Question

in \some keep the sabbath going to church,\ why does the speaker say that she has \an orchard, for a dome\ in the first stanza?

she is suggesting that she has made her house into a church.
she is suggesting that one can appreciate god only through nature.
she is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church.
she is suggesting that only she is able to view the natural world as sacred.

Explanation:

Analyze the poem's first stanza

In Emily Dickinson's poem "Some keep the Sabbath going to Church," the first stanza reads:
"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church –
I keep it, staying at Home –
With a Bobolink for a Chorister –
And an Orchard, for a Dome –"

Here, the speaker contrasts traditional churchgoing with her own personal way of worshiping at home. She replaces elements of a physical church building and service with elements of nature: a bobolink (a songbird) serves as her choir singer, and an orchard serves as her church dome.

Evaluate the symbolic substitutions

Using Emily Dickinson Poetry analysis, we examine how the speaker substitutes natural elements for religious structures. By stating she has "an Orchard, for a Dome," she is comparing the natural canopy of the orchard trees to the architectural dome of a cathedral. This suggests that the natural world can serve the same spiritual purpose as a physical church building.

Assess the multiple-choice options

Let's evaluate each option based on our Poetic Tone Analysis:

• Option 1: "She is suggesting that she has made her house into a church." Incorrect. She is staying at home, but the specific metaphor of the "Orchard, for a Dome" refers to the outdoor natural space, not the interior of her house.
• Option 2: "She is suggesting that one can appreciate God only through nature." Incorrect. The word "only" is too restrictive and dogmatic; she acknowledges that "Some keep the Sabbath going to Church," showing multiple paths exist.
• Option 3: "She is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church." Correct. By replacing church features with natural ones (bobolink for chorister, orchard for dome), she shows nature fulfills the same spiritual role.
• Option 4: "She is suggesting that only she is able to view the natural world as sacred." Incorrect. There is no claim of exclusive spiritual superiority or unique ability.

Answer:

• She is suggesting that she has made her house into a church.
• She is suggesting that one can appreciate God only through nature.
• She is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church. (Correct answer)
• She is suggesting that only she is able to view the natural world as sacred.