How we cite our quotes: (line)
Quote #4
As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear, (lines 12-14)
Dickinson's poems are saturated with religious language and symbols – the "Heavens" in this line is an example. But she often uses them in very unconventional ways that don't fit with any normal ideas of Christian theology. She sounds more philosophical than religious in these lines.
Quote #5
Wrecked, solitary, here– (line 16)
If you wanted to read the poem from a perspective sympathetic to religion, you could say that the speaker is very hard to please. She wasn't happy with all the mourners at the service or with the ringing of the bell – examples of religious community. But now she is abandoned and alone and isn't happy about that, either. She resists both community and solitude.