Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Emily Dickinson's "The Drop, that wrestles in the Sea," a relatively short yet deeply introspective poem, the speaker embarks on a journey of self-realization and humility through a metaphor of a water droplet struggling in the vast ocean. The poem's rhyme scheme is AAB CCB DDB. The rhyme scheme subtly underscores the thematic tension between individuality and universality explored in the poem. While each stanza forms a unified thought, the presence of the differing line signals that something is not entirely in sync, mirroring the drop's (and by extension, humanity's) existential struggle to find its place in a much larger scheme..

At the outset, Dickinson uses the imagery of a "Drop" wrestling "in the Sea" to contemplate the relationship between the individual and the universe. This single drop forgets its "own locality," much like the speaker who forgets herself in the grander context of her relationship with "Thee," presumably a divine entity or ultimate truth. The imagery of the sea and the drop subtly invokes the idea of the sublime, where one confronts the immensity and grandeur of nature, often evoking feelings of awe and insignificance.

The second stanza delves into the drop's self-awareness. Despite being a "small" part of the whole, the droplet still questions the larger scheme of things. It "sighs" when contemplating that "All - is All," a phrase that encapsulates the essence of universal oneness or totality. The question "How larger - be?" reflects the droplet's - and by extension, the human's - yearning to comprehend its place in the grand design. The em dash after "small" emphasizes the weight of the droplet's pondering, despite its diminutive size.

The third stanza brings in the "Ocean" as a conscious entity, which "smiles - at her Conceit." The ocean, representing a greater cosmic or divine power, finds the droplet's contemplations amusing. The droplet forgets "Amphitrite," a sea goddess in ancient Greek mythology, in her self-centered questioning, symbolizing how humans often forget the divine or cosmic forces around them. The poem concludes with the droplet's plea - "Me?" - which encapsulates the quintessential human experience of grappling with existential questions, all the while yearning for individual significance.

"The Drop, that wrestles in the Sea" functions as a miniature existential drama. It illustrates how an individual's quest for understanding and significance is both dwarfed and illuminated by the surrounding cosmic immensity. Yet, it is precisely in acknowledging our smallness that we begin to approach larger, perhaps even divine, truths.