Emily Dickinson's poem “Tell the Whole Truth but Tell It Slanted” speaks to the universal idea of ​​truth and of the notion that the truth should be revealed gradually. The language, however, is vague and deconstructed in several ways. The lack of punctuation, blurred line structures, and emphasis on the logocentric idea of ​​truth all create a confusion of meaning. The language is ambiguous and the words conflict. The multiple meanings of particular lines make it impossible to discover any “absolute truth.” Using the hypotheses of transcendental signified, logcentrism and binary oppositions, these deconstructive elements are easily recognized. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayAccording to Deconstruction, the language of this poem is undermined from the first line. The transcendental meaning exposed in this poem is that of truth. Truth is presented as an idea that must be approached carefully and strategically. However, as it is a very abstract term, several readings are possible. Truth can refer to an ultimate truth or simply to honesty. If there is an ultimate truth, then it has the capacity to serve as the center of all thought and reason. This idea, according to Derrida, although erroneous, is impossible to avoid completely (Bressler, 121). The fact that the word truth is capitalized in this poem also reinforces the idea of ​​a universal truth. If this poem were to presuppose that there is an ultimate truth, then the rest of the poem would center on that same idea, leading to logocentrism. The word Truth can also function as a logocentric term, but because the text is so vague as to the actual meaning of the word that reason would fit better into this category. Even if the reason is never directly mentioned in this extract, it exists in the argument presented. The author believes that the truth should not be fully revealed at any time. Rather, the truth should be presented in fragments in order to ease the minds of the consequences of knowing the full truth. Perhaps the text assumes that people cannot handle complete honesty or that the truth giver is too cowardly to be completely honest. The author's intention is unknowable and thus creates problems for the reader seeking to benefit from the reasoning. The poem is also vague regarding the correlation between pleasure and the “superb surprise” of truth (Dickinson, 4-5). Without proper punctuation, success can be either “too bright” or simply “too bright for our enjoyment” (Dickinson, 4). This question is linked to the question of the meaning of the line “The superb surprise of the truth” (Dickinson 4). This surprise could be expressed in the thought "for our crippled pleasure / the superb surprise of the truth", if in fact success is too brilliant for pleasure, or if it may be an implicit and personal pleasure (Dickinson 3-4). The text is unclear as to whether it has any of these meanings. Truth as the intended center is thus decentered, lacking clarity. Moreover, because of the subversion of these lines, according to Derrida, truth turns out to be a defective “center” of thought. Binary oppositions exist, including that of true/false. The idea of ​​truth is understood because it is the absence of lies; however, the poem states that the truth must be told "at an angle" (Dickinson, 1), or "must gradually dazzle" (Dickinson, 7). Truth, at its core, suggests the absence of lies. However, bias implies the need to hide a_14241>.