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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.
Themes
Problems with Following Social Values to the Letter
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant” approaches a universal question: Can adhering strictly to a rule cause the opposite result of the corresponding value? Beginning in Lines 1 and 2, Dickinson introduces the social value to tell all of the truth. She then challenges society’s emphasis on this value and advises the reader to take an alternate route—to mold the facts into something more palatable. For the reader to achieve this, they must first dismantle the value of telling the truth in full, or at the very least, consider whether this value should be followed to the letter on every occasion. The reader may also consider what kind of lies society already permits, such as white lies, or omission of certain facts when telling the truth. Dickinson goes as far as to say that even the most virtuous deed, with good results, can be overwhelming, as described in Line 3 as “infirm Delight.” Capitalizing the end-word “Delight,” in contrast to the end-word in Line 2 (“lies”), gives the more positive connotation more weight and focus. Even in one’s happiness, one must be careful in how one approaches it. This ironically points out the harm a social value can cause and causes the reader’s focus to turn introspectively and ask: when can doing “the right thing” cause more harm than good?
The Nature of Human Beings: Our Fragility
Throughout the poem, Dickinson’s focus centers on humanity and the greater good. This thematic concern coincides with the Transcendentalist belief that humans are innately good, and, by extension, want to do the right thing. Lines 4-5 underscore the nature of human beings and the truth, saying, “[t]he Truth’s superb surprise / As Lightning to the Children eased.” The lines contain a vulnerable component; in this case, the feeling of being overwhelmed. Despite the feeling, there is value in being overwhelmed. Dickinson chose “eased” as the end-word, for instance, connecting comfort with the value of surprise.
If comfort is to come with the absence of pain, then one must be mindful of how they practice and engage with the shared and common value of telling the complete truth in the face of both negative and positive information. Dickinson illustrates this through the example of explaining the nature of lightning to children. She compares this childlike naivete to humans apprehending the truth. In Line 6, she once again addresses the “how” of achieving this outcome: “With explanation kind.”
She capitalizes the powerful elements “Truth,” “Lightning,” and the vulnerable recipients, “Children,” while balancing it with positive adjectives like “superb,” “surprise,” and “kind” (Lines 3-5, 8). This stylistic choice emphasizes the idea that the truth can be a beautiful but frightening thing for those unprepared. The solution is to treat the person with kindness when delivering emotionally charged information, and sometimes, less is definitely more.
The Truth: Defining an Abstract Concept and Social Value
Many social values derive from abstract concepts (justice, loyalty, and honor are a few examples) and bear many definitions when considering the greater good. Dickinson approaches this thematic concern spaciously: She queries the abstract concept of truth and defines it as an energy of its own that must be harnessed carefully. In Line 7, she returns to the power of truth and how to unfold it: “The Truth must Dazzle gradually.” Keeping with the playful tone, Dickinson uses “dazzle,” which at first appears to be positive. However, dazzle can also mean the overpowering or dimming of vision of by intense light.
Once again, dialectics are in play. A value so virtuous and pure has the power to damage someone completely. This idea is driven home in the last line, “Or every man be blind–” (Line 8). The truth has the power to illuminate, but it also has the power to destroy pleasure completely.
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant” is still relevant today because it contains themes that are universal and timeless. In the 21st century, especially from a Western context, society still values truth as morally superior to and more virtuous than lies, partial truths, or omission of fact. In fact, many see the omission of certain facts as equal to lying. There is very little gray area allowed for exceptions, with white lies being perhaps the most tolerated. Dickinson reminds us that it may not always be the best thing to tell all the truth unfettered. In doing so, one can be virtuous but also hurtful simultaneously. With considering the intrinsic, greater good of humans, it may be less virtuous to be completely truthful, especially when also being blunt and hurtful.
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