Okay, we admit it: as a rule, it's not a good idea to take the poet's biographical information and use it to interpret a poem. We know that Dickinson was a devout Christian—that her upbringing, education, and personal beliefs were all Christianity-infused, but that doesn't give us the right to assume there's anything religious going on in "Tell All the Truth But Tell it Slant." What does give us the right, though, is the evidence in the actual poem. We've been reading poems for just about… ever, and when we see all that light, and truth, and frailty of the human race, we start thinking about religion, particularly in the Christian tradition. The proof is in the pudding (or, in this case, the poem).
Questions About Religion
- Why do you think Dickinson would explore truth and God in the same poem? What do they have in common?
- In this poem, what relationship do you think light or brightness has to God?
- While it's likely this poem has hints of Christian influence, are there any other religions that would work just as well?
- If so, what are they and how would they fit?
Chew on This
Truth is just a code word for God in this poem. Whenever Dickinson writes about truth, she is really talking about God. Now program that into your decoder ring.
Nope—our bad. The Shmoop team has overstepped their interpretation bounds. Dickinson's talking about truth in this poem, and that has nothing to do with God.