Emily grew up in a Bible thumping family, so it's no shocker that many of her poems are loaded with religious themes. And those religious themes are almost always a source of awe and amazement for her speakers. Sometimes Emily can get kind of critical toward the Christian God she grew up with, but here in "I dwell in Possibility—" Emily gets a little hippied-out and connects with the Universe in general. There's no sarcasm or satire here when it comes to religion, just general amazement at the great Universe around us and at poetry's ability to connect us to it.
Questions About Awe and Amazement
- What do you think is the speaker's take on organized religion? What makes you say so?
- In what ways does the speaker equate the act of writing and reading a poem with a religious experience?
- If the speaker were asked to paint a picture of "Paradise," what do you think it would look like?
Chew on This
The speaker views poetry as a religion unto itself.
The poem celebrates the infinite possibilities of the universe as holy and shows that anything that limits possibility is nowhere near as cool.