The Poems of Emily Dickinson
A collection of poems that changed the world’s perspective on literature.
Introduction and Thesis
Having been born in the time of a rapidly changing society, Emily Dickinson’s poetry brought a different perspective to the world as she introduced a never-before-seen writing style. This has made Dickinson poems one of the most influential collections as it has completely altered the world’s adaptation of literature.
Growing up, Dickinson’s father was a legislator, senator and representative between the years of 1837 and 1855 (Poetry Foundation). With this, the social issues surrounding her at the time pushed her to be conscious of society, which inspired nearly all of her poems. With this, gender roles and religious ideals were questioned and pondered throughout her poetry.
My purpose of writing this is to highlight a prolific figure in combating conformity; a person who stood against society and moved past conventional restraints with the help of free expression. Throughout the collection, Dickinson addresses the tribulations of her life and her efforts to stray away from society’s chokehold. Dickinson was an inspiration to many modern day authors as her innovative way of writing captivated its readers.
About the Author
Emily Dickinson was one of the most influential poets in history. With her unique, unconventional writing style, she has become a renowned poet and has had a big influence on later poets.
Dickinson spent the majority of her life in isolation as she was an extreme nonconformist who felt she was incompatible with society. Dickinson never had good relationships with her family and peers which pushed her to spend her time alone writing poetry (Leiter).
A few of her poems were published in her lifetime, however, most were published without her consent. The ones she did publish herself were extremely edited to conform to the societal standards of her time (Cornelius).
Towards the end of her life, Dickinson requested that her sister, Lavinia Dickinson, burn all of her poems. Once Lavinia read Dickinson’s poems, she knew she had to publish them. Lavinia published the first 1,775 poems and later on Thomas H. Johnson, a literary scholar, edited and published the first complete set of her poems titled “The Poems of Emily Dickinson” (Cornelius).
About the Book
Dickinson’s writing style was very specific and rarely changed from poem to poem. Dickinson focus was short quatrains which typically involved extensive dashes and unconventional capitalization (Dickinson, 508). Since Dickinson did not have any intent to publish her poems, she did not name any of them. In order to keep the integrity of her poems, the first line is typically considered the title.
Dickinson was an observer as she often wrote about what she knew and experienced. The majority of her poems focus on crucial themes within her life. These topics include: love, religion, identity, and death. She wrote about religion quite frequently as her family was heavily devoted to their religion. In the poem 508, Dickinson speaks on her renunciation from the church and from her family’s religious belief.
Many of Dickinson’s poems were composed in crucial periods of history. During the American Civil War, Dickinson had written roughly half of her collection (Leiter). Following the Civil War, society desired conformity and normalcy. With this, the Civil War seemed to influence Dickinson thinking on tragedy as her writing spoke more on a celebration of who she was, her human desires and her internal struggles instead of what most of society believed at the time (Habegger).
Legacy
There is not much information on Dickinson, which might be one of the reasons people are so engrossed in her literature. Having been a female in a male-dominated society, Dickinson was an inspiration to many female writers as she persuaded women to do the same as herself. With this, she also inspired many later writers like Helen Hunt Jackson, Mabel Todd Loomis, Marianne Moore, Sylvia Plath, and Elizabeth Bishop (Jamison). Her influence has been so powerful that in 2019, Apple TV+ made a television series with the name of “Dickinson ‘’.
She was also thought to be homosexual as she had a romantic relationship with her brother’s wife, Susan Gilbert (Lieter). In today’s society, Dickinson would be seen as a role model to those questioning their sexuality and those who are a part of the LGBTQ+. Her sexuality can be inferred through the poems “Her Breast is Fit for Pearls” and “I have never seen “Volcanoes’’ — “ as both the “breasts’’ and the “volcanoes” are symbolism for Dickinson’s desire for the female body.
Overall, Dickinson has impacted many writers and altered the way people view literature. The world of literature may not have been the same without Dickinson. Therefore, this collection is one of the most infamous “Books that Changed the World”.
Works Cited
Cornelius, Kay. “Dickinson, Emily.” Emily Dickinson, Chelsea House, 2002. Bloom’s Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=95547&itemid=WE54&articleId=1506. Accessed 19 Mar. 2023.
Dickinson, Emily. “I’m Ceded — I’ve Stopped Being Their’s (F353A, J508).” White Heat, 2011, https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/whiteheat/im-ceded-ive-stopped-being-theirs-f353a-j508/.
Habegger, Alfred. “Emily Dickinson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Apr. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emily-Dickinson.
Jamison, Anne. “Emily Dickinson and Her Literary Descendants.” Common Reader, 16 Jan. 2020, https://commonreader.wustl.edu/c/emily-dickinson-and-her-literary-descendants/.
Leiter, Sharon. “Dickinson, Emily.” Critical Companion to Emily Dickinson, Facts On File, 2006. Bloom’s Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=95547&itemid=WE54&articleId=14447. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023
Poetry Foundation, Emily Dickinson. “Emily Dickinson.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2011, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinson.
