17 pages • 34 minutes read
Emily DickinsonTell all the truth but tell it slant
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1890A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Double Meaning
Dickinson uses double meaning with the concept of “slant,” as some end-rhymes have more assonance than exact rhyme scheme, also known as “slant rhyme.” For example, the following word pairs contain similar rhymes: Lies, surprise (Lines 2, 4), with their slant variations being: delight, kind, blind (Lines 3, 6, 8). The words “eased” and “gradually” also contain slant rhyme (Lines 5, 7). This creates a double meaning with “slant.” Like a slanted truth, they are all slightly different variations of the same long vowel sounds (long -i and long -e), and the sounds themselves have a comforting tone when spoken aloud.
Rhythm and Structure
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant” is an eight-line lyric poem, iambic in meter, with each line alternating between six and eight syllables.
Dickinson matches short lines with iambic pentameter to evoke an upbeat rhythm, juxtaposing the two with controlled pauses via dashes at the end of the first and last line. The reader pauses before diving into the heart of the poem, only to be contained by it at the end. The dashes also function as the foundational architecture of the poem.
Veiled and Subversive Vocabulary
Dickinson adds more complexity to the poem with the words she capitalizes:
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind — (Lines 1-8)
The bold portions highlight Dickinson’s vocabulary choices for capitalization. At a glance, the words seem moderately positive, but Dickinson may be using archaic meanings. As mentioned previously, “Success” (Line 2) can also mean “achievement.” Archaically, it can also mean a good or bad outcome, which conveys some risk. The double play continues with “Circuit,” which can also mean “a roundabout journey,” just as it would telling a truth slant (“Circuit.” Merriam-Webster). With this thinking, it makes sense that “lies” isn’t capitalized. It would overpower the delicate veiling in neighboring words.
Related Titles
By Emily Dickinson
