How Did Emily Dickinson Influence Her Poetry
Emily Dickinson is well known for writing poems about subjects that were very personal and relatable to her life and producing a vibrant image to intensify it. Most of her poetry consists of themes regarding death, love, nature, religion, and success. Before, these themes were rarely brought up in American literature. Researchers argue that the themes Dickinson wrote of were too controversial to profess at the time, therefore her contemporaries simply chose to neglect these topics and hoped to appeal to their audience in writing material of a less dense nature (Emily Dickinson's Influence on Modern Writers Topic of Book). Dickinson is thought to be rebellious to include the themes she did and write in a way that generated rich images, although she never did intend her poems to be
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published for the public to read. This could be the reason why she expresses such emotion and judgment in her writing. In avoiding the romantic style, which was a very common topic in her lifetime, she has been able to provide her readers with a clear illuminating vision of the world through her eyes. In her poem “If I Should Die”, she explains how death is a natural and peaceful event through the use of imagery and personification. In this poem, she talks with emotion and honesty and because this was uncommon to do so, she stands out among other poets of her time.
American poets in present times such as Charles Wright have adopted similar images Dickinson forms in her own poetry. An American literature professor from Harvard points out that Wright’s central image, a striking light during the evening in “A Journal of the Year of the Ox”, resembles the same image Dickinson produces in her poem, “There’s a certain Slant of light” (Emily Dickinson's Influence on Modern Writers Topic of Book). Through her openness in writing, Dickinson has encouraged other American poets to tear away from the norms and write about themes that are seldom addressed or of content in direct relation to their lives.
Another characteristic that sticks out in Dickinson’s work is her original punctuation and unique syntax in the poems she wrote. As for punctuation, in the majority of her poems, she puts dashes rather than a more expected mark like a period, comma, parentheses, or a colon. While the reasons might not be entirely clear for her frequent use of dashes, it’s thought of as a technique to indicate an interruption or an abrupt shift in thought, to emphasize a feeling, or to keep a sense of indecisiveness (Emily Dickinson:
Iambic Meter & Rhyme). One common placement of the dash is at the very end of a poem with a closed rhyme, where the meter would shut, but the inserted dash seems open with uncertainty. Over the years, the “no closure” feeling has influenced writers to do the same and end their story abrupt and leave the audience to seek the truth or end it themselves. An example of an American writer and composer who has greatly respected Dickinson and her writing style is Aaron Copland. Copland was so touched by her writing that he echoed her “concise yet lyric language with abrupt leaps in the vocal line that matched her unique dashes and pauses” (Aaron Copland: Capturing the Language of Emily Dickinson). Additionally, Dickinson often capitalizes interior words, not just the words at the beginning of a line. The inclusion of dashes has similar effects to when she capitalizes. Capitalization adds stress to the words in her poetry that she herself felt were important. Most of the words that are capitalized are nouns and have a symbolic meaning behind them. Another consideration to make when reading Dickinson’s poetry is inverted syntax. One may notice that her poems frequently it read like a riddle, and often times borrows the metrical patterns of church hymns and psalms when read aloud. When she inverts a thought or idea, she uses this technique to help create rhythm and rhyme (Emily Dickinson). Furthermore, by changing the order of the words, it serves to emphasize important principle ideas in the poem. Inverted syntax is well liked among songwriters like Nick Peros, because it can help write lyrics that keep consistent with the specific meter being used. Like Copland, Peros liked Dickinson’s work so greatly he has included some text from her poems and have mixed it with his own to produce new artistic songs (Life of Emily Dickinson). Dickinson used unusual punctuation and unique syntax to enhance her literary works, and as you can see, it has inspired passionate writers to do the same.
In Dickinson’s expressive poetry, she almost always includes symbolism and metaphors. Symbolism gives a piece of literary work more richness and makes the meaning of the work seem deeper, while metaphors are helpful when describing abstract ideas, such as emotions, through concrete comparisons. Her poem 254, “‘Hope’ is a thing with feathers –”, is a great example of both symbolism and use of metaphor. In this poem, Dickinson creates a metaphor of hope through a bird. Hope is an abstract word meaning desire or trust and is described metaphorically as having characteristics of a bird, such as free and self-reliant. She uses a concrete image from nature to make something that is difficult to see easier to be understood. In the context of this poem, the bird sings even in the most difficult conditions. As a more figurative meaning, Dickinson states that hope is within every person at every moment in life, and it offers a way to look beyond the harsh realities and encourage us to look towards something better (Pollick, Michael, and Bronwyn Harris). While this is just one example of a poem presenting something symbolic and also metaphoric, you can see that Dickinson does a fabulous job in creating a lovely image of the virtue of human desire, hope (Emily Dickinson). Similar to what Dickinson did when writing her poetry, many American writers today often apply these exact writing techniques to strengthen an idea they’re trying to impose.
published for the public to read. This could be the reason why she expresses such emotion and judgment in her writing. In avoiding the romantic style, which was a very common topic in her lifetime, she has been able to provide her readers with a clear illuminating vision of the world through her eyes. In her poem “If I Should Die”, she explains how death is a natural and peaceful event through the use of imagery and personification. In this poem, she talks with emotion and honesty and because this was uncommon to do so, she stands out among other poets of her time.
American poets in present times such as Charles Wright have adopted similar images Dickinson forms in her own poetry. An American literature professor from Harvard points out that Wright’s central image, a striking light during the evening in “A Journal of the Year of the Ox”, resembles the same image Dickinson produces in her poem, “There’s a certain Slant of light” (Emily Dickinson's Influence on Modern Writers Topic of Book). Through her openness in writing, Dickinson has encouraged other American poets to tear away from the norms and write about themes that are seldom addressed or of content in direct relation to their lives.
Another characteristic that sticks out in Dickinson’s work is her original punctuation and unique syntax in the poems she wrote. As for punctuation, in the majority of her poems, she puts dashes rather than a more expected mark like a period, comma, parentheses, or a colon. While the reasons might not be entirely clear for her frequent use of dashes, it’s thought of as a technique to indicate an interruption or an abrupt shift in thought, to emphasize a feeling, or to keep a sense of indecisiveness (Emily Dickinson:
Iambic Meter & Rhyme). One common placement of the dash is at the very end of a poem with a closed rhyme, where the meter would shut, but the inserted dash seems open with uncertainty. Over the years, the “no closure” feeling has influenced writers to do the same and end their story abrupt and leave the audience to seek the truth or end it themselves. An example of an American writer and composer who has greatly respected Dickinson and her writing style is Aaron Copland. Copland was so touched by her writing that he echoed her “concise yet lyric language with abrupt leaps in the vocal line that matched her unique dashes and pauses” (Aaron Copland: Capturing the Language of Emily Dickinson). Additionally, Dickinson often capitalizes interior words, not just the words at the beginning of a line. The inclusion of dashes has similar effects to when she capitalizes. Capitalization adds stress to the words in her poetry that she herself felt were important. Most of the words that are capitalized are nouns and have a symbolic meaning behind them. Another consideration to make when reading Dickinson’s poetry is inverted syntax. One may notice that her poems frequently it read like a riddle, and often times borrows the metrical patterns of church hymns and psalms when read aloud. When she inverts a thought or idea, she uses this technique to help create rhythm and rhyme (Emily Dickinson). Furthermore, by changing the order of the words, it serves to emphasize important principle ideas in the poem. Inverted syntax is well liked among songwriters like Nick Peros, because it can help write lyrics that keep consistent with the specific meter being used. Like Copland, Peros liked Dickinson’s work so greatly he has included some text from her poems and have mixed it with his own to produce new artistic songs (Life of Emily Dickinson). Dickinson used unusual punctuation and unique syntax to enhance her literary works, and as you can see, it has inspired passionate writers to do the same.
In Dickinson’s expressive poetry, she almost always includes symbolism and metaphors. Symbolism gives a piece of literary work more richness and makes the meaning of the work seem deeper, while metaphors are helpful when describing abstract ideas, such as emotions, through concrete comparisons. Her poem 254, “‘Hope’ is a thing with feathers –”, is a great example of both symbolism and use of metaphor. In this poem, Dickinson creates a metaphor of hope through a bird. Hope is an abstract word meaning desire or trust and is described metaphorically as having characteristics of a bird, such as free and self-reliant. She uses a concrete image from nature to make something that is difficult to see easier to be understood. In the context of this poem, the bird sings even in the most difficult conditions. As a more figurative meaning, Dickinson states that hope is within every person at every moment in life, and it offers a way to look beyond the harsh realities and encourage us to look towards something better (Pollick, Michael, and Bronwyn Harris). While this is just one example of a poem presenting something symbolic and also metaphoric, you can see that Dickinson does a fabulous job in creating a lovely image of the virtue of human desire, hope (Emily Dickinson). Similar to what Dickinson did when writing her poetry, many American writers today often apply these exact writing techniques to strengthen an idea they’re trying to impose.