Question

\the soul selects her own society\
emily dickinson

the soul selects her own society —
then — shuts the door —
to her divine majority —
present no more —

unmoved — she notes the chariots — pausing —
at her low gate —
unmoved — an emperor be kneeling
upon her mat —

ive known her — from an ample nation —
choose one —
then — close the valves of her attention —
like stone —

which of the following paraphrases the highlighted lines?

• the soul chooses its own company and then separates itself from others.
• the soul selects a leader and then follows their valuable guidance.
• the soul picks its community and then opens its own heart to others.

Explanation:

Identify the highlighted lines

The image displays Emily Dickinson's poem "The Soul selects her own Society —". The highlighted lines at the beginning of the poem read:
"The Soul selects her own Society —
Then — shuts the Door —"

Analyze the meaning of the lines

Using Poetic Interpretation, we analyze the literal and figurative meaning of these opening lines. "The Soul selects her own Society" means that an individual's inner self chooses its own companions or company. "Then — shuts the Door —" signifies that after making this choice, the soul excludes or shuts out everyone else, separating itself from the rest of the world.

Evaluate the given options

Let's evaluate each option based on our analysis and Emily Dickinson Poetic Purpose:

• Option 1: "The soul chooses its own company and then separates itself from others." This matches the meaning of selecting society (choosing company) and shutting the door (separating itself from others).
• Option 2: "The soul selects a leader and then follows their valuable guidance." This is incorrect because "Society" refers to companions/company, not a leader, and "shuts the door" does not mean following guidance.
• Option 3: "The soul picks its community and then opens its own heart to others." This is incorrect because "shuts the door" means the opposite of opening its heart to others; it represents exclusion and closing off.

Select the correct option

Option 1 is the accurate paraphrase of the highlighted lines.

Answer:

• (A) The soul chooses its own company and then separates itself from others. (Correct answer)
• (B) The soul selects a leader and then follows their valuable guidance.
• (C) The soul picks its community and then opens its own heart to others.