Sound and Sense #9

The poem I Never Saw a Moor and Faith is a Fine Invention by Emily Dickinson both deal with the concept of faith. In the poem I Never Saw A Moor, the speaker claims that they have never seen the sea or had contact with a moor. It would be impossible to know whether or not these two things are actually in existence without having first hand experience. Yet, the speaker relies on faith to fill this void. The first stanza is focused on the physical and tangible realm. One can touch and smell the sea and one can see a moor. Despite never having had contact with these things, the speaker's faith could be derived from the accounts of others, photographs, etc. There is a clear shift from the physical in stanza one to the abstract in stanza two. In stanza two the speaker begins to talk about their faith in God and compares their faith in the physical to the their faith in the abstract. The speaker claims that although they have never spoken to God or witnessed heaven, they are certain that, that is their destination when they have passed. Within certainty, there is uncertainty. Therefore one must rely on faith whether it be in God or in experiences that you have not been able to witness first hand. In the poem Faith is a Fine Invention the speaker implies that faith is merely a creation of the human brain. The speaker seems to be saying that faith serves us well when we have an understanding of what is going on or feeling comfortable in a situation: "Faith is a fine invention when Gentlemen can see" (Line 2). However, when we are forced to confront difficulties such as illness or any sort of "emergency", faith does not serve us as well as we would like. By saying, "Microscopes are prudent in an emergency" the speaker suggests that it is better to rely on science to cure ailments and struggles than to turns towards God or faith. These two poems by Emily Dickinson both deal with the concept of faith but from two completely different perspectives. Because Dickinson was a religious woman one can assume that the identity portrayed in Faith is a Fine Invention is not a true reflection of her beliefs and ideals.