Emily Dickinson, One of America's Greatest Poets
analytical Essay
652 words
Poets all around the world have affected many people throughout history. Emily Dickinson was one of the greatest American poets; her isolated life, unique writing style and descriptive poems are an inspiration to many. Her surroundings were always the reason behind her exquisite poetry.
Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts and she died on May 15, 1886 (Emily Dickinson 11). She was a distant person that secluded many people and devoted her life to looking after her parents. This is because she did not like the attention that her family’s fame brought. After the death of her parents, she isolated herself even more and communicated solely through poetry. Her passion for writing poetry was not discovered until after her death by her sister Lavinia (Emily Dickinson Selected Poems, 7). Her inspiration, Benjamin F. Newton gave her the ability to write nearly 1800 poems. He was one of her father’s lawyers that inspired her to start writing by introducing her to poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Wordsworth. Their writing influenced her and how she wrote greatly. The death of Newton made young Dickinson continue writing poetry, which had great effect afterwards (The European Graduate School 1).
Dickinson’s surroundings had a major affect on what she wrote about. Her poetry reflected the ideas of nature, love, life, time and eternity (The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Series One). For example, growing up Dickinson did not have a mother figure to look up to and help her with life. Also, her father was a very closed minded person that controlled what she did and did not allow her to pursue her dreams or do what she wants (Zabel 251-55). As referred back, Dickinson had a vast passion for poetry that nobody othe...
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that dickinson's surroundings had a major influence on what she wrote about. her poetry reflected the ideas of nature, love, life, time and eternity.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poem "hope is the thing with feathers" emphasizes her reoccurring "hope" of being free.
- Describes emily dickinson's biography. the european school of graduates, n.d.
- Analyzes dickinson's essay, "i'm nobody! who are you?" all poetry.
- Describes the poems of emily dickinson, published by lit2go edition in 1896.
- Explains that emily dickinson was one of the greatest american poets; her isolated life, unique writing style, and descriptive poems are an inspiration to many.
- Analyzes how dickinson's personification compares hope to a person who gives and invests in her without asking for anything in return.
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- Emily Dickinson and Her Poetryanalytical essayEmily Dickinson and Her Poetry Emily Dickinson is one of the great visionary poets of nineteenth century America. In her lifetime, she composed more poems than most modern Americans will even read in their lifetimes. Dickinson is still praised today, and she continues to be taught in schools, read for pleasure, and studied for research and criticism. Since she stayed inside her house for most of her life, and many of her poems were not discovered until after her death, Dickinson was uninvolved in the publication process of her poetry.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that emily dickinson is one of the great visionary poets of nineteenth century america. she composed more poems than most modern americans will even read in their lifetimes.
- Argues that the notion of is disputed when it comes to critical literary studies.
- Analyzes how a simple internet search for an emily dickinson biography will yield dozens of web pages with details about the life of this nineteenth century poet.
- Explains that dickinson was an eccentric recluse, so one might interpret the poem based on her isolation, her loneliness. had the reader not known anything about her, the interpretation might be different.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poems contain more than just a window to her mind, and agoraphobia fails to explain many of her more peculiar aspects.
- Opines that readers of dickinson's poems are more concerned with her faults and eccentricities than her method of writing. each poem should be given the chance to speak and have a voice.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poems are written in a very peculiar manner unlike other poems of the era.
- Analyzes how dickinson's manuscripts reflect only the shadow of their inception in typography. shapes and letters pun on and play with each other.
- Opines that dickinson's poems were written sensually in her manuscripts, and any current incarnation of her work is an altered form of the original.
- Argues that a reasonable solution must be found regarding the publication of dickinson's poems.
- Explains that punctuation is just as important as words because it opens up a number of questions—questions about tone, questions about meaning.
- Explains that dashes can alter one's perception of the poem, changing the meaning of words.
- Explains that dickinson's poems deal with death or dying and other grave subjects, but a modern reader may find it difficult to decipher meaning from the poems without help.
- Explains that emily dickinson became the poet we know between 1858 and 1860. the first labor called for was to sweep away the pernicious idea of poetry as embroidery for women.
- Analyzes how dickinson wrote regularly, finding her voice and settling into a particular style of poem, proving that men were not the only ones capable of crafting intelligent, intriguing poetry.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poems were considered historically important, but were amateurish in her day. the atlantic monthly criticized her for not discerning enough to rise above conventional poetics.
- Opines that the importance of a reader's interpretation depends on what facts that reader uses when looking at the poem.
- Cites howe, susan, "some notes on visual intentionality in emily dickinson." rutgers university libraries.
- Describes green, fiona, "plainly on the other side: susan howe’s recovery." contemporary literature.
- Cites ickstadt, heinz, "emily dickinson’s place in literary history; or, the public function of a private poet."
- Cites ma, ming-qian, and howe's "scattering as behavior toward risk" in american literary history.
3199 wordsRead More - Essay on the Poetry and Life of Emily Dickinsonanalytical essayThe Poetry and Life of Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830. She was from a small town in Amherst, Massachusetts. One hundred and seventy-one years later people enjoy reading Emilyâs poetry. There is intrigue behind both her poetry and her life.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes dickinson's poem number 322: the reader experiences the joy that the writer expresses in her desire to dance.
- Analyzes dickinson's poem 302 as another example of his ability to paint a serene picture in the readerâs mind.
- Explains that johnson, thomas h., the complete poems of emily dickinson.
- Explains the greenhaven press literary companion to american authors. readings on emily dickinson.
- Explains that emily elizabeth dickinson was born on december 10, 1830 in amherst, massachusetts. she shunned public attention and refused to have her poetry published.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poetry conveys a joy in knowing that beautiful days and flowers can sometimes feel like they were made for just us.
- Analyzes how dickinson's writing on mysticism connects the reader to god through the connection invoking a sense of hope.
- Analyzes how dickinson describes the greatest "test of love" and self-sacrifice. poem number 571 offers hope to those who might feel there is no hope.
- Analyzes how the controversy surrounding miss dickinson's life sparks interest in the reader who hopes to solve the missing links to the puzzle of her life.
1434 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinson's Worksanalytical essayEmily Dickinson's Works There is a life in Emily Dickinson’s poems, readers have found. Although one may not completely understand her as a legend, a writer, or as a part of literature books, she is considered one of America’s greatest poets. While unknown answers may not be revealed about her, secrets may not be told, nor any new discoveries made, evidence from books and articles showing Emily Dickinson’s experiences and hardships exists. Critic Paul J. Ferlazzo describes her writings: “Many students and casual readers of her poetry have enjoyed hearing tales about her which remind them of storybook heroines locked in castles, of beautiful maidens cruelty relegated to a life of drudgery and obscurity, of genius so great that all the world’s suppression cannot deny its flowering.” 1 Many researchers ignore the bases of her writings, her life, and her dreams.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how dickinson's poetry transformed human frailty, fear, and anxiety into the highest levels of art.
- Explains that emily dickinson is considered one of america's greatest poets. many scholars ignore the bases of her writings, her life, and her dreams.
- Analyzes how emily dickinson's poetry is defiant when she challenges god or her proudness.
- Analyzes how emily dickinson's poems offer the emotional maturity of a sentimental poet, and only her life can reveal the true nature of death.
2538 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinson Biographyanalytical essayEmily 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.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that emily dickinson, one of america's greatest poets, is well known for her unusual life of self-imposed social seclusion.
- Explains that emily dickinson grew up in a prominent and prosperous household in amherst, massachusetts, with her younger sister vinnie and older brother austin. her mother, emily norcross, was not as powerful in her life.
- Explains that dickinson lived in a family environment that was steeped in nineteenth-century politics, economics, and social issues.
- Explains that dickinson withdrew from her father's public world and almost all social life in amherst.
- Explains that dickinson had significant relationships with men who were friends, confidantes, and mentors. biographers have attempted to find in a number of her relationships the source for her love poems and letters, but no biographer has been able to identify definitely the object.
- Analyzes how dickinson redefined the meaning of deprivation because being denied something provided a sharper understanding than would have experienced had she achieved what she wanted.
- Analyzes how contemporary writers had little or no effect on the style of her writing. in her own work she was original and innovative, but she did draw upon her knowledge of the bible, classical myths, and shakespeare for allusions and references.
- Explains that dickinson was regarded as one of america's greatest poets, but when she died at the age of fifty-six after dedicating her life to writing poetry, her nearly 2,000 poems were unknown except to a small number of friends and relatives.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poems were made to appear like traditional nineteenth-century verse by assigning titles, rearranging syntax, normalizing grammar, and regularizing capitalizations.
- Analyzes how dickinson found irony, ambiguity, and paradox lurking in the simplest and commonest experiences. the materials and subject matter of her poetry are quite conventional.
- Analyzes how dickinson breaks poetic conventions by evoking qualifications and questions with images that complicate firm assertions. her conciseness, brevity, and wit are tightly packed.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poetry is radical and original in its rejection of most traditional nineteenth-century themes and techniques.
- Narrates how emily dickinson's sister vinnie was instructed to burn her letters and handed them to a family friend, mabel todd. the first edition of poems was published in 1893.
1670 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinsonanalytical essayEMILY DICKINSON Emily Dickinson lived in an era of Naturalism and Realism (1855-1910). She lived in a period of The Civil War and the Frontier. She was affected by her life and the era she lived in. She also had many deaths in her family and that’s part of the reason that she was very morbid and wrote about death.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that emily dickinson lived in an era of naturalism and realism (1855-1910). she had many deaths in her family and was morbid about death.
- Explains that emily dickinson was affected by her life for several reasons. she was never married, though she went through many serious relationships, she never settled down.
- Explains that emily did not enjoy the popularity and excitement of the public life, unlike her father, so she began to pull away from it. in the presence of strangers, emily could be shy, silent or even depreciating.
- Explains that emily had no extended exposure to the world outside of her hometown. she met charles wadsworth, a clergyman, who became her "dearest earthly friend".
- Narrates how emily met thomas wentworth higginson, who advised her against publishing her poetry. he remained emily's "preceptor" for the rest of her life.
- Analyzes how emily dickinson was affected by her era. the tense atmosphere of the war may have contributed a lot to her writings.
- Analyzes how emily's life started to go down from this point and nothing good was happening for her anymore. she expressed all this in a poem called "crumbling in not an instant’s act".
- Analyzes how the poem tells that crumbling does not happen immediately, but in a gradual process occurring slowly over time. it uses the word "ruin" which is the best word for describing both physical and spiritual falling down.
- Analyzes how emily's life began when she was unhappy with her family and social status. after turning 30, she rarely saw anyone but her immediate family. she had serious eye problems and was never married.
- Explains that emily dickinson was morbid and wrote a lot about death. she lived across the street from the cemetery and mourned several deaths in her family and close friends.
- Analyzes how dickinson's poem "because i could not stop for death" tells us that she will not stop for death but that it will have to come and get her.
- Analyzes how emily's obsessions and poetic theory started to stop when she suffered the first attack of her terminal illness. she was cramped to her bed and died on may 15, 1886.
- Analyzes how the poem "i hard a fly buzz when i died" was one of many where she spoke about death. the woman distancing herself from her fear of death and detachment of life.
- Analyzes how the woman in the poem is actually talking about emily and the previsions to her death.
- Explains that emily dickinson was considered one of the two most gifted poets (walt witman was the other one). she was influenced by the writings of ralph waldo emerson.
1559 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinsonanalytical essayEmily Dickinson Emily Dickinson's unusual character and style has made her become one of the world's most famous poets. 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. Dickinson's prosperous family expected her to live as a Christian, and someday have a family of her own (Lit 927). Dickinson, however, rebelled against this traditional way of life, as she developed and lived by her own personal beliefs.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how emily dickinson's unusual character and style has made her one of the most famous poets. she expresses her feelings about religion, nature, death and love.
- Analyzes how dickinson expresses her interest in nature, by comparing it to human behavior, in "nature is a haunted house."
- Opines that man must come out of his puny self and become a well to reach the dimension of the sea which is his real self.
- Analyzes how dickinson's advice in "nature is what we see" implies that humans cannot predict things in life that seem to be going well, to always remain the way they are. the carriage symbolizes onward movement and continuity.
- Analyzes how dickinson expressed feelings of love in her poems. in "you left me-sire-two legacies," she writes about someone she cared deeply for, who is no longer here.
- Analyzes how dickenson's individuality has inspired many people. the poem "i'm nobody! who are you?" describes her in the sense that she never did what society wanted her to do.
361 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinson: An Everlasting American Poetanalytical essay“Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.” was one of Emily Dickinson’s most famous quotes, showing much of her swaying from Romanticism to a more Realistic view, and changing the standards of writing along with it. Between 1858 and 1864 Emily Dickinson wrote over forty hand bound volumes of nearly 1800 poems, yet during her lifetime only a few were published. Perhaps this is why today we see Dickinson as a highly influential writer, unlike those during her time who did not see the potential. Emily Dickinson wrote most of her works towards the end of the romanticism era, but considered more of a realist, ahead of her time and one to shape the new movement. The main characteristic of Romanticism that Dickinson portrays in her writing emphases of the importance of nature to the Romantics, but she is known as a Realist because of her concern and fascination with death, and the harsh realities of life. Emily Dickinson’s upbringing and early education, along with living in reclusion with death all around her, greatly influenced on of the greatest female poets of all time.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how emily dickinson swayed from romanticism to a more realistic view, changing the standards of writing along with it.
- Explains that emily dickinson's life was normal, except for a few key parts. her paternal grandfather, samuel, was the founder of amherst college.
- Analyzes martha hale shackford's "the poetry of emily dickinson" as a critical essay on her poems. she uses compression, epigrammatic ambush, and chaotic rhymes.
- Analyzes dickinson's use of chaotic rhymes, as well as epigrammatic ambushes, or short phrases put together to make a work.
- Analyzes how emily dickinson's writings reflect her emotional upbringing and depression. she taught poets and writers how to better comprehend works.
- Opines that emily dickinson is considered one of the greatest american female writers of all time.
- Explains that emily dickinson's poetry was published by the poetry foundation.
- Cites shackford, martha hale, "the poetry of emily dickinson" in nineteenth-century literature criticism.
- Explains that significant to american literature - emily dickinson 101. google sites, n.d.
970 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinson Themesanalytical essayEmily is still one of the most well respected and influential writers today. All the things that happened in her life affected how she wrote and what she wrote about. Emily suffered through a lot of death,but through this, death became one of her main themes in her poetry. Due to her love for nature Emily made it one of her prominent themes as well. Other things such as the civil war, time and eternity, and death are presented as common themes. Most of her life was spent in seclusion, but this seclusion led to her beautiful writings,which influenced other poets and the literature world in general. Emily Dickinson will forever be recognized as an astonishing writer.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that emily dickinson was one of the greatest american authors of all time. many things affected her works, including nature, time and eternity, religion, death, hard times, and the intense civil war
- Analyzes how emily spent much of her time studying nature and the various aspects of it. many poets during dickinson time wrote about nature, but emily looked at it differently.
- Analyzes how emily was influenced by the beliefs and churchly practices of her era. she expresses an irritation and concern towards god, but in others she writes about god and religion in faith and symbolism.
- Analyzes how the civil war began during emily's time and influenced her poems. emily wrote a letter to mrs. bowles in 1861, stating that she was sarcastic or not bothered by the war.
- Analyzes how death affected dickinson and her writing. emily's home was right by a cemetery, so she saw people being brought into the cemetery and buried.
- Analyzes how emily had many personal experiences with death, such as the tragic death of her friend, sophia holland, at the age of fifteen in 1844.
- Analyzes how emily dickinson suffered through a lot of hard times through her life during the 1850's. she expressed her growing fondness for cooking in her letters to abiah.
- Narrates how emily's dearest friends, including bowles, wadsworth, lord, and jackson, passed away as she grew older, leaving her feeling like she was going to be forever alone.
- Analyzes how dickinson's inability to fit in with her family and the church led to progressive solitudity. she rejected the idea of accepting jesus as her savior and did not want to become a church member.
- Explains that emily elizabeth dickinson, one of america's most influential authors, passed away on may 15, 1886. her death was caused by a kidney disease.
- Opines that emily dickinson is still one of the most well-respected and influential writers today.
1138 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinson Influencesexplanatory essay"This is my letter to the world, who never wrote to me. The simple news that nature told, with tender majesty," (Dickinson, 21). I, Emily Dickinson, am one of the greatest American poets of all time. I was born on December 10, 1830 on a cold winter day in Amherst, Massachusetts at my family's home, which we called the Homestead ("Emily Dickinson," Bio.). I had one brother, William, and one sister, Lavinia. We all went to Amherst Academy together as children ("Emily Dickinson," Poetry Foundation).
In this essay, the author
- Describes emily dickinson as one of the greatest american poets of all time. she was born on december 10, 1830, at her family's home in amherst, massachusetts.
- Narrates how they enjoyed all aspects of school, including the teachers, curriculum, and the other students. they left school due to their fragile emotional state and their sick mother.
- Narrates how they began writing as a teenager. leonard humphrey, the principal at amherst academy, benjamin franklin newton, and susan gilbert influenced them.
- Describes how they fell in love with reverend charles wadsworth and met judge otis phillips lord.
- Describes how they lived a reclusive life at the homestead, taking care of their mother, and making gingerbread for them.
- Describes how their unusual use of punctuation and form helped shape modern poetry.
- Narrates how their poems became famous after their family found over 1800 of them. they were sewn together in handmade books called volumes.
536 wordsRead More - Emily Dickinsonanalytical essayDickinson, Emily Elizabeth (1830-1886), America’s best-known female poet and one of the foremost authors in American literature. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson was the middle child of a lawyer and one-term United States congressional representative, Edward Dickinson, and his wife, Emily Norcross Dickinson. From 1840 to 1847 she attended the Amherst Academy, and from 1847 to 1848 she studied at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, a few miles from Amherst. Dickinson remained in Amherst, living in the same house on Main Street from 1855 until her death. During her lifetime, she published only about 10 of her nearly 2,000 poems, in newspapers, Civil War journals, and a poetry anthology. The notion that Dickinson was extremely reclusive is a popular one, but it is at best a partial truth. Although she never married and certainly became more selective over the years about the company she kept, Dickinson was far more sociable than most descriptions would have us believe. Biographers are increasingly recognizing the vital role of Dickinson’s sister-in-law, Susan Dickinson, in her writing. For more than 35 years the two women lived next door to each other, sharing mutual passions for literature, music, cooking, and gardening. Emily sent Susan more than 400 poems and letter-poems, twice as many as she sent to any other correspondent. In 1998 Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson’s Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson was published, documenting the two women’s friendship.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that dickinson was america's best-known female poet and one of the foremost authors in american literature.
- Analyzes dickinson's early style, which imitated the formalities of print, and her poetic techniques were conventional, but she later began to attend to the visual aspects of her work.
412 wordsRead More