Emily Dickinson Essay

Submitted By Mathue1
Words: 655
Pages: 3
Open Document
Phares 1

English 2130
25 April 2013
Unit 3: Emily Dickinson
A Representative Author: Emily Dickinson is an excellent representative of Unit Three because of her literary contribution. Emily Dickinson is known as one of America’s greatest poets. According to Wikipedia, Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts December 10, 1830. Her grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was the founder of Amherst College. Her father, Edward Dickinson, followed his father’s footsteps in the academic life. He did this by serving in the capacity of the colleges treasure for almost forty years. Dickinson’s father led an active political career as a State Legislator and served in the United States Congress. Emily Dickinson also shared a close relationship with her two siblings Austin and Lavina. Austin Dickinson grew up and became a lawyer. Neither Lavina nor Emily ever married. Emily Dickinson had an especially close bond with Susan Huntington Gilbert who was very supportive of her writings. Gilbert exchanged over 500 letters over time with Dickinson, and the relationship the two women shared was thought to have been the “strongest and most affectionate” of Emily’s life. Gilbert also married Dickinson’s brother Austin in 1856. According to Baym, a few of Dickinson’s early literary influences were Shakespeare, Emerson, Hawthorne and The Bible. Her writings included a wide assortment of categories such as nature, music, science, and religion.
A Representative Work: A work that best represents Emily Dickinson and Unit Three is Because I Could Not Stop for Death, written in 1862. The poem, published in Baym, describes the final Phares 2 ride to a burial place. In its description you are left feeling as if you have been interrupted from your life. “My labor and leisure too” also was thought to have left you feeling as if you were being driven around in a carriage. In the poem you are revisiting your youth when passing by the school were children play at recess. The air seems to be getting colder and you are not adequately dressed. “For only my Gossamer, my Gown”. In what “feels shorter than the day” you are going toward eternity. This is a theme in unit three because of the death and destruction of the Civil War. The Civil War lasted from 1861-1865 and, according to Wikipedia, had over 625,000 deaths. Dickinson wrote a lot about death in the over 2000 poems that she created as noted in the Biography of Emily Dickinson.

Most Significant Historical Event: The most significant historical event that took place during the period of Unit Three was the Civil War. According to Civil War Trust, “Northern victory in the war preserved the United States as one nation and
Show More

Related Documents: Emily Dickinson Essay

Emily Dickinson Conformity

Society idealizes the act of finding one’s place and becoming “somebody.” However, Emily Dickinson challenges conformity in her poem, “I’m nobody! Who are you?” The poet, instead, mocks the uninspiring truth of society and being “somebody.” Dickinson conveys her argument against a bland life within society through her childish tone and unconventional choice of simile. Contrasting the somber topic matter, the speaker speaks in a rather childish way. In the first stanza, the speaker inquires, “Are…

Words 474 - Pages 2

Essay on Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson's unusual character and style has made her become one of the world's most famous poets throughout the 1800s. In her poems, she expresses her feelings about religion, nature, death and love. Her poems tell a great deal about her lifestyle, which was very secluded and withdrawn from society. Even though she was a famous poet, less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime. Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in…

Words 1090 - Pages 5

Emily Dickinson Personification

In “Apparently with no Surprise”, Emily Dickinson writes the cold hard truth regarding life and death. Throughout the poem Dickinson describes the cycles of life that we all experience in nature and the world around us everyday. Dickinson forces us to ponder life and death throughout this poem. The authors use of personification illustrates to us that death is an inevitable and also challenging part of life that we must accept. The first two lines can be broken down in many ways to represent…

Words 873 - Pages 4

Emily Dickinson Paraphrase

Raquel Olmedo Professor Cook English 165 NT 18 October 2011 Emily Dickinson Paraphrase/Commentary “668” By Emily Dickinson “Nature” is what we see- The Hill- the Afternoon- Squirrel-Eclipse- the Bumble bee- Nay- Nature is Heaven- Nature is what we hear- The Bobolink- the Sea- Thunder- the Cricket- Nay- Nature is Harmony- Nature is what we know- Yet have no art to say- So impotent Our Wisdom is To her Simplicity. Paraphrase: This so-called “Nature” thing everyone seems to talk about…

Words 596 - Pages 3

Essay on Emily Dickinson

what extent did Emily Dickinson's isolation have an effect on her poetry? Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she lived almost all of her life. She was raised the 1800s. She was a very private person and as her life progressed, she became more and more secluded. As she rarely left her home, she found her voice and her way of communicating through her poetry. Only seven out of over 1,775 of her poems were published in her lifetime (anonymously). Emily Dickinson died in 1886 in…

Words 723 - Pages 3

Emily Dickinson Mortality

you run or take his hand? Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” illustrates an encounter with the reaper. Using personification, Emily Dickinson brings to life death as a human being and forces the readers to reflect on everyday life as if it was their last day alive. The theme of mortality is prevalent throughout the poem as it is embodied through the character of death, the narrator, the carriage ride, the house, and lastly the horses. Emily Dickinson begins her poem with lines…

Words 1228 - Pages 5

Emily Dickinson Alliteration

in this poem. o Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound or letter near one another. An example of alliteration in “Because I could Not Stop for Death” is in the line “We passed the setting sun”. Alliteration is important to this poem as Dickinson showed the progression of the day. She used alliteration to describe the time line of her nearing death. 2. Personification • Definition • Choose an example from “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” • Briefly explain how personification enhances the…

Words 2746 - Pages 11

Emily Dickinson Research Paper

amazingly, published their works many years after Dickinson passed away. The uniqueness of her poetry “places her among the moderns” (Ferlazzo 149-150). Dickinson focused on word choice rather than apply any form to her poetry. She used odd wordings and structures to form her many enigmatic poems. To a first time reader, Dickinson’s poems would appear to be rather crude, as they included many grammatical errors and misusages of words. Dickinson would use a variety of words and include footnotes…

Words 339 - Pages 2

Emily Dickinson Bio Essay

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, with at times an almost mantric quality. Her different lifestyle created an aura; often romanticised, and frequently a source of interest and speculation. But ultimately Emily Dickinson is remembered for her unique poetry. Within short…

Words 2055 - Pages 9

Dickinson: Emily Dickinson and Persona Essay examples

to your prescribed text and one other related text. Belonging is a multifaceted concept that differs for each person. An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can either enrich or limit their experience of belonging. In Emily Dickinson’s poetry, she explores belonging through different aspects and representations in order to further develop the readers understanding of the world. In particular ‘this is my letter to the wolrd’, I died for beauty’, ‘I had been hungry’, and…

Words 1899 - Pages 8