Introduction
“Faith is a fine invention” is a poem by Emily Dickinson. While the poem is very short, it bears deep philosophical meaning. From one side, Dickinson wrote about faith in God and its importance in the life of people. From the other side, the reference to microscopes makes it possible to state that Dickinson wrote about science being opposed to religion. Living a life of seclusion and simplicity, Dickinson wrote poems of great power. She questioned the nature of faith and immorality. The opening lines of the poem state, “Faith is a fine invention for gentlemen who see”. While the meaning of these lines appears to be self-evident, Dickinson managed to pose a philosophical dilemma without even asking a question.
Analysis
The descendants of Emily Dickinson are traced back to the early Puritan settlers who left England to practise religious freedom in America (Pettinger). As the result, the poem “Faith is a fine invention” is related to a religious theme. Religion was important in the life of Dickinson. She adapted the Calvinist approach to religion and believed that “men were inherently sinful and most humans were doomed to hell” (Pettinger). An only a small number of men could be saved while salvation could be achieved only by adherent proclaiming of faith in Jesus Christ. The Calvinist approach is sensed in the first line where Dickinson states that “faith is a fine invention”. Dickinson refers to faith as an invention because faith serves as a tool for salvation.
Pettinger provides an interesting explanation for the religious as well as scientific tones found in Dickinson’s poetry – “although her poetry expressed intense inner experienced, this separation from established religion is a factor in her uncertainties and fluctuations in sentiment, evident in many poems”. In other words, Dickinson was not confident in her own beliefs and she questioned the importance of faith as opposed to science. Notably, Dickinson highlighted two words in the poem: “see” (line 2) and “microscopes” (line 3). The choice of these words reveals that Dickinson opposes science to religion. The word “see” symbolizes the ability of people to find meaning in life through religion while the word “microscopes” represents science and logic.
Personal Reaction
In conclusion, I think that the poem “Faith is a fine invention” is about the lack of religiousness in societies. While people strive to find meaning in life, they fail to accept faith as the only way to salvation. Dickinson suggested that people used to care about their souls and were faithful. However, scientific developments motivate people to question their own beliefs and to seek proof of everything. Faith is a belief that is not based on logic or scientific evidence. Faith is about believing without seeing. People turn to faith mostly when they are in trouble when faith becomes the last resort. Nevertheless, Dickinson tried to show that faith should be part of our daily life. Science does not give answers to all questions and sometimes it is worth believing in things that cannot be explained through logic.
Works Cited
Pettinger, T. Short Biography Emily Dickinson. 2006. Web.