The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson - Book Report/Review Example

Janice McKelroy English 111 Peninsula College Paper # 2 Dust in the Wind: A Reflection Dust in the Wind, a phenomenal hit song by Kansas, has poeticlyrics that have the ability to induce its listener to think deeply over himself and his surroundings. It has this meditative quality, one that encourages the listener to detach herself from being an active player in the real world in order to view things more objectively. What makes the lyrics even more powerful in this regard is the melody the song has. The guitar accompaniment has an enchanting effect. It charms one out of present realities into the realm of introspection. Emily Dickinson's poem, "I Reason the Earth is Short" (T. Pettinger), bore some semblance to the Dust in the Wind in terms of message. Definitely, this was written long before Kerry Livgren, Kansas' guitarist and songwriter, penned the words for the song in 1977 (Wikipedia). However, this just proves that the subjects of man's purpose in life and the inevitability of death are not new at all. This is much understandable in Dickinson's time. In her formative years, she was enrolled at the Amherst Academy. In 1845, a religious revival took place in the campus, which heavily influenced Dickinson and her friends. From then onwards, most of her poems and even letters to friends bore religious or spiritual themes. Although her poems do not explicitly mention the existence of a Supreme Being or God, she always managed to describe man's mortality as a proof of his insignificance compared to what he gains after his death. In the poem, "I Reason the Earth is Short", she wrote the lines: "The best Vitality cannot excel Decay" and "I reason that in Heaven, Somehow, it will be even" (Habegger). Whether Kerry Livgren read this poem and was influenced by it or not, his song Dust in the Wind is also a product of his own religious conviction. In 1979, two years after the song was written and recorded, Livgren was delved in the Urantia Book, which states revelations allegedly written by supernatural beings. One year after, he became a born-again Christian and this made an impact on his songwriting in terms of content. Although Dust in the Wind was written two years before Livgren's religious pendulum swing from Urantia to Christianity, it was representing his state of mind by then. Even while he was enjoying the life of a rock band in the psychedelic and Woodstock era of the early and mid-seventies, he was already introspectively evaluating his life and religious points of view. It was only in 1980 that he actually displayed his religious beliefs through the album Seeds of Change. Before that, he did not mention this outright but the lyrics did refer to man's minuteness in the greater scheme of things. In Dust in the Wind, he composed the lines: "I close my eyes only for a moment and the moment's gone" and "All we are is dust in the wind". One would easily understand when Emily Dickinson coined the lines: I reason, Earth is short - And Anguish -- absolute - And many hurt, But, what of that (TH Johnson) At that time, when she wrote this poem, she had seen many deaths in her family and circle of friends. In fact, because she was a very reclusive person, a demise of any of the few people close to her, naturally, has an overwhelming effect. However, the poem is not an expression of anguish or grief. Rather, it is a representation of how she sees the issue of life and death. She believed that death's unavoidability reduces the significance of life. This only reflects the fatalist influences of the Puritan origins of her family and the orthodox Calvinist beliefs she acquired in her school years (RB Sewall). On the other hand, the lyrics of Dust in the Wind entirely pertains the same message. However, being a virtually a poem with a melody, presents it in more direct approach. This is probably meant to suit the modern music-lover, considering that it did capture the ears of many when it was first released commercially. Nevertheless, it does have well-written lines, which have that unmistakable poetic ring. I close my eyes Only for a moment And the moments gone All my dreams Pass before my eyes a curiosity Dust in the wind All we are dust in the wind In the first stanza of the song, Kerry Livgren asserts that everything that is seen by the human eyes ends. This includes events or occurrences in one's life. What one sees for a second is not exactly the same after a blink of eye. Even dreams come and go just like everything else in this world. In the last two lines, Livgren then lays down his premise on human life; that man is nothing but a speck of dust. This speck may be blown by the wind to have a certain momentum, to travel for a distance depending on the wind's strength and for a direction according to where the wind blows. However, dust always settles down after a while and so does man when his time finally comes to an end. Some may interpret the wind in the song as fate or the representation of a Supreme Being or God. This is because it is the wind that propels man and steers his direction. In other words, the wind here is similar to saying that someone is powerful enough to breathe life into man. He has also the discretion to take it away. Same old song Just a drop of water In the endless sea All we do Crumbles to the ground Though we refuse to see Dust in the wind All we are is dust in the wind. The stanza above may sound the same as the first. However, it can also mean differently. While the previous stanza refers to life as man's limited journey, the second stanza articulates how man and his endeavors are just miniscule elements in the universe. The song being referred to in the lines is actually man's life itself, indeed a small drop in an ocean. This idea is even more explicitly stressed in the succeeding lines although these added another premise that man, sometimes, cannot accept that his dreams and efforts can encounter failures. However, man himself may not easily accept these happenings. Again, the stanza ends with the premise of man being a dust in the wind, the song's main theme. Now, dont hang on Nothing lasts forever But the earth and sky It slips away And all my money Won't another minute buy The song's final stanza particularly touches on the issue of how man attempts to defy the law of his mortality and minuteness in relation to the will of the Supreme Being. Man tends to do everything, sometimes, even beyond what is moral just to satisfy his wants. This part of the song may sound preachy but it definitely exposes the songwriter's will to influence others with his ideas and not just to express it in the open. Here, Livgren asks people to stop believing that they are above Divine Will, that they can do whatever they want. In fact, he affirms his view on money as completely powerless amidst the constant transition, that it cannot stop things from changing or life from away. Dust in the Wind may not have told what should be done in the face of the reality it articulates. Of course, this is because a songwriter cannot possibly put every idea in his head into just one song. However, at a time when American pop culture was treading the boundaries of nihilism, the song is indeed an attempt at opening people's eyes and encouraging them to gaze beyond the material world they are in. By adhering to its meaning, man can begin to appreciate life itself in a more positive manner. Its message rings very true until today, which is why this is still much played and heard by people. Because its message is a universal truth, it will still be sung maybe ages from now. As with most old songs that have lasted to this day, the beauty of Dust in the Wind does not rely on its melody alone. The guitars and the distinct viola part of the song may have contributed much to its exquisiteness but the lyrics have provided it a soul. Sadly, quite many people can remember easily only its tune and not the words. However, if they do get to learn about the song's message, they will certainly be reminded of it every time they experience moments of introspection. WORK CITED T. Pettingger, Emily Dickinson Biography, Biography Online, June 29, 2006 http://www.biographyonline.com. Kerry Livgren, Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia, http://www.en.wikipedia.com Habegger, Alfred. 2001. My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0679449867. Kerry Livgren, http://www.numavox.com. Johnson, Thomas H. (ed). 1960. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. Sewall, Richard B. 1974. The Life and Emily Dickinson. New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. ISBN 0674530802. Read More