17 pages • 34 minutes read
To make a prairie
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Themes
Imagination is All That is Needed
In Dickinson’s poem, the speaker elaborates on the centrality of the mental faculties in creation. As the speaker lists off the essential components of prairieland construction, they list “revery” (Line 3) after “One clover and a bee” (Line 2). In the first half of the poem, it sounds like the speaker says all three elements are equally as important to make a prairie. However, by the poem’s conclusion, the speaker changes their message and clarifies that “If bees are few” (Line 5), then “revery alone will do” (Line 4). If the bees are absent or diminished, then their type of physical and practical work and perseverance is gone. Instead of giving up, however, the speaker declares that the way forward is still possible with the help of the mental faculties. “Revery” (Line 3) specifically refers to the imagination, to having visions, to dreams. While these elements are at times looked down upon by society or disregarded as frivolous and insubstantial, Dickinson’s speaker validates their worth. These qualities—the ability to dream and imagine—are just as essential to the act of creation as physical production, if not more. Dickinson validates these skills by removing the elements of the bee and the clover by the poem’s conclusion. If an individual wants to create, then all they have to do is look inward.
There are Many Types of Work
Dickinson presents two different types of labor in her poem. The first is physical, hands-on labor. The “clover” (Line 1) and the “bee” (Line 1) enter into a symbiotic relationship with one another. The clover feeds the bee, which uses the pollen to make honey in its hive and support its fellow bees, and also to repopulate further clover. The cycle is endless and continuous, and this type of work Dickinson’s speaker portrays is hard, manual labor. This work contrasts with the work of those who employ “revery” (Line 3). Revery constitutes the more internal work that happens when an individual listens to their inspirations, values, etc. The speaker in the poem does not seem to validate one type of work over another. They simply acknowledge that there may be times when the practical, hands-on work isn’t there. In this case, the internal, psychological work is equally as important and “revery alone will do” (Line 4). In his article on Dickinson’s poetry and preservation, Steve Glass writes,
‘To make a prairie,’ refers on the one hand to the hard practical work done by earnest, well-meaning people. But, with the introduction of ‘Reverie’ Dickinson alludes to the other side of making a prairie—the likelihood that few people in their right minds would undertake to restore a prairie without reverie (Glass, Steve. “Emily Dickinson Offers Advice on Prairie Restoration in ‘To Make a Prairie.’” WingraSprings, 2017).
Daydreaming is often viewed by society as negative or lazy. However, this isn’t so for Dickinson’s speaker. Even though the internal, psychological component of work cannot be outwardly seen, it doesn’t make it any less impactful.
Nature is a Balance
As stated in an earlier paragraph, the relationship between the “clover” (Line 1) and the “bee” (Line 1) is one that is symbiotic, meaning that it is mutually beneficial. The clover feeds the bee, who receives food for honey, and the bee in turn pollinates the prairie and makes more clover. This mutual relationship parallels the connection between the tangible and intangible, between external work and internal work. Both types of work coincide in creating a prairie. When physical work is lacking, the internal powers of the individual mind help to envision and create the physical landscape of the prairie. All of life is a balance of give and take, tangible and intangible. Both sides complement one another to form a unified, balanced whole.
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By Emily Dickinson
