Comparison Of Individuality Among Works Of Dickinson And Frost

Comparison of Individuality Among Works of Dickinson and Frost The idea of self-individuality is comparable throughout Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I’m Nobody! Who are You?” and Robert Frost’s, “The Road Not Taken” and it also relates to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s article, “Self-Reliance”. The definition of self is expressed between the two poets with both similarities and differences, but seem to have a different point of view in each case. Each poet focuses on individuality and self-reliance and how a person can make themselves stand out in society or simply go with the flow. Some choose to be boisterous within their society, while others prefer to sit back and take in the environment around them. Both Robert Frost and Emily Dickenson are describing in their poems the idea of being alone. Frost fits into Dickinson’s metaphor concerning the frog. “How public-like a Frog” (line 6) is a strange metaphor that is used by Dickinson. Frogs are known to croak and make their presence evident, which ties into what Frost was saying, in the fact that there are “somebodies” and “nobodies”, but the somebodies make themselves heard. Frost can take something small and uncared for and talks about it in a
way that seems important, even though it would not considered so in the eyes of a regular Joe . He is not looking for people to listen to what he has to say, but it does make him feel better just to be making noise, just like a frog would. Frost says, “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence.” In this sense, Frost embodies the frog by which he will tell others of his seemingly unimportant decision. Another similarity between the two poems would be the line “a pair of us” (Dickinson line 3) and “two roads diverged” (Frost line 1), which discusses the theme of “two”. Dickinson has a pair of nobodies, while Frost has two divided roads in which he must pick only one to travel down. The meaning that Dickinson gives to her quote “pair of us” explains how it would be better to be a nobody, than a somebody who must make their presence known. The differences between the two writers mainly focus on their personal behavior and their attitudes. Dickinson is genuinely a confident woman, who would not think twice about any idea that comes to mind. She shows concern for other people and provides guidance to those who are putting effort into figuring out who they were meant to be. Where she is in life, is where she is the happiest, because she does not look forward to what is next, instead she looks to enjoy the now. Dickinson asks the question at the beginning of her poem, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”, (line 1) like it is special to be a nobody. It is like she is wondering if there people out there who are similar to her. She would be proud to know if there were more nobodies like her. Frost, on the other hand, has a completely different mindset. He is constantly skeptic of his own decisions, always second guessing whether or not his previous actions have a positive outcome. He shows a selfish side as he writes about his own journeys and how they affect him. He has minute feelings for other people, and shows little to no care for the needs of the people around him. He is just as caring as he is grateful. Though it is not bad to look towards the future, he continuously misses out on what he has while he is looking for bigger and better things. Also, he prefers to the only of his kind, meaning he would rather be alone and a somebody than have friends and be a nobody.
The idea of Self Reliance is exhibited by Dickinson when she is delighted with herself, not wishing to change anything about herself, but to remain in the same place of her life, almost like a stone. In Shira Wolosky’s article about Emerson’s, A Critique of American Identity, Dickinson’s writes about the concern of autonomy and individualism, saying that “this self stands in utter isolation” (2). The idea that Dickinson stands in isolation is true with the reasoning that she is content where she is in life and has to want to change that. The more comfortable she gets the more stone like she becomes, unlike Frost who is constantly in motion moving on to a new surrounding and atmosphere. Similarly, Ralph Waldo Emerson has the same outlook on self and individuality as both Dickenson and Frost.
His beliefs relate to Frost and Dickinson’s beliefs in the sense that he focuses on the necessity of depending on himself for future knowledge and direction. He talks about the importance of self-reliance, the importance of it towards an individual, and self-reliance and society. People look at self-reliance as something that controls them. Some fall into the mold of conformity in society and lose their self dependence. “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string… providence has found for you”, (Emerson 2) explains how everyone has a destined path, but it is up to them to find it and make it their own. Follow not into the conformity of everyone else’s
footsteps. Individuality is expressed in similar but also in conflicting opinions from the writers Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost with relation to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s article. Dickinson is all about being stable and having no desire to change herself, but to help others in need. Frost is always doubting himself, leaving him to be uneasy about his decisions and always thinking back on what could’ve happened instead of what did happen. He has his focus set on what is to come in the future, whereas, Dickinson is in no rush to move ahead of the moment but chooses to enjoy the time and atmosphere she has around her. Emerson focuses not only on the importance of self-reliance, but also the various modes of dependence and how conformity contributes to the society. All together, the writers main focus is on deciding who they are as a person, making importance decisions, and depending on their self-reliance.