Nature is a major theme in many of Dickinson's poems, and "The Brain—is wider than the Sky—" is no exception. We get references to the wide-open sky, the deep blue sea, and God, who the speaker seems to consider nature itself. The interesting thing with this poem, though, is that the speaker thinks that man is cooler than all this nature stuff.
Questions About Man and the Natural World
- How does the speaker use images from nature to explain the powers of the human brain?
- How would you describe the speaker's take on humanity's relationship with nature?
- What would you say is the speaker's idea of how nature relates to God? Explain your answer.
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The speaker of the poem places the power of humanity's intellect above the power of nature, which is straight-up ridiculous.
Ultimately, the speaker says that our brains give us the power to be at one with God, which the speaker considers to be the raw power of nature itself.