Question

Read the quotation from "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church."

And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton – sings.
What is the most likely reason for the poet to oppose the phrases “tolling the Bell” and “sings” in these lines?
The poet is expressing her belief that the second, more natural option is far more desirable than the first option.
The poet is hinting that religious worship should be considered a gloomy and serious activity.
The poet is suggesting that those who worship in nature are more formal than those who worship in church.
The poet is contrasting her attitude about religion with her feelings about the natural world, which remains largely unappreciated.

Answer 1

The first option. Dickinson contrasts the church’s formal ritual (“tolling the Bell”) with the natural, personal “sings” of the bird (her “little Sexton”) to show she prefers the natural, intimate form of worship to the institutional, ceremonial one.