We never know how high we are

The king is a symbol in “We never know how high we are.” In the historical context of America and its war against England and King George III, a king represents tyranny and injustice. Thus, it’s logical to “fear to be a King” (Line 8). A person doesn’t want to be a king. People shouldn’t try to free themselves from the twisting cubits because they are supposed to confront restraint — it’s part of the human condition. From this interpretation, the king symbolizes excess and immodesty, while the people warped by the cubits represent commendable humility.

In a second interpretation, the king does not necessarily symbolize the specific ruler of a country, or even someone male and wealthy; it represents someone with ample power and authority in their life. Here, a king symbolizes a person fully in charge. What constrains the average person doesn’t limit a king or another type of exceptional person. They have liberated themselves from the warping measurements of humankind.

In My Emily Dickinson, Susan Howe says that Dickinson’s withdrawal from social life “emancipated her from all representations of calculated human order.” Like a king, Dickinson could create her own customs and rules. In “