Emily Dickinson Diction

Emily Dickinson was an American poet born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst Massachusetts. It was only upon her death on May 15, 1886 that her family discovered thousands of her poems. One of her most prolific piece of work is “Because I could not stop for death” published in 1860 the poem uses personification, symbols and metaphors to highlight her concern and point of view on death as well as life. In the poem, Dickinson speaks about death in a blithe way setting the overall tone in a calm manner. The poem uses imagery and her ironic tone to give the message that death should not be feared, but instead one should make the best out of life.

“I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson reveals the invaluable aspect of remaining a “Nobody”—a person of little fame and stature. The poem examines the short monologue of a speaker as he or she confides with another “Nobody” and pities the life of a “Somebody”—a person with fame. The speaker finds the life of the famous boring; he or she finds being unrecognized much more comforting. This can be seen through the author’s varying tones in the first and second stanza: the first being more secretive, and the second being more pitiful. The secretive tone is present in the line “Don’t tell!” and brings about a sense of excitement as the speaker remains out of the public’s eye. In contrast to the excitement, the second stanza reveals the speaker’s viewpoint of the life of the recognized: it is mundane and “dreary” (Dickinson 838). The distinct contrast between the secretive tone and the mundane tone reveals why the speaker has a fondness towards being a “Nobody”: the life of a “Nobody” is—ironically—more exciting than the life of a “Somebody.” Another use of irony in “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” is the companionship found within being unrecognized versus the loneliness created from being famous. The speaker finds another “Nobody” to share his or her opinions with, stating that “there’s a pair of [them]” while being “Somebody” results in being a frog alone talking to an “admiring Bog” (Dickinson 838). The significance in this irony is that the speaker identifies the

Sleep deprivation, vexation, feeling exasperated and a bit depressed; unfortunately, I feel every one of those today. Plans for Wednesday have changed for several reasons, each one respectively, due to either mum, Alexis, and myself; mine being a large monetary setback at USC this morning. In feelings and changes, I will work off the hours as I can this week, and try to have it finished by April. I would hate for a situation to arise, or yet another situation to arise rather, to come up, and still be jerking-off with this. With the blue-shifted deadline for those hours becoming bluer still, may be best to bite, swallow, and shit the bitter bullet and be done with it. Oh dear, proper British lady has crashed.

“I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean” (Socrates). What does it mean to be this type of poet? How can someone accomplish such success in poetry, the answer is just two words Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson spent a large portion of her life in isolation, not because she was forced to or because she was ill, Dickinson simply wanted to be alone and because of her isolation she became one of the greatest female poets of all time. Emily Dickinson set the bar high for other female poets and created some of the most renowned poems in the world. The two poems “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” and “Tell all the Truth but Tell it Slant” are drastically different poems that tell two different stories, but there are some aspects that cause them to be similar: Imagery, tone, and the statement that the two poems make.

Throughout the poem, Dickinson employs repetition to show the cyclical experiences of the soul, hence to create an observant tone. At the beginning of the poem, the soul is going through her first stage of her cycle of experiences. The speaker refers to one of the three stages of the soul’s cycle when they voice, “The soul has bandaged moments” (Dickinson 1). The use of “moments” indicates there are multiple times where the soul experiences a distinct change in how certain events or actions are assessed, as well how the events or actions affect the soul, such as the soul feeling fearful during her bandaged moments. Therefore, the cyclical experiences of the soul expressed using repetition play into the observant tone of the poem, which is lengthened

"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

Looking back 100 years, it seems as if humans lived in a different world with different fashions, different values, and different thoughts. Go back another 100 years, and the world seems to become even more alien and strange. However, there are things that have tied humanity in a single thread throughout time; these are the things Emily Dickinson explored during her lifetime. She was an American poet born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father was a wealthy lawyer, and her mother a housewife.

The late psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross said: “The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.” This inspirational quote suggests that adversity provides people with new opportunities and can drive people to improve their life. Adversity comes in numerous forms, such as emotional, physical, and financial. Individuals have a choice to learn from adversity or allow it to break their character. However, certain types of adversity, such as severe chronic conditions or diseases, do little to improve character and the human condition. Thus, all types of adversity, pain, and suffering are not beneficial, however, most work to improve an

“Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.” – Percy Shelley, an English poet (brainyquote.org). If anyone can make the distorted subject of death beautiful, it is Emily Dickinson. One of America’s greatest poets of all time, Dickinson makes depressing topics into works of art. Her poem “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died” is one of Dickinson’s many poems that embraces the topic of death.

Stanza one explains how Dickinson used the words to express about how it’s going to be a wild night. (maybe referring to partying) To have this night to shine to make it special almost like a treat. Saying “thee” Dickison might have been referring to people but she could have referred it to the wild night. She also used the word luxury in the context that means it probably doesn’t happen very often so it will most likely make it really special. Stanza two explains by the capitalization of her words. I really enjoyed really this stanza. It really stands out to me. The world “futile” it means pointless. “Heart” trying to highlight these words because this night should be wild and fun. It should be a free night, no specific plans just be a open

Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous American poets. She wrote many poems throughout her lifetime, but it was not until after her death that she became famous. She wrote about death and life, love and separation, and God. She wrote about topics like these because she was inspired by the experiences in her life. Throughout her life, she dealt with problems that caused her to seclude herself, wear only a while dress, and write poems. Many have questioned what caused her seclusion? What happened that was so devastating to make her want to be alone all the time? Why did she always wear white?

Much madness is divinest sense to a discerning eye.” Emily Dickinson’s great poem, “Much Madness is Divinest,” expresses the true rebellious persona that Dickinson was from within and the sense of frustration she had at being a very intelligent woman living during a time where men were the much dominant. The poet uses this poem to reflect the anger she felt (although she was said to be very reserved and quiet spoken) towards the society she lived in. When it came to putting down her feelings on paper, Dickinson did not hold back. In her work Dickinson utilizes the concept of slant rhyme, a wide ranged use of diction, and tone setting to give us her thoughts in concern to the society that she much resented.

In her poem “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” Dickinson cleverly satirizes the public sphere, public officials who try to establish their own self-importance through popularity, and the masses who grant them popularity. In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker declares himself of herself as “Nobody,” declaring that he or she functions outside of the public sphere. This idea is consistent with Dickinson’s famed reclusiveness—ironically, her fame for being un-famous during her time.

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 and watch life from the back of the room. Content to watch 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 Dickenson was a recluse. This work is excitedly unemotional while imparting wisdom. Dickinson's poem playfully speaks of human's social fears through voice, conventional symbols, and stanza.

Emily Dickinson was one of the many famous American poets whose work was published in the 19th century. Her writing style was seen as unconventional due to her use of “dashes and syntactical fragments”(81), which was later edited out by her original publishers. These fragmented statements and dashes were added to give emphasis to certain lines and subjects to get her point across. Even though Emily Dickinson was thought to be a recluse, she wrote descriptive, moving poems on death, religion, and love. Her poems continue to create gripping discussions among scholars on the meaning behind her poems.