To discuss an Emily Dickinson poem relating to suffering.

OVERVIEW

GROUP PRESENTATION

Have someone in your group briefly discuss Emily Dickinson and her possible relevance to readers today. Read the following poem:

That God cannot

Be understood

Everyone agrees.

We do not know

His motives nor

Comprehend his

Deeds.

Then why should I

Seek solace in

What I cannot

Know?

Better to play

In winter’s sun

Than to fear the

Snow.

GROUP DISCUSSION

• What do you like or dislike about this poem?
• What does it mean: "Better to play in winter’s sun than to fear the snow."?
• What songs, movies, or literature express the same opinion? Is it a popular conception in American society...MTV and the media? Is there a logic to the reasoning in this poem?
• Do you have any friends who are thinking this same way? Do you affirm their reasoning or offer another idea about human response to this life’s suffering?
• Do you know the difference between atheism, agnosticism, and transcendentalism? Which do you think best describes Emily Dickinson?
• What might Jesus say to Emily Dickinson if he found her very sad one evening?

WRAP-UP

Discuss doubt or suffering in your own life.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

The best way to evaluate and follow-up such a session is probably by talking with several young people about this session personally over the next couple of weeks.

Dean Borgman cCYS