Her Letter to the World
Please read the following poem by Emily Dickinson and respond to the questions below:
This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.
Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!
What inferences could you make from this poem about Emily Dickinson as a poet and a person? Examine also her picture above and comment on her expression, clothing, and/or overall appearance. How does she strike you?
posted by Kristin L at 3:35 PM
14 Comments:
I agree with Kevin, that Emily Dickenson had a negative outlook on life. She seems to be angry at the situation that she is in. I think that she may be fighting for women’s rights because of the way that she asks to be judged tenderly (Women’s rights were a touchy subject at the time). I think that this poem is asking for a change and looking for a reaction in society. Her overall appearance reflects this feminist view too, because she is dressed in very modest clothing, and looks very plain. She is not overdressed, and is definitely not dressed to impress. Her expression displays her dissatisfaction with the world at the present time. She strikes me as a strong, capable and very determined woman.
Emily Dickinson seems to be a lover of nature… philo-nature. She states, “The simple news that Nature told, with tender majesty”. She seems to believe in the Mother Nature and Father Time as she refers to nature as a “she”. With that, Emily Dickenson appears to be a feminist of some sort. She wears her hair tightly pulled back and does not seem to pretty herself up. She is wearing an old looking dress and a necktie. Emily does not appear to take care of herself. She seems to be drawing a blank expression on her face. Someone told me once that Ms. Dickenson had a tough life and many struggles. Emily Dickenson seems to be a lost soul searching for acceptance.
Emily Dickinson seems to me to be a person who cares about her country. She cares about everyone in this world, not just the people she knows but espescially she people she does not. She is trying to speak out to the men and women that every person in this world is important. Emily Dicckinson strikes me as a person who is very intelligent and caring.
This is a very interesting poem. I agree with Kevin. It doesn’t seem like Emily Dickenson has a very bright outlook on life. It seems like she is angry at the world. When she says, “to hands I cannot see” I think she means that she does not want to see any people. She probably doesn’t go out of her house very much. In the picture, her clothes are dark and she has a blank expression on her face. She looks like she is trying to prove a point.
I really agree with Amber. She does seem to be modest, and soft spoken. Though, part of her words seem to paint the picture of someone who doesn't want to hold a grudge, another part of it also seems to think that she was wronged and that she deserves better that what she was given. I also think that her clothes match the modesty in her poem, and make her seem like a person who would understand the hardships in life, but not be "overtaken" by grief.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Through this poem, I feel as if Emily Dickinson was lonely and in need of a companion. I also feel that she wanted to grasp the attention of those around her through "pity" poems. For example when she states, "This is my letter to the world, That never wrote me" Emily gives the impression that it was up to everyone that surrounded her to please her and make her happy when in reality she was perfectly capable of creating a two-way relationship. While viewing the picture of Emily Dickinson, I saw a lost and lonely woman in search of a superior life. She looked frail as if she had not eaten in days, possibly because she simply forgot to because her abandoned body was close to lifeless. Her facial expressions appear as if she desperately wants to smile but she is so lost in her lonely thoughts that her true emotions cannot sneak their way through. Also, she looks like she is drowning in her clothes. Lastly, when looking towards her hands, the way she is holding that material makes me think she is nervous and uneasy about another person photographing her.
It seems that Emily Dickinson isn't a very happy person in this poem. The stanza "This is my letter to the world, that never wrote to me." makes me believe that she thinks the world has ignored her. Yet it also seems that she has a love for life as well and is a very caring person. Her image doesn't really strike me as happy nor does it strike any sort of feeling for me. The black and white coloration and her blank look on her face doesn't show much emotion but it does show a determined woman behind it.
It seems that Emily Dickinson isn't a very happy person in this poem. The stanza "This is my letter to the world, that never wrote to me." makes me believe that she thinks the world has ignored her. Yet it also seems that she has a love for life as well and is a very caring person. Her image doesn't really strike me as happy nor does it strike any sort of feeling for me. The black and white coloration and her blank look on her face doesn't show much emotion but it does show a determined woman behind it.
I also agree with Kevin on the fact that she could have been a transcendentalist. I get this impression because her poem talks about nature. Her quote, “The simple news that nature told, with tender majesty” implies that Emily Dickinson believed that nature is beautiful and powerful. She seems like the kind of person that is very reserved and quiet. I would guess that she didn’t have a lot of friends because she loved to write poems. She doesn’t seem to be super wealthy either, because her clothing is not extremely detailed and elegant. Emily seems like a very nice and proper person, whom I would have loved to have a conversation with. I bet she was a very knowledgeable person with a strong opinion.
Well the truth is, I didn’t really understand what the poem was really about . The poem did make me think that Emily Dickenson was a very kind loving person, who cared a lot for others. In the picture she looks very innocent and a person who wouldn’t hurt a fly. She is holding something in her hands but I don’t know what it is. I infer that Emily Dickenson was a very nice girl.
As a poet Emily Dickenson is seen as a great, and rightfully so. This poem brings out her uncanny ability to bewilder readers to a point of frustration. She seems like a very depressed person blaming the world for not keeping in touch with her even though she has made several attempts to keep in touch with it. She says that nature is for people unlike her “Her message is committed/ To hands I cannot see;” Emily does not see who nature is committed to, but she knows that it is not her. She seems like the type of lady that would sit on her front porch and yell at all the kids that ran through her lawn.
From the picture, it looks like Emily Dickinson has some sort of secret, i infer this from the smirk she has. She looks very uptight as well, it's like she is one person to the outside world, and she is another through her poetry. I think she is kind of bitter about the way she cares about the world, yet no one shows the same emotion towards her. Also it definitly seems as though she has a hidden message in her poetry.
The poem seemed to be unsure of herself and insecure. She doesn't look to be beautiful but not ugly. Just plain, black and white. Like there is nothing that she has hidden from the world. She is not an outgoing person and is more to herself. Not much excitment in her life.
Post a Comment
<< Home