Question

In "I'll Tell You How the Sun Rose," why does Emily Dickinson write that the church steeples "swam in Amethyst"?

a. She wants to suggest the importance of the church steeples.
b. She wants to remind readers of the importance of religion.
c. She wants to show that the church steeples represent wealth.
d. She wants to capture how the sunlight makes the church steeples look.

Answer 1

Since I believe Emily Dickinson wasn't really religious, I would say that she writes that the church steeples "swam in Amethyst" to show that the church steeples represent wealth. Amethyst is green, just like money, so maybe she wanted to portray wealth in this way.