Emily Dickinson Research Paper

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Recommended: Attempt a discussion of emily dickinsons poetry in the light of american modernism

Born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts (“A Timeline”), Emily Dickinson is a classic, female American poet most people are familiar with nowadays. However, if her name or works are unknown to some, they are missing out on poetry with a unique style and the ability to touch readers’ hearts by addressing themes about human nature. Since she was a keen observer of Amherst life, nature, and human passion (Byers and Bourgoin 541), it was easy for her to write about said themes. Besides that, Emily Dickinson’s use of themes such as death and mourning in her poetry is highly influenced by her own life experiences. Due to this, her poems become deeper and genuine, making it easier for readers to connect with her poetry.
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At age seventeen, Emily Dickinson settled into the Dickinson home and turned herself into a housekeeper, which let her become very perceptive of the life in Amherst. This meditative nature of hers was further enhanced during the late 1860s, when she isolated herself from the world (“A Timeline”). In order to prove that Dickinson’s meditative behavior had an impact in her poetry, it is necessary to take a second look at “I Measure Every Grief I Meet.” In the first lines, she writes, “I Measure Every Grief I Meet/ With narrow, probing eyes” (1-2). Besides this, she wonders if people’s grief weighs like hers “or has an Easier size” (3-4). First of all, it is important to notice Dickinson’s word choice to describe her eyes. She specifically uses the adjectives “narrow” and “probing” to intensify the trait of perceptiveness. As for when she writes, “I wonder if it weighs like Mine-/ Or has an Easier size” (3-4), Dickinson is showing her tendency to meditate upon themes such as grief and how others face it. Knowing that Dickinson had the time to truly analyze these themes in a deep manner, transmits a feeling of confidence, which makes readers more likely to believe or understand Dickinson’s

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