21 Pain Has an Element of Blank by Emily Dickinson

One barrier to self-forgetfulness is the near-constant intrusion of the body, with its needs, limitations, and unceasing sensations. In this brief poem, Emily Dickinson considers the most overwhelming of all bodily experiences: pain. – Leon Kass

Pain Has an Element of Blank

Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it began, or if there was
A time when it was not.
It has no future but itself,
Its infinite realms contain
Its past, enlightened to perceive
New periods of pain.

Consider this:

1. On YouTube (or Vimeo or similar), find a piece of music that you listen to often, and share (or play) the link with your post with a short description of why you chose that particular piece of music, and the emotion that it represents.
2. What is “the element of blank”? What is wiped out or conceded?
3. In addition, discuss the value of an education that includes a liberal arts foundation. How does this make a more complete scholar and person?

This poem is in the public domain and is made available in this course under the educational purposes guidelines of fair use.