THE+SOUL+SELECTS+HER+OWN+SOCIETY

**// Emily Dickinson //**
 * THE SOUL SELECTS HER OWN SOCIETY **

In **“The soul selects her own society”** Emily Dickinson said that each person chooses their own friends or lovers and shut themselves from the rest of the world. Their society only includes that person and the selected friends.



The soul selects her own society, Then shuts the door; On her divine majority Obtrude no more.
 * The soul selects her own society **

Unmoved, she notes the chariot's pausing At her low gate; Unmoved, an emperor is kneeling Upon her mat.

I've known her from an ample nation Choose one; Then close the valves of her attention Like stone.

The first stanza states that an individual chooses her own companies and excludes the rest of the world: “shut the door”, “obtrude no more”. She is so firmed about her decision of shutting out the majority that even “the chariots’s pausing at her low gate” and “ an emperor is kneeling upon her mat”, she would still not let them in her selected society. The last stanza again states the firmness of her decision: “like stone”.

I think the soul represent “the heart”. Our heart chooses our friends and lovers. Our heart decides to not show any feeling toward others.

In my opinions, the act of “shuts the door” represent being conservative. She basically shuts opportunities and changes out of her life. She rather not changes her own society. I think a society that only consists of your friends or lovers is an ideal society or a perfect society where there is only love, friendship with no hates and anger. The author wants her society to remain like that forever so she shut all the complexities out of her own society!

The second stanza implies that a heart cannot be won by power. “Chariots” and “emperor” represents highest power in a society. Though, the heart still remains “unmoved”.

I think this poem is talking about a relationship rather than friendship. Once the heart chooses a lover. The heart doesn’t care anything about the outside world. The world now only consist of them two !

media type="youtube" key="l1SC0Ae5CgM?fs=1" height="385" width="480"

__** Cited **__ : Youtube.com, google images