Emotion in Emily Dickinson's “My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun”

Jennifer Marie Martin Mr. Raftery AP English 3- Period 4 Gun or Woman? Bogan posed the question, “Is this an allegory, and if so of what? Is it a cry from some psychic deep where good and evil are not to be separated?” Emily Dickinson’s “My Life had stood- a Loaded Gun” is said to be her most discussed poem due to its inability to be confined to a single meaning. Dickinson is known for her manipulation of female stereotypes and her love for anthropomorphizing things/animals. This has led to countless

My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun by Emily Dickinson Today, few would deny that Emily Dickinson is an important figure in American literature. The numerous ways to interpret her poetry draws more and more readers into her publications. It's as if everyone could interpret Dickinson's poems into his or her personal life; seeing the poems the way they want to see it. This is the effect "flexible" poems have on people. In Dickinson's "My Life Had Stood—A Loaded Gun", I interpreted the

Anderson, Paul W. "The Metaphysical Mirth of Emily Dickinson." Georgia Review 20.1 Spring 1966): 72-83. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 171. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. Anderson accomplishes the discernment of Dickinson’s poems and their allusions to many classic myths. He denotes the figurative language that Dickinson utilizes in her poetry to relate to her themes. With these key elements in

Fight for Agency Emily Dickinson’s poems predominantly portray the confinements placed on married women and illustrate the doubts that come along their role as a “wife”. In many of her poems, the speakers present a strong opinion about the lack of independence and autonomy women receive when they get married. Given the fact that Dickinson was born in the 1830’s, women in that era were consecutively facing massive oppression and were treated lesser than men. Consequentially, the societal norms greatly

The poetry of Emily Dickinson is one of the most recognizable of the 19th century. Dickinson’s poetry stands out because of its unconventional use of capitalization and punctuation. Her poems contain capitalized words which are not normally capitalized. Her poems are noted for the frequent use of the dash. Literary scholars have attempted to interpret Dickinson’s unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Some believe that it was merely part of Dickinson’s penmanship (Weisbuch 73). They therefore

Emily Dickinson is a very famous and accomplished poet with over 1700 published poems. Several of her poems are similar in theme, and also similar in bringing out human emotions that we humans usually try to avoid. The common theme in most of Dickinson 's poems is the wonders of nature, and the identity of self, as well as death and life. The five poems with the common theme of death are: “My Life had Stood- A Loaded Gun”, “I Heard A Fly Buzz- When I Died”, “Behind Me Dips- Eternity”, “Because I

beginning of Emily Dickinson’s poem “754,” the narrator immediately compares her life to a weapon, “My Life had stood -- a Loaded Gun --” (754). Usually, when one thinks of a gun, he or she might think of death instead of love. In most cases, when a person owns or has a possession of a gun, that person might use the gun for protection. A gun is an inanimate object that has the potential or power to take the life of a human. From analyzing the poem “754,” the narrator symbolizes a loaded gun, full of

The Life of Emily Dickinson      Although she lived a seemingly secluded life, Emily Dickinson's many encounters with death influenced many of her poems and letters. Perhaps one of the most ground breaking and inventive poets in American history, Dickinson has become as well known for her bizarre and eccentric life as for her incredible poems and letters. Numbering over 1,700, her poems highlight the many moments in a 19th century New Englander woman's life, including the

The Letters Behind the Locked Box - Emily Dickinson “If I read a book and it makes by whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry” (Emily Dickinson). This effect that Emily is referring to is the impact her writing has on her readers. Her life from beginning to end is one that is a bit mysterious, however it clearly reveals more detail as one becomes more familiar with her writing in accordance with her lifetime. Emily was an amazing poet that was purely honest and

Emily Dickinson Paper Alex Lesnick May 7, 2002 Period 1 Written word is perhaps the most powerful medium that humans have created to express their thoughts. A person can express a myriad of emotions through pen and paper, ranging from hope and happiness to morbid obsessions and anxiety. Written words, unlike spoken words, are for eternity. Once a thought is written down, anyone can read it, interpret it, ponder it, or question it, until it is destroyed. On the other hand, if a thought