Essay on Emily Dickinson and Her Poetry - 3197 Words

Emily 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. This means that every Dickinson poem in print today is just a guess—an assumption of what the author wanted on the page. As a result, Dickinson maintains an aura of mystery as a writer. However, this†¦show more content†¦Arguably a poem is much more personal than an essay or a work of fiction—the subject matter often deals with thoughts and emotions that are not only from the poet, but also very meaningful to him or her. Should the poet – should Dickinso n – be considered just another author and cast aside when studying the poems? Dickinson has been the subject of years of study, yet she remains quite mysterious. Even with all of their peculiarities, her poems continue to impress and delight. But being impressed with a Dickinson poem may not be enough to some—perhaps to truly enjoy a Dickinson poem, one must know the person behind the poem, the thoughts of the poet and what she intended her words to mean. Others may feel the exact opposite, saying that the poem in itself is enough. After reading the work of Dickinson along with the various criticisms of her poems, one may be inclined to settle somewhere in the middle of these two beliefs. Dickinson the woman, the historical figure, is important when looking at her poems, but the information generally presented about her can mislead the eager neophyte. 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. Undoubtedly, the content of these biographies will be similar, all of them stressing several main ideas—that Dickinson was a recluse; that DickinsonShow MoreRelated Emily Dickinson - Her Life and Poetry Essay627 Words   |  3 PagesEmily Dickinson - Her Life and Poetry Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born December 10, 1830, into an influential family in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father helped found Amherst College, where Emily later attended between 1840 and 1846. She never married and died in the house where she was born on May 15, 1886. Emily Dickinson’s reclusive life was arguably a result of her proposed bi-polar disorder. This life and disorder unduly influenced the themes of her poetry. She chose notRead MoreEssay about Emily Dickinson and Interpretations of Her Poetry1541 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Dickinson and Interpretations of Her Poetry During Emily Dickinson’s fifty-six years she was able to produce many complex poems that contained deeply hidden meanings. When I consider the life she lived, this is not surprising to me. She was not only talented, but she also was born into a family and time that would provide much of her inspiration. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born into the Dickinson family on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her parents, Edward and EmilyRead MoreEmily Dickinson s Amazing Gifts As A Poet1178 Words   |  5 PagesEmily’s Dickinson’s amazing gifts as a poet was her ability to write her poems using rich images. She was known to be a very intense viewer and through her poetry she shows her personal feelings in topics that greatly interested her. 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Dickinson had a unique style of writing which pulled in influence from both the Romantic and Realist periods. Dickinson’s style of writing had many elements, such as imagery and advanced vocabulary, which helped differentiate herself from other poets. Dickinson also explored a wide range of subjects throughout her poetry, mainly writing about religion, death, and the mind (Emily DickinsonRead More Dickinson Vs. Whitman Essay1229 Words   |  5 Pages Dickinson vs. Whitman After receiving five years of schooling, Walt Whitman spent four years learning the printing trade; Emily Dickinson returned home after receiving schooling to be with her family and never really had a job. Walt Whitman spent most of his time observing people and New York City. Dickinson rarely left her house and she didnt associate with many people other than her family. In this essay I will be comparing Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Emily Dickinsons life differs greatlyRead MoreSolitude Of A Poet By Emily Dickinson1545 Words   |  7 Pagesa Poet A poet, who secluded herself from society for a majority of her life, demonstrated her extensive literary and language skills through her unusual poetry, becoming one of the most recognized and widely studied poet today. Born in December 10, 1886 in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson was one of three children to Edward Dickinson and his wife, Emily Dickinson. According to Pettinger, Dickinson’s roots trace back to her Puritan ancestors from England in the 17th century, who later immigrated