Emily Dickinson: I'm Nobody! Who are you?
I'm Nobody! Who are you? by Emily Dickinson reminds me of the song, "You belong with me" by Taylor Swift. These two works speak of the author being behind the scenes in life. The writers are unnoticed by society. They watch life from the back of the room, content to observe life play out for others, without the inconvenience of social rules and etiquette. Swift proudly sings "She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers" (Swift). Dickinson and Swift, in reality, are nothing alike. Swift is a brash famous woman, while Dickinson was a recluse. Dickinson's poem playfully speaks of human's social fears through voice, conventional symbols, and stanza.
Dickinson's poem is a lighthearted cheery nod to her own life and social anxieties. This work is excitedly unemotional while imparting wisdom. These anxieties began after attending only one year of higher education at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Upon returning home, Dickinson was annoyed with the heavy social traffic in her home and retreated from society, the writers for Poetry Foundation note "due to poor health" ("Emily Dickinson"). These anxieties did not hamper Dickinson's voice in poetic verse. She seems in awe that "there's a pair of us!"(766), thinking she alone had these issues. "The there is a pair of us!" (766) Dickinson exclaims, excited to find that other people find comfort in her words and consequently the fact that they are not alone. The etiquette of the 1850's