Much Madness is Divinest Sense

Much madness is divinest sense

To a discerning eye,

Much sense, the starkest madness.

‘Tis the majority

In this, as all, prevail:

Assent, and you are sane;

Demur, you’re straightway dangerous

And handled with a chain. -Emily Dickinson

I know I have said this a thousand times... I LOVE EMILY DICKINSON! She's brilliant. It took me a few readings to actually understand it. What really gave it away is when I looked up "Assent" and "Demur." To assent with something is to agree or concur. And then of course to demur with something is to disagree or argue it. This poem is once again speaking of conformity. The voice of the public who speaks against common knowledge is often considered 'mad' but she twists the word 'mad' from insanity to brilliance. This is a very clever social commentary on how society treats abstract thinkers. Rather than value the ingenuity, the brilliance is often tosses aside as mad ravings. Although it is a simple meaning, Dickinson has a very novel way of saying it which makes this poem more enjoyable than most.