There's A Certain Slant Of Light

The poem opens with the unknown speaker remarking on a ray of light they see. Their casual observation reflects the informal and personal nature of this poem. The short fragments suggest the speaker’s mind is wandering from topic to topic as they make connections, though those connections are not always clear to the reader. The first connection is clearer than others in the poem. The quality of the light makes the speaker comment that it is a winter afternoon, suggesting the light is not the strong, warm light of summer days. The harder break of a dash rather than a comma reflects the surprise of the next line. Rather than freeing or enlightening the speaker, the light “oppresses” (Line 3) the speaker. The speaker then compares this oppression to the “Heft / Of Cathedral Tunes” (Lines 3-4). While this image suggests the oppression has weight, the choice of the word “heft” also suggests an upward motion and an importance that the word “weight” does not.

The lack of full end stops, such as periods, makes grouping these lines into cohesive ideas challenging. This makes it difficult to be sure what pronouns like “it” are referring to.