression throughout the poem is highly condensed   and is not in full sentences. 

In the introductory first stanza repetition is used which seems slightly hyperbolic to exaggerate how safe and happy the people’s houses were. The houses are described as being’ glad-gay-houses’, alliteration is used which slows down how we say the words; this perhaps connotes peace, happiness and tranquility which convinces the reader that the houses are as happy as they seem. However, further on in the stanza the poet begins to reveal how sinister the house is. It is described as being prison like. The poet says it is ‘sealed -so –stately- tight’. The sibilance used creates a soft sound like a sinister yet harsh whisper. The fact that they are clearly trying to keep someone out, they are coffining themselves; this creates a divide and reveals that the house is not as inviting as we first thought.There is repetition used in reference to layer of protection,’ lids of steel-on layers of marble’. Steel is a heavy metal that is cold and hard, marble is extremely sold, this perhaps symbolizes how the people inside the house have become since they have had no contact with the outside. This metaphor represents how excessive the people have attempted to keep themselves confined inside, this metaphor would perhaps give the reader the impression that the people inside are truly safe in the interior of the house and that the exterior is dangerous. The metaphor may also connote a tomb which refers to theme of death, the people inside are confined and trapped they exist but they are not truly living. 

The interior of the house has’ brooks of plush-in banks of satin’. This creates the imagery of a beautifully luxurious and expensive home. There is reference to nature in this metaphor with the words ’brook’ and ‘banks’ these words create the image  of a stream of flowing water, this signifies the flowing fabric ad opulence it also signifies how being confined provides the people inside with  a false sense of comfort or safety. In addition, the reference to nature highlights that there is something artificial about the people inside, perhaps revealing that the people inside   interior of the house are the real danger.

The structure of the poem enables the reader to get a better feel for the emotions or characters that the poet has attempted to voice throughout the poem.

In ‘Sweet-Safe-Houses’ the structure has a sparse and disjointed style, this reflects the physical and mental struggle that’s associated with naivety ad a false sense of security. The hyphens are used to divide every word which represents the division in social class.

To conclude, Dickinson conveys a false sense of security in relation to the metaphorical home.The people in the poem apparently avoid ‘anguish and the tomb’ from the outside, they still in fear because they never truly experience life, so they fear what they do not know. This is evident because here is a ‘press of smiling’ this implies that their smiles are pressured they are naturally happy.