"Much Madness is divinest Sense" by: Emily Dickinson

When I first read this poem, I was extremely confused (as is the case with ALL Emily Dickinson poems). Now, I realize that this poem contains multiple paradoxes. One that the speaker uses is "much madness is divinest sense." Here, the speaker is saying that in order to be sane, one must be mad. They must go against what the majority thinks and think for himself in order to be sane. This paradox functions to show the difference between what the speaker thinks and what society thinks. The speaker is telling the reader that in order to be sane, they need to go against the norm and think for himself. I agree with the speaker because if a person always follows society and the majority, they will never be able to think for himself.