Emily Dickinson Conformity

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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 you a nobody, too?,” to then assume an affirmative response and exclaim, “Then there’s a pair of us — don’t tell!” The simple sentences in the second and third lines mimic those of a curious, playful child that is happy to have found a secret ally. Additionally, the speaker presents the idea of “nobody” as a silly and innocent title, much like trivial common ground that kindergarteners …show more content…
In the second stanza, the speaker compares those who meet society’s expectations to bullfrogs. Though frogs may seem like an unconventional representation of a “somebody”, the speaker illustrates how frogs and conformists share similar lifestyles. The speaker describes how frogs constantly croak out: “To tell your name the livelong day.” Frogs’ incessant croaking represents how those who strive to find a place in society must constantly put their name out into the public. The croaking mimics the desperate attempts to get oneself out in the light of society, much like celebrities and their need to stay relevant by keeping their names in the tabloids. Adding the time frame of a “livelong day” also emphasizes the monotony of having to maintain one’s image. A “livelong day” implies an endless quality to the croaking, emphasizing just how dull the lifestyle is. Thus, Dickinson illustrates the life of a “somebody” as tedious and dull, contrary to the typically glamorous image of fitting

Individualism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

class and consumerism. Therefore, the role of women began to evolve because economic changes brought by the new middle class gave women the opportunity to be involved in commerce. The world in which Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman lived in was rather different compared to the world that Kate Chopin lived in. Kate Chopin was a 20th century writer while the others were 19th century writers and lived during a period of time where society wasn’t open to the…

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opposing pressures. A desire to belong also consists of emotional conflicts and struggles between being acknowledged while also remaining as an individual and retaining personal ideals which may ultimately result in a connection. This is explored in Emily Dickinson’s selected poetry I died for beauty, but was scarce and I had been hungry all the years , as well as Scott Westerfeld’s novel Uglies. These texts all depict a struggle between being recognised and accepted in society and the desire to remain…

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“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” “Resistance to Civil Government,” and “Success is Counted Sweetest” are but a few volumes out of thousands of others that are interlocked and related in some form or another. What binds these texts together? The American Dream, the ideal which not only adapts to social stimuli or occurrences, but also shapes the motives of every protagonist or antagonist --archaic or contemporary -- in their respective tales. Said theme in American Literature evolves to suit…

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the counterculture that soon would follow. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism and sexual repression. Ginsberg is best known for his epic poem "Howl", in which he denounced what he saw as the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in the United States.[1][2][3] In 1957, "Howl" attracted widespread publicity when it became the subject of an obscenity trial, as it depicted heterosexual and homosexual sex[4] at a time when sodomy laws made homosexual acts a crime in every U…

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103 American Literature Final Exam Essay example

Final Exam I. Multiple choice: 1% x 30 = 30% 1865-1914 1. The novels and short stories of Henry James and Edith Wharton tended to focus on (A) the tragic outcomes of impoverished characters living in industrialized urban wastelands. (B) the ordeals of isolated characters living as survivalists in the sparsely populated hinterlands of the United States. (C) the inner psychological lives of privileged upper-class characters. (D) the exploits of characters with startling accomplishments and impressive…

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Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions Essays

Department of English Spring 2014 Course Descriptions 89S. Imagining War. Instructor M. Maiwald. WF 8:30-9:45 In this course, we will consider how the experience of war has been represented in American fiction, non-fiction, and film. We will investigate how attitudes toward war have evolved throughout American history: our timeline begins with the Civil War—the traumatic event that birthed the modern American state—and ends with the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In particular…

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