Comparing Emily Dickenson's Song To Myself

Those who are esteemed in their profession and view themselves as the best often have the most trouble accepting a new member to their group or profession. They often fear that their skills will be out matched and the newcomer will rise to take their place. This is what occurred with Emily Dickenson when she first entered the world of poetry. Despite the lack of welcoming she received from her peers the American people embraced her poetry and even in modern-day she is regarded as one of the greatest American poets.

Prompt: Write a unified essay in which you relate the imagery of the last stanza to the speaker’s view of himself earlier in the poem and to his view of how others see poets.

Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson shows the connection towards the society, the people and herself. In the poem, the poet portrays herself as a “Nobody” and playfully asks the responder “Who are you?”. Dickinson follows up by adding “Are you nobody too?/Then there is a pair of us!” this helps Dickinson unite with the responder adding the sense of belonging to one another. In the last stanza, the poet shows how oppressive the “somebodies” crowd can be “Don't tell!/They'd advertise - you know?” This also shows the connection that Dickinson has with being a nobody, and the ability to stand out from the crowd. “How dreary to be somebody!” shows how the poet loves to be a nobody, and feels like she belongs. Dickinson frequently uses rhythmic dashes to interrupt the flow, and engage the responder to pause to think and feel about the line. The poet also uses juxtaposition in the line “How public—like a Frog—” These combining elements are not typically considered together, and, thus, more powerfully conveying its meaning. The poem shows that Dickinson is quite content with not connecting with the “somebodies” and that the poet enjoys being an outsider to the rest of the world and feels like she belongs to her own little place.

"How dreary to be somebody... How public...," (Dickinson, stanza 1-2). In the eyes of Emily Dickinson, the writer of the cited quote, the majority of the population embodies the distinct characteristics of what she refers to as a somebody in her poem, "I'm nobody! Who are you?". Somebodies are individuals who when grouped together have few varying characteristics between them. Though somebodies seemingly occupy most of the population, they are countered by what Dickinson calls nobodies. Nobodies are characterized for being solitary and introverted. These people do not need validation and are comfortable as they are. Though the traits that nobodies tend to have can be positively connotated, in today's

Isiah Porter 11/24/15 Essay 3 World Literature Literary Devices in Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.” The opening line is powerful concerning how Walt Whitman feels about himself in the poem, Song of Myself. This is about a comparison concerning two different things. To better understand this text, I will discuss lines that will open your mind to a higher calling of the text concerning how author talks about himself and what he really means.

Such formations of the words by both the poets add to the feeling of flexibility and freedom from the limitations of time and space in their poems. This is the leading trait and similarity of the respective ‘catalogues’ of both “Song of Myself” and “Howl” (Moritz 6). The element of similarity is evident not only in the form but content and style as well (Monforton par. 2).

The poem, ‘I’m nobody, who are you?’ is about one and a half centuries old. Yet, it hits the nerve of our time: The digital 21st century in which everybody is somebody on the World Wide Web. Emily Dickinson, the US poet born in 1830, was what we would now call a loner. She chose few, very close friends during her lifetime which she mainly spend alone, writing poems and letters to near ones. She carefully chose what to share and with whom, confiding her thoughts and feelings mainly to paper. What she wrote has depth and reaches out to millions, still. The “Nobody” in whose perspective her poem is written, reaches out to a possible soul mate, and the reader. “Nobody” is definitely not an insignificant, pitiable person, rather a self-confident one. “Nobody” seems to enjoy the anonymity of not even telling her name.

Emily Dickinson uses imagery to give it more meaning. One example is, “ how dreary being somebody”. When reading that line readers could imagine a nobody almost glaring in discuss at a person who is popular also known as a somebody. Another example of imagery is “Are you a-nobody-too?”, when readers read this you could imagine on the sidelines, two outcast talking to each

The creation of an acceptable persona is essential to Whitman's poetic program. In "Song of Myself" this is

In Success..., Dickinson reflects on the nature of success and how, ironically, it can be best appreciated and understood by those who have not achieved it and have no taste of it. As in "Faith"..., Dickinson powerfully presents her thoughts in a few lines. The poem deals only with one, ironic but universal, idea in its short length. It is the bitterness expressed at this irony (as found it Dickinson's juxtaposition of the words sweetest and sorest, separated by two lines) that is most felt by the reader. While the previous poem expresses the poetess' bitterness and sorrow with one aspect of her life, I'm Nobody! Who Are You? uses humor without irony to address another. In this poem, Dickinson style appears almost child-like in its of descriptions including frogs and bogs, as well as the lively energy expressed by the poem through its use of dashes and brief wording. Dickinson seems to be addressing her spinster, hermit-like existence (I'm Nobody) and her preference to it.

Individuality and nonconformity is the essence of Emily Dickinson’s poem “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” The unconventional syntax of the poem carries the paradox of being nobody from the first sentence to the last.

On this verse, we can see how Whitman tries to connect to mind, body, spirit and nature. In “Song of Myself” Whitman attempted to change the meaning of American poetry. I described identity issues that pertain to him, but that the audience was able to identify with. Whitman, opened the door to

Walt Whitman’s 1892 poem “Song of Myself” is an extensive selection consisting of 52 separate sections expressing Whitman’s different perspectives on different subjects concerning things such as his own inner personality, nature and the human perspective. Each, as expected, helps to reveal a part of Whitman’s psyche. In the case of Section 6 of “Song of Myself”, Whitman talks at length about the most worldly of the Earth’s creations, grass. Grass is used as a metaphor for many things throughout the section, from life to death to equality and, most importantly, the presence of the unknown, which connects back to the previous themes mentioned. Whitman establishes the theme of the unknown through his primary subject matter, thoughtful use of diction and his poetic form. Whitman helped to show what questioning and marveling at the world could do to help better an individual as they journey through the confusion that is human existence.

Song of myself #1, question 1: Within the first line of the poem the individual speaks of themselves, saying they are proud of themselves and celebrate themselves, but then brings in others in line two and says they shall see them as they do. They individualize themselves by using words such as “I, Me, My” and then bringing in all others with the use of “you”. They state every atom belonging to them belongs to everyone else when using an indirect you. Song of myself #52, question 1:

Song of Myself by Walt Whitman. In this poem, the speaker Walt Whitman talks about his connection to nature and how everything is connected to nature. He speaks as if what he says is a new or unheard language. Mr. Whitman believe that he is not tamed from himself and that he has transcended the notion. By that he means he have created a new language that is foreign to others since they have never heard of it. Around this time many poets were becoming more expressive and open. Walt Whitman motivated many artists that would have been considered “weird” during the time to become more open.