Insanity In Much Madness Is Divinest Sense

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Paradox Upon Paradox (A discussion of sanity in “Much Madness is divinest Sense” and my perception of it) Insanity has never been a particularly well-liked subject throughout history. This mental disorder has seemingly always been looked down upon with disdain, and insane people are generally portrayed as violent. In fact, in many novels and films, the audience generally knows a character as crazy after they have committed a vicious and often brutal crime. However, this is simply not a veracious depiction in the least bit. Psychotic people are actually more likely to kill themselves than to end the life of another. The media, especially in the modern era, has had an increased impact upon the views and convictions of the common people. Additionally,…show more content…
In, “‘Tis the Majority In this, as All, prevail—” it is very clear that the majority, or the so-called popular people, get their way (Dickinson 635). This is as they are more numerous, and thus, they have a greater influence by way of peer pressure. Due to this, the majority may decide what is right and what is wrong, or what is sensible or insane. More often than not, the former is anything that goes along with the will of the majority, and the latter is whatever defies popular belief. Thus, a person in opposition to the majority is insane, and one in agreement with it is sane. Furthermore, due to how the poem begins, this idea must be reversed. This is as the opening three lines of “Much Madness is divinest Sense” are a paradox. In, “Much Madness is divinest Sense—To a discerning Eye—Much Sense—the starkest Madness—” Dickinson is fundamentally saying that to one with good judgement, what we perceive to be sanity is actually insanity (Dickinson 635). With these few lines, Dickinson has completely reversed the reader’s view of what true madness is. Additionally, this gives the reader a point of view, or a framework, on which to perceive the remaining lines of this poem. What is said in the latter half of this poem must be reversed. Thus, when Dickinson states that assenting means being sane, she actually means the opposite. To agree with the majority is to let go of your individuality, and this makes assenting, or conforming, true insanity. Therefore, in “Much Madness is divinest Sense,” by Emily Dickinson, insanity equates
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