How Can Emily Dickinson's Poetry Be Considered An Apollonian?

Friedrich Nietzsche derived two opposing terms to describe the ways to respond to drama and real-life art. These two distinctions known as Apollonian, the side dominated to by reason, and Dionysian which focuses more on emotion; either emotion to music or the rage of tragedy. Critical thinking is a major part of the humanities, the distinction of the two sides will come in handy while analyzing literature, music, and theater. In literature, the use of word choice to convey a special message is crucial. Emily Dickinson shows us an example of apollonian by her use of words in her poem. She is often thought of as a transition poet because she is transitioning into a modern poet, which does not always use rhythm and rhyme in poems to convey their …show more content…
The rhythm of the song may be more upbeat, with fast paces changing rapidly in association with happiness or joy. Oppositely, it may be slow in rhythm with soft beats in connection with sadness. In music “stately” rhythm is more apollonian than not, because of its stressed beat followed by two more stress beats. This is important because of the energy these specific beats give off, making the listener want to meditate and relax. Apollonian is relaxing with soft, repetitive beats to ease your mind and give you time to reason and think about the beauty of the song. This type of classification is also used at events such as funeral and graduation ceremonies in efforts of a calming sound for the audience. It is also associated with household duties, chores, and school work, the soft beats allow one to focus and accomplish their duties. On the other hand, Dionysian is associated with dancing and freedom with the upbeat rhythms allowing them to enjoy the music while …show more content…
The drama portrayed in the shows is what really catches the attention of the viewer. Drama is more preferred over tragedy in theater because it is closely related to real life and enhancing certain life events. The clash between the actors of The Odd Couple (1965) by Neil Simon is evident. Two friends move into a house together unknowingly understanding how the other person may live. After some time, Oscar Madison, the junky who wreaks the house on a regular basis, is confronted by the owner of the house Felix who is a neatnik. This shows both the respectable Apollonian and disorganized Dionysian characteristics. When Felix is confronted by Oscar about his exaggerated cleanliness, Oscar losses his temper and dumps a plant of linguine on his head (190). Although the viewers would not enjoy Oscars company they are more sensitive towards