An Interpretation of Emily Dickinson's "Color-Caste-Denomination".
"Color-Caste-Denomination", written by Emily Dickinson, a late 19th century American poet, describes how Death is an undiscriminating and unbiased event that all must go through. She shows that Death will take everyone regardless of his or her race, religion, or status. .
Dickinson's poem portrays race, religion and social status, or standing, as being labels that the world has created. It shows that Death does not pay attention to such labels- they are insignificant in the face of something so universal. As in sleep, in Death race and beliefs are forgotten and unimportant, and any labels accrued while living are erased. When, through Death, mortal classifications and appearances are removed; everyone is a human being underneath- equal, colorless, and free of any earthly labels. It is actually necessary for humans to be removed from those labels, if they are to be taken indiscriminately out of life. Though humans, with their mere worldly intelligence, cannot picture a place where race, religion, and status do not matter, Death is in fact that very place. .
Through this poem, Dickinson is pointing out the flaws in Man's tendency to label and divide people based on materialistic and often false reasons. Dickinson's tone towards this attitude is one of scorn, and she resents that Man is often divided. Death, according to the poet, has "Democratic fingers", meaning that it takes all humans from the world equally and without judgment. Dickinson compares Death's fairness to the so-called equality humans cherish here on Earth, saying, "What Death- knows so well-, Our minuter intuitions- Deem implausible". This points out that though humans may say that they treasure and strive to achieve equality, in reality they cannot begin to imagine a world free of the restraints of race, religious differences, and social status. Death is the great leveler of Man, making everyone alike and "rubbing away the Brand[s]", or labels, that Man has placed on himself.
