Emily Dickinson- Outline and Paper
Emily Dickinson- Outline
Thesis: The experiences of Emily Dickinson throughout her lifetime contributed to the multiple reoccurring motifs throughout her writing, most notably death, love, nature, and the mind.
i. Introduction:
a) “This was a Poet – / It is That / Distills amazing sense / From Ordinary Meanings” (Dickinson, Fr 446)
b) Her poetry ranges from many themes, but most fall into the categories of death, love, nature, and the mind.
ii. Poem Analysis:
a) “To make the abstract tangible, to define meaning without confining it, to inhabit a house that never became a prison, Dickinson created in her writing a distinctively elliptical language for expressing what was possible but not yet realized.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013)
b) Usually wrote from ambiguous first person
c) large variety of literary devices
iii. The Poet and The Person:
a) “Not knowing when the dawn will come / I open every door.” (Dickinson, Fr7)
b) Born 1830 in a Puritan New England town
c) Domestic duties and Social Life
d) Deaths of many friends and relatives at a young age, living next to a cemetery.
e) ‘Master Letters’
f) heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England
iv. The Poet and The Social:
a) “War feels to me an oblique place,” (Dickinson, L280)
b) Civil War
c) Schooling
d) Experimentation with poetry
v. Conclusion
a) “Dickinson’s endings are frequently open. In this world of comparison, extremes are powerful. There are many negative definitions and sharp contrasts.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013)
b) "Publication is the auction of the mind" (Dickinson, Fr788)
c) Posthumous
The Life and Works of Emily Dickinson
“This was a Poet – / It is That / Distills amazing sense / From Ordinary Meanings” (Dickinson, Fr 446). Emily Dickinson was that poet. Though her life was nowhere near as influential and turbulent as other poets, she managed to bring a fresh, occasionally wry outlook on ordinary things. She is popularly known today for her largely death-related poetry and reclusive lifestyle, yet her life influenced her poetry to encompass many themes, not just death, but love, nature, and the mind.
“To make the abstract tangible, to define meaning without confining it, to inhabit a house that never became a prison, Dickinson created in her writing a distinctively elliptical language for expressing what was possible but not yet realized.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013). Dickinson wrote largely about death, loss and pain. Many of her poems describe death as a suitor, yet a tyrant. Death was the object of fear, and yet it was a blessed way into Heaven- the ultimate release. These negative themes overlapped with her motif of the mind, or the ‘inner world’, and hope. As for love, she treated it with great sincerity, revealing her passion through the intense words. Her poems about love also overlapped with her love of nature, but she did not always view nature as a benevolent being. Dickinson wrote her poems with a specific style, which many deem as ‘cryptic’. This may be due in part to her deep symbolism, and the leaving out of some words, forcing the readers to finish the connection. She wrote from ambiguous first person, in which the narrator refers to itself as ‘I’, but was not necessarily Dickinson herself. She also relied on a large variety of literary devices, such as unusual (and frequently had more than one meaning) vocabulary, ‘slant rhymes’ or imperfect rhyme schemes, allusions to the Bible, and the dashed marks at the end of a verse.
“Not knowing when the dawn will come / I open every door.” (Dickinson, Fr7). Born 1830 to a Puritan New England family, her childhood was relatively normal. Her town encouraged a conservative approach to Christianity, and though she held Puritan beliefs all her life, some of that belief making its way into her poems alluding to God, she never joined the church, even after her entire family rejoined the church. This was not purely out of defiance, but that she felt she needed to be true to herself, not trusting herself to be able to give up everything for God were he to call her back. Besides religion, she would do many domestic duties that influenced the topics of her poems later in life, such as gardening, school, reading, writing, and taking walks. This may have set the foundation for her love of nature and elegant eloquence. Contrary to popular belief, she was extremely social when she was young, forming many close relationships, one of which became her sister-in-law. She grew steadily reclusive as years passed. Although this has caused her to be labeled ‘hermit’ and the like, perhaps it was just out of sheer practicality. She did not have time to be entertaining guests all the time, and it was well known she kept up correspondence with many close friends. In three letters, known as the ‘Master Letters’, it displayed turbulent romantic letters between Dickinson and another, anonymous individual. Her fascination with death may have been due in part to the deaths of many friends and relatives while she was still young, notably her cousin Sophia Holland. She also lived next to a cemetery, allowing her to witness the scenes of pain, loss, and death of others. During later years she was hit with the deaths of loved ones one after another. "The Dyings have been too deep for me, and before I could raise my Heart from one, another has come." (Dickinson, L939). All these things shed light on her close relationship with death and suffering. Her work was heavily influenced by Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as well as Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Keats, Emerson, and Walt Whitman.
“War feels to me an oblique place,” (Dickinson, L280). Although Dickson lived during the Civil War, her poems show barely any mention of the war. Of course, due to the many-layered interpretations of her work, it is impossible to say whether some poems, such as “It feels a shame to be Alive,” (Dickinson, Fr243), were inspired by the war. Instead of writing works of fervor directly addressing the war like most poets did during that time, she wrote small poems in a newspaper whose proceeds went to the war effort. During her youth, she was exceptional in that she had rare schooling, something that normal girls during that time did not have. She was sent to Amherst Academy, as well as a female Seminary, where she was educated in the sciences as well as the arts. This had a direct impact on her writing, and her unique voice and lexicon. Like other poets of her time, her work challenged the existing definitions of poetry. Like others, her experimentation with creative expression freed poetry from the social restraints of their time.
“Dickinson’s endings are frequently open. In this world of comparison, extremes are powerful. There are many negative definitions and sharp contrasts.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013). Just like Dickinson’s endings in poems were open to interpretation, Dickinson herself was a mass of contrasts and interpretation. She never published her work- "Publication is the auction of the mind" (Dickinson, Fr788), yet shared select writings with her family. It was only after death that her sister discovered the rest of her work, which were termed ‘fascicles’. As per her family’s wishes, the works became edited, bound and published to large success. Her quiet, yet tempestuous lifestyle brought to life some of the most brilliant poems in existence.
Bibliography:
· Dickinson, Emily. Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete. [S.l.]: General, 2010. Print.
· "Emily Dickinson." : The Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
· "Emily Dickinson." - Poets.org. Poets.org, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
· "Emily Dickinson Museum." Emily Dickinson Museum. Trustees of Amherst Project, n.d. Web.18 Mar. 2013.
Thesis: The experiences of Emily Dickinson throughout her lifetime contributed to the multiple reoccurring motifs throughout her writing, most notably death, love, nature, and the mind.
i. Introduction:
a) “This was a Poet – / It is That / Distills amazing sense / From Ordinary Meanings” (Dickinson, Fr 446)
b) Her poetry ranges from many themes, but most fall into the categories of death, love, nature, and the mind.
ii. Poem Analysis:
a) “To make the abstract tangible, to define meaning without confining it, to inhabit a house that never became a prison, Dickinson created in her writing a distinctively elliptical language for expressing what was possible but not yet realized.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013)
b) Usually wrote from ambiguous first person
c) large variety of literary devices
iii. The Poet and The Person:
a) “Not knowing when the dawn will come / I open every door.” (Dickinson, Fr7)
b) Born 1830 in a Puritan New England town
c) Domestic duties and Social Life
d) Deaths of many friends and relatives at a young age, living next to a cemetery.
e) ‘Master Letters’
f) heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England
iv. The Poet and The Social:
a) “War feels to me an oblique place,” (Dickinson, L280)
b) Civil War
c) Schooling
d) Experimentation with poetry
v. Conclusion
a) “Dickinson’s endings are frequently open. In this world of comparison, extremes are powerful. There are many negative definitions and sharp contrasts.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013)
b) "Publication is the auction of the mind" (Dickinson, Fr788)
c) Posthumous
The Life and Works of Emily Dickinson
“This was a Poet – / It is That / Distills amazing sense / From Ordinary Meanings” (Dickinson, Fr 446). Emily Dickinson was that poet. Though her life was nowhere near as influential and turbulent as other poets, she managed to bring a fresh, occasionally wry outlook on ordinary things. She is popularly known today for her largely death-related poetry and reclusive lifestyle, yet her life influenced her poetry to encompass many themes, not just death, but love, nature, and the mind.
“To make the abstract tangible, to define meaning without confining it, to inhabit a house that never became a prison, Dickinson created in her writing a distinctively elliptical language for expressing what was possible but not yet realized.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013). Dickinson wrote largely about death, loss and pain. Many of her poems describe death as a suitor, yet a tyrant. Death was the object of fear, and yet it was a blessed way into Heaven- the ultimate release. These negative themes overlapped with her motif of the mind, or the ‘inner world’, and hope. As for love, she treated it with great sincerity, revealing her passion through the intense words. Her poems about love also overlapped with her love of nature, but she did not always view nature as a benevolent being. Dickinson wrote her poems with a specific style, which many deem as ‘cryptic’. This may be due in part to her deep symbolism, and the leaving out of some words, forcing the readers to finish the connection. She wrote from ambiguous first person, in which the narrator refers to itself as ‘I’, but was not necessarily Dickinson herself. She also relied on a large variety of literary devices, such as unusual (and frequently had more than one meaning) vocabulary, ‘slant rhymes’ or imperfect rhyme schemes, allusions to the Bible, and the dashed marks at the end of a verse.
“Not knowing when the dawn will come / I open every door.” (Dickinson, Fr7). Born 1830 to a Puritan New England family, her childhood was relatively normal. Her town encouraged a conservative approach to Christianity, and though she held Puritan beliefs all her life, some of that belief making its way into her poems alluding to God, she never joined the church, even after her entire family rejoined the church. This was not purely out of defiance, but that she felt she needed to be true to herself, not trusting herself to be able to give up everything for God were he to call her back. Besides religion, she would do many domestic duties that influenced the topics of her poems later in life, such as gardening, school, reading, writing, and taking walks. This may have set the foundation for her love of nature and elegant eloquence. Contrary to popular belief, she was extremely social when she was young, forming many close relationships, one of which became her sister-in-law. She grew steadily reclusive as years passed. Although this has caused her to be labeled ‘hermit’ and the like, perhaps it was just out of sheer practicality. She did not have time to be entertaining guests all the time, and it was well known she kept up correspondence with many close friends. In three letters, known as the ‘Master Letters’, it displayed turbulent romantic letters between Dickinson and another, anonymous individual. Her fascination with death may have been due in part to the deaths of many friends and relatives while she was still young, notably her cousin Sophia Holland. She also lived next to a cemetery, allowing her to witness the scenes of pain, loss, and death of others. During later years she was hit with the deaths of loved ones one after another. "The Dyings have been too deep for me, and before I could raise my Heart from one, another has come." (Dickinson, L939). All these things shed light on her close relationship with death and suffering. Her work was heavily influenced by Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as well as Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Keats, Emerson, and Walt Whitman.
“War feels to me an oblique place,” (Dickinson, L280). Although Dickson lived during the Civil War, her poems show barely any mention of the war. Of course, due to the many-layered interpretations of her work, it is impossible to say whether some poems, such as “It feels a shame to be Alive,” (Dickinson, Fr243), were inspired by the war. Instead of writing works of fervor directly addressing the war like most poets did during that time, she wrote small poems in a newspaper whose proceeds went to the war effort. During her youth, she was exceptional in that she had rare schooling, something that normal girls during that time did not have. She was sent to Amherst Academy, as well as a female Seminary, where she was educated in the sciences as well as the arts. This had a direct impact on her writing, and her unique voice and lexicon. Like other poets of her time, her work challenged the existing definitions of poetry. Like others, her experimentation with creative expression freed poetry from the social restraints of their time.
“Dickinson’s endings are frequently open. In this world of comparison, extremes are powerful. There are many negative definitions and sharp contrasts.” (Poetry Foundation, 2013). Just like Dickinson’s endings in poems were open to interpretation, Dickinson herself was a mass of contrasts and interpretation. She never published her work- "Publication is the auction of the mind" (Dickinson, Fr788), yet shared select writings with her family. It was only after death that her sister discovered the rest of her work, which were termed ‘fascicles’. As per her family’s wishes, the works became edited, bound and published to large success. Her quiet, yet tempestuous lifestyle brought to life some of the most brilliant poems in existence.
Bibliography:
· Dickinson, Emily. Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete. [S.l.]: General, 2010. Print.
· "Emily Dickinson." : The Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
· "Emily Dickinson." - Poets.org. Poets.org, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
· "Emily Dickinson Museum." Emily Dickinson Museum. Trustees of Amherst Project, n.d. Web.18 Mar. 2013.