Emily Dickinson

Portraits Are to Daily Faces

poem 170

Portraits Are to Daily Faces - meaning Summary

Portraits Vs Daily Faces

Dickinson contrasts lived, ordinary faces with the stylized, dressed-up image of a portrait. Using a brief simile, she suggests that portraits add an artificial polish and ceremony to everyday appearance—like a showy sunset making plain sunshine seem overly ornate. The poem points to how representation can beautify yet distance or affect the genuine, familiar presence of a person.

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Portraits are to daily faces As an Evening West, To a fine, pedantic sunshine In a satin Vest!

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