Belonging In Emily Dickinson's Poetry

To an extent, an individual’s’ level of belonging is dependent on conforming to society’s standards, resulting in lack of individuality but an individual can also find comfort with nature. Emily Dickinson explores the notion of not belonging in her poem, “I gave myself to him”, where she comments on the reality of marriage in the 1830’s and the effect of the patriarchal society to a persona’s marriage. Her other poem, “A narrow fellow in the grass” on the other hand, examines one’s ability to belong to an environment. Both texts, analyse the concept of belonging/ not belonging through the use of effective literary techniques.

Marriage in the 1830’s was where women felt like they had to married to conform to society but this has its consequences. The opening line, “I gave myself to him” provides the reader an image of slavery. The persona is giving herself to her husband in the sense of her hand in marriage but it also emphasises how she
In Dickinson’s, “A narrow fellow in the grass”, “narrow fellow” refers to a snake, a biblical allusion to Adam and Eve and how the manipulative snake was a catalyst to the downfall of mankind. Although the snake has negative connotations, ‘fellow’ is a very colloquial and casual term exemplifying how the persona is not scared of her surroundings. The repetition of the personal pronoun “his”, provides the reader an inclusive and intimate tone, conveying that the setting is recognisable and familiar. Dickinson highlights how she knows her surroundings and thus finds a sense of communion with nature. As she walks through the grass, “and then it{grass} closes at your feet, and opens further on” reiterating how the grass accepts her in as she steps on the ground. The anaphora of ‘and’ at the beginning of the lines give the audience a sense of calmness as the polysyndeton give a lullaby feel. Evidently, Dickinson reveals how individuals can belong and feel content with