What Soft — Cherubic Creatures

Dickinson’s poem is a lyric poem because it’s short and expresses the personal opinions of the poet through her speaker. The poem is also parabolic because the story about the upper-class women teaches the reader a lesson about religion and humanity.

Initially, the speaker doesn’t express their disapproval of the upper-class women, but their tone is satirical within the opening metaphor: “What Soft—Cherubic Creatures / These Gentlewomen are” (Lines 1-2). The speaker is playing with sexist ideals that present women as submissive, innocent symbols of virtue.

The speaker’s satirical tone continues as they juxtapose the gentlewomen with plush and stars to demonstrate their softness and ethereal status in the world: “One would as soon as assault a Plush— / Or violate a Star” (Lines 3-4). Plush fabric is luxurious and soft, and a star, similar to an angel, carries a heavenly, idealist connotation. The speaker creates a hierarchy in which the gentlewomen outrank mystical stars and lavish fabric, to the point that one would harm one of these items rather than a gentlewoman.

The speaker’s tone grows confrontational when they refer to the gentlewomen’s “Dimity Convictions” (Line 5).