By Morgan Muench
Biography
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachuchates. Dickinson was brought into this world by Edward and Emily Dickinson and has two siblings, Willian Austin Dickinson and Laviana Nocross Dickinson. Emily and her brother William are very close and she even wrote a poem to him called “There is another sky.” In this poem, Dickinson describes her relationship with her brother and reminds him home is wherever the heart is. Her parents and her, however, did not have a strong relationship and there is little/no mention about them in any of her poems. Dickinson’s schooling years were exceptional considering it was the early nineteenth century.
Dickinson experienced a lot of turmoil in her childhood which later brought doubt/ questions in her mind about religion and faith. According to the article “1830-1855: Childhood and Youth” written from the Emily Dickinson Museum website, “Deaths of friends and relatives, including her young cousin Sophia Holland, prompted questions about death and immortality. From the Pleasant Street house, located near the town cemetery, Dickinson could not have ignored the frequent burials that later provided powerful imagery for her poems”
While Emily was raised in a religious household and attended church, she had many doubts about the accuracy of religion. Readers see her beliefs in many of her poems such as “Some keep the Sabbath from going to Church,” “Of Course- I Prayed” and “Because I could not stop for Death.”
As Emily grew older, she became especially focused on her writing. During this intense period of time, her creativity led her to composing and saving poems. During her lifetime, less than 12 poems were published by Dickinson and are believed to be either published anonymously or without Emily’s consent. She did, however, share a fraction of her poems with close friends and families. Today, Emily Dickinson is known as America’s greatest poet and has published close to 1,800 poems.
analysis and evaluation of two poetry devices
Personification
The poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson is full of imagery and personification. In the opening lines of this poem she writes, “Because I could not stop for death./ He kindly stopped for me” (Dickinson 1-2). Right of the back of the poem Emily reveals she is very comfortable with death as she speaks about “him” in a calm, mellow tone. Here, death is effectively portrayed as a kind individual which is welcoming Emily. Later on in the poem, Emily’s use of personification jumps as she writes, “We passed the School, where Children stove./ At Recess- in the ring./ We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain./ We passed the setting sun” (Dickinson 9-12). Once again, Dickinson is giving death human characteristics and explains how gentle and kind “death” is as they have one last remembrance of Emily’s life.
Overall Evaluation
Emily Dickinson is one of the most well-known poets of all time. Dickinson grew up in an abnormal household with strained relationships with her parents. Today, she is known as America’s greatest poet, yet when she died, less than a dozen of her poems were published anonymously throughout her life. Growing up, Dickinson struggled with her faith was a direct reflection on society’s diverse perception of God. As a Chrisitian reader, Dickinson is an important icon to study as she confesses her doubts of faith. In her poem, “Of Course I Prayed,” Dickinson writes, “Of Course—I prayed./ And did God Care?./ He cared as much as on the Air./ A Bird—had stamped her foot” (Dickinson 1-4). This poem here suggests Dickinson’s anger towards a God who is absent and cannot hear her. I personally was very moved from this poem as I have a strong Christian foundation and believe full heartedly in our loving God.
In her poem, “There is Another Sky,” Dickinson reveals a softer, more tender side. This poem focuses on a conversation she is having with her younger brother. In the poem, her brother is away from home and Dickinson writes, “There is another sky./ Ever serene and fair,” (Dickinson 1-2) which expresses “there is another place for you.” This stuck with me personally as I have divorced parents and am not always “home.” Her poem revealed to me that family is special and home is home. Her central metaphor in this poem allows me to emotionally connect with her words and be reinforced with the idea that home is wherever the heart is.
After reading the perspective essay on “Because I could not stop for Death” by Martha Nell Smith, challenged me as a reader concerning my view of the world and faith. In the poem, Dickinson is expressing she is comfortable with death. I am, however, very frightened about dying. Martha Nell Smith writes, “Surrounded by the faithful, Dickinson struggled with trust and doubt in Christian promises herself, but whether she believed in salvation or even in immortality is endlessly debatable.” I found her explanation spot on regarding the feelings going on in my head about immortality. In the poem, Dickinson writes, “Because I could not stop for death./ He kindly stopped for me” (Dickinson 1-2). This here shows my doubts about stopping and waiting for death which this poem left on my shoulders. Dickinson explains her viewpoints of the world in her own mysterious way which is admired by many.
Metaphor
One of my absolute favorite poems from Emily Dickinson is the poem “There is Another Sky.” In this poem, Dickinson revolves her piece around the central metaphor which was exceptionally well done. In the poem, Dickinson is speaking to her brother who must have moved away. In the beginning of the poem, Emily writes, “There is another sky./ Ever serene and fair,” (Dickinson 1-2) which expresses “there is another place for you.” This metaphor allows readers to emotionally connect with her words that family is special and home is home, regardless where one might be. At the end of the poem we learn Dickinson is inviting her brother to her “home” with the reminder that home is wherever the heart is. We see this in the lines, “Prithee, my brother./ Into my garden come!” (Dickinson 13-14). Without the use of Dickinson’s metaphor, readers would not be able to connect to her words, ideas and overall theme of the poem.
Video About Dickinson
All Time Favorite Poem:
My all time favorite poem from Dickinson is “There is another Sky.” This poem stuck out to me as I grew up with divorced parents. Emily created this poem for her brother, Austin to remind him home is wherever the heart is. This was especially important for me as I am always at different “homes” yet home will always be with the people I love. Down below is a link to the website where the poem originated.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/emily_dickinson/poems/5212
Emily Dickinson 