The desire to belong shapes and informs one’s existence. Whilst a sense of belonging attained through the relationships that we form with people and placet and allows us to feel an enriched sense of fulfilment and acceptance. from an individuals failure to form strong relationships can lead to a limited sense of belonging. relationships cerbates that sense of isolation and exclusion from their society/community. The concepts of both belonging and not belonging are both depicted, this notion is explored in the work of Emily Dickinson - especially in such poems as as “I had been hungry “, “I gave myself to him” and “This is …show more content…
Dickinson scrutinized the inextricable links between orthodoxy, the formation of an individual’s identity and the agonizing paradox of belonging. This can be seen in “I had been hungry” which demonstrates the persona’s desire for acknowledgement and her Asceticism. “I looked in windows for the wealth, I could not hope for mine”, appears to be an anguished cry for inclusion and indicates her envy when looking in at those who have a sense of belonging. though she finally acknowledges that while communion with others is tempting, she would lose too much of her natural self by conforming. The words, “Nor was I hungry, so I found”, reflects her longing to sample the bounty having been satisfied by her lack of hunger, she ironically returns to her solitary subsistence and inured to hard ships. In a similar manner, Dickinson’s “ I gave myself to him” also reveals her thoughts on her sense of belonging. Through the despondency of her words, “Myself a poorer prove”, the use of alliteration stresses a sense of disillusionment and discontent that she does not belong dueperhaps to her inadequacy – or even her paradoxical reluctance to belong.. The enrichment or limitation of the experience of belonging is depicted in the work of Dickinson. Unpack the words of the question to show how Dickinson’s poetry really reflects her