Each of these poems are grappling with the idea of loss and isolation. The isolation, rather than being crippling, is instead uplifting and motivating. It allow the speaker’s a chance to grow from their loss, and in that growth, fight back and resist the perpetrated wrongs. By recognizing what has happened…
In order to illustrate the benefits of the “practice of the art of solitude,” Anne Morrow Lindbergh uses a variety of passionate diction, such as “quality,” “incredibly precious,” “richer,” “vivid,” “whole,” and “complete.” These words clearly demonstrate how embracing solitude generates one into a completely different person, as it paves way for a pure and replenished soul. Not only that, but solitude also makes one’s life more meaningful and mellifluous. Furthermore, through the employment of depressing figurative language, Lindbergh asserts that “Parting is inevitably painful, even for a short time. It is like an amputation, I feel” (36). Through the usage of this simile, it illuminates that even though separating oneself from his/her loved ones can be extremely agonizing, “…there is a quality…that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before” (36). By stating this quote, she declares that seeking solitude pays off in the end when taken necessary risks, to form a purposeful life. Lastly, Lindbergh’s application of deceptive syntax, such as dashes in between sentences and a plethora of commas, introduces new ideas and creates pauses to show calmness, implying that solitude mollifies our inner soul. With these rhetorical strategies, Anne Morrow Lindbergh transfers passion to the reader, thus allowing him/her to experience the nature of being…
Agrawal, Abha. Emily Dickinson, Search for Self. New Delhi: Young Asia Publications, 1977. N. Pag. Print.…
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 and died on May 15, 1886, she was born and died in the same house and it was called the Homestead. The Homestead was located in Amherst, Massachusetts. Dickinson was a well-known, great American poet during her time. Growing up Dickinson had very good education she studied at Amherst Academy for seven years of her youth and then proceeded on to attend Mount Holyoke College. Over a time period of 30 years she wrote and revised almost all the 1800s poems that have been passed down to us today, she did this all at a small desk in her bedroom. She would go to her room and write in the afternoon after she finished her household chores which were cooking, baking, gardening, and cleaning. She would started writing in the afternoon…
A. Trimeter and tetrameter iambic lines, four stresses in the first and third lines of each stanza, three in the second and fourth lines. A rhythmic insertion of the long dash to interrupt the meter; and an ABCB rhyme scheme.…
The first stanza opens with a rhetorical statement which compels the reader to anticipate the subject. Its exclamatory finality suggests the persona’s overwhelming response to a potentially metaphysical question. The use of the word ‘pervades’ subsequent to the word ‘mystery’ combine to create an ominous spectral tone. The persona’s sense of belonging is discrepant as reflected by the expansion and contraction of paradoxical subjects present in the latter of the stanza; a typical feature of Emily Dickinson poetry. ‘Neighbour’ is symbolic for connections, however is generalised in the expansion of its context when it is distantly addressed as belonging (‘from’) to ‘another world’. Enjambment escorts the contraction of this idea by its enervation into the confines of a ‘jar’. Contrastingly, a strong rhythm and alternating tetrameter rhyme are present, which inject a harmonious continuation.…
Michael Salvucci Mrs. Comeau English 10 Honors Death, Pain, and the Pursuit of Peace Although Emily Dickinson’s poetry is profoundly insightful, her poems have a very confinedpan of subjects and themes. Most likely due to her early life and social reclusion, Dickinson’s poetry is limited to three major subjects: death, pain, and on a somewhat lighter note, nature. Dickinson’s poetry is greatly influenced by her early life as she led an extremely secluded and pessimisticlife. In her early adult years the poet spent one year studying at female seminary, from 1847 to 1848. Dickinson’s blunt pessimistic attitude is shown in a letter, written to a friend, as she says “I am not happy…Christ is calling everyone here, all my companions have answered, and I am standing alone in rebellion.” (Meltzer 20-21) The poets self-described rebellious manner can be acclaimed to her residence featuring many politically active and dominant men, as her brother, father and grandfather were all attorneys with interest in politics. Again in a letter to a friend written during a political convention, Dickinson wonders “why can’t [she] be a delegate in the convention?” as she says “[she] knows all about the tariff and the law.” (Sewall 64-65) She recognizes the gender barrier in society and as a result Dickinson develops a unique style of poetry. Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality. (Lines 1-4) The speaker’s use of the word ‘kindly’ to describe death exemplifies his civil and considerate manner, but is his courteous character an illusion? Later in the poem the speaker writes: We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put away My labor, and my leisure too, For his civility. (4-8) Because of death’s kindness in stopping for the speaker, she “put[s] away / [her] labor, and [her] leisure too,” (5-6), is death being true in taking her to heaven, or is he betraying her? There interposed a fly (9-12)…
The human desire for belonging can be nurtured or inhibited by an individual’s society. In her poem, “this is my letter to the world,” Dickinson not only reveals her desire to belong, but also the way that society has prevented her from achieving this. Dickinson accomplishes this effectively as she reflects her feelings through a “letter to the world.” Dickinson attempts to internalise the views of her society and, upon failing to do so, retreats further within herself where she finds a sense of belonging. The line “The simple news that Nature told, with tender majesty,” demonstrates Dickinson’s reverence for nature and the hope that people will be able to hear her message through it, which is personified as the mediator between Dickinson and her society. Within this poem, it is clear that Dickinson has a closer affinity to nature than she does with society. It is through nature that she is able to gain a sense of belonging, which is fundamental for human growth and development. Dickinson's messages are complex and profound but usually conveyed in simple language, which tends to create an enigmatic effect. In this poem, Dickinson uses metonymy to represent her society as “hands I cannot see.” This demonstrates her alienation with society and her need to simplify them into something she is able to comprehend. The last line makes a final appeal to the…
How strange that when inside a scenario very similar to the one she mourns for in “Contrasts”, Dickinson seems just as miserable. Therefore, one might conclude that her reclusive lifestyle was both her own private heaven and hell. She seems to crave joy and yet chooses to be melancholy. The choice of the word “abstinence” in the first poem seems to imply that she somewhat consciously denies herself the guilty pleasure of happiness, perhaps feeling it sinful to enjoy life when others, like the soldiers she mentions, are suffering. The words “stimulate” and “spices” contrast with her favor of the bland. This is similar to the juxtaposition of the warmth of the scene inside the open door to her lost plight outside in the second poem. Within the two descriptions of diametrically different experiences, both of which are encounters with others, one can simultaneously feel the heartache of Dickinson’s loneliness as well as her overwhelming desire to seek comfort in…
Dickinson’s I Dwell in Possibility is one great example of how the poet transforms finite to infinite through the imaginative world of poetry. Through the use of metaphors, Dickinson has shown how domestic images such as house, chambers, roof, doors and windows can be extended to infinite imaginations in the poetic world. The “fairer House” (line 2) serves as a metaphor for poetry and the “Visitors” (line 9) who are the fairest may be a metaphor for the readers of poetry. The first four lines compare poem and prose by saying poem is more “superior” (line 4) as it has more “windows” and “doors”—suggesting that poems are subject to more flexible interpretations. The second stanza talks of how this fairer house can be extended to nature such as “Cedars” (line 5) and “the Sky” (line 8). The final stanza reveals writing poems as the speaker’s “Occupation” (line 10). She opens the world of poetry by the “widening” of her “narrow hands”, which serves as a metaphor for the act of writing. “Wide” and “narrow” form a pair of contrast while the repetition of fairness (fairer and fairest are used in the first and last stanza respectively) reiterates that poem is fairer than prose. Dickinson has portrayed the infinite possibilities of poetry through the use of domestic imagery: from the roof of the house to the infinite sky and from the finite hands to the “Paradise” of poetry. This echoes what Wordsworth claims,…
A sense of belonging can be developed from one’s choice to cease interaction with their world, and instead to concentrate on the satisfying of personal desires. Through Dickinson’s poetry, she illustrates her resilience after experiences of rejection from society, and her aspiration to be accepted in posterity. In This is my letter to the world, this notion is conveyed when she incorporates a grieved, self-pitying tone when discussing “the world / that never wrote to me”. From the rejection that she has received in response to her desire for social recognition, Dickinson displays her lack of concern for society with the absence of any criticism or anger. Rather, she expresses an emotional determination to develop a stronger self-identity. In addition, the “hands I cannot see” act as symbolism for the degree of isolation that Dickinson feels from society. A sense of ambiguity is created as she emphasises a trust in her work to posterity, whilst also emphasising her choice to separate…
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on 10th December, 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts and was raised in a strict Calvinistic home. Amherst, was 50 miles from Boston, had become well known as a center for Education, based around Amherst College. Emily’s family were pillars of the local community; theirs house was known as “The Homestead” or “The Mansion” was often used as a meeting place for distinguished visitors. (“Brief Biography of Emily Dickinson.”) and (Beers, G. Kylene, Lee Odell, and Robert Anderson)…
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?…
Emily Dickinson, regarded as one of America’s greatest poets, is also well known for her unusual life of self imposed social seclusion. Living a life of simplicity and seclusion, she yet wrote poetry of great power; questioning the nature of immortality and death. Her different lifestyle created an aura; often romanticized, and frequently a source of interest and speculation. But ultimately Emily Dickinson is remembered for her unique poetry. Within short, compact phrases she expressed far-reaching ideas; amidst paradox and uncertainty her poetry has an undeniable capacity to move and provoke.…
Emily Dickinson’s The sky is low-the Clouds are mean is a poem written about the way people in our everyday life can be cruel and mean. This poem from the beginning presents a very sad tone that is presented throughout. By going through the poem line by line you can see how the cruelty of someone’s words and the choices we make can portray to the outcome of our day.…