On-the-Themes-of-Emily-Dickinson-’s-Poetry

1OntheThemesofEmilyDickinson’sPoetryAsoneofthemostprominentwomenpoetsinthenineteenthcentury,EmilyDickinsonmadeagreatimpactonAmericanliterature,Shewasoutstandingamongthecontemporarypoets.Duetoherwithdrawalfromtheworld,herpoetrytendstobeverypersonalandmeditative.Inthoseshortandseeminglysimplepoems,Dickinsonaddressesawiderangeofissuesthatconcernthewholehumankind,thisessayanalyzesthethemesofherpoems,suchasdeath,natureandlove.Deathisoneofthemajorthemeinthelargestportionofherpoetry.Forherdeathisamust-be-crossedbridge,andtheonlywaytoeternity.Thethemeofdeathappearstobemiserableintheordinarypeople’seyes;however,byvirtueoftheinterestandimaginationofdeath,Dickinsondescribeddeathvividly.Sheleftadeepimpressionwithherprofoundobservationandexperience,descriptionofthescenesofdeathandlifeandoptimisticattitudestowarddeath.OfallDickinson’spoemsondeath,theIHeardaFlyBuzz——WhenIDiedisprobablythemostappropriateexample.InthefirststanzaDickinsondescribesthebackgroundofthispoem,whichsheliesinbed.Atthesametimethereisfullofstillnessintheroom.Itreflectsakindofgloomyatmosphereofdeath.InthesecondstanzaDickinsonconcentratesonthesorrowfulrelativesandfriendswhowitnesshowalivingpersontobecomethedead.Sotheycrieduntiltheireyeshadbeendry.Innextstanza,thepoet’sattentionisalsoonthedeadherself.Shebegantoimaginehowtosendherkeepsakestothepeopleintheworld.Meanwhileaflyinterposedandattractedherattention.Thequitemoodofthedeadisinterrupted.Inthelaststanzaofthispoem,aflylingersbetweenthelightandthedeadwithakindofannoyingbuzz.Thedyingspeakeristroubledbytheuncertaindistractingbuzzoftheinsect.Thisisthepoemthatdescribedtheexperienceandtheprocessofdeath.Thepoetplacesherselfintheplaceofdeathinordertoexperiencewhatfeelingofdeathis.ItprovesthatDickinson’srichimaginationondeathandthestrongdesiretoexplorewhatdeathreallymeans.Shedoesnotfeardeathatall.NatureisalsoDickinson’sfavoritetheme,shewrotemanypoemsaboutnature,2whichshowshergreatinterestinnature.Dickinsonpreferstousesensitivelanguagetopraisenature.AsImperceptiblyasGriefprovidesagoodexampleofDickinson’ssubtletyinaestheticismandsensitivityinobservationofnature.Withnostalgia,thespeakersighsoverthelossofsummerinthetonethatahospitablehostesslovinglyreproachesafavoriteguestfortakingaFrenchleave.Emphasizingthe“lightness”ofsummer’selapse.Thespeakermarksthetransitionalchangesattheturnoftheseason,regrettingovertheimpossibilityofdetainingthelovelyseason.Thoughthereisnodirectmentioningofthebeautyofsummer.Weunderstandhowbeautifulitmustbeinthepoetesseye.However,sheisdifferentfromthetraditionalpoetbecausesheholdscontradictoryattitudetowardsnature.Inthefirstplace,shelovesnature;inthesecondplace,shefeelsworriedandsuspiciousabouttherelationshipbetweennatureandhumanbeings.ThepoemABirdCameDowntheWalkisatypicalexampleofman’salienationfromnature.Abirdisathomeinnature,aggressivetowardsthewormwhichiteatsandpolitelyindifferenttothebeetle.Thespeakerisenjoyinghersecretspying,whichaddstothetensionofthescene,atensionthatbecomesmoreexplicitinthethirdstanza’sdescriptionofthebird’sfrighteneduneasiness.Thenthebirdrejectsherfriendlinessandfliesawaylikeaboatrowingintheocean.Loveisatraditionaltopicinthepoetryandmanypoetswriteaboutit.InDickinson’spoetry,thereareabout300poemsunderthethemeoflove,herlovepoemsgavethereadersasplendid,colorful,andfarreachingworld.Intheselovepoems,Dickinsonexpressedherselfandtotallyspokeouthersoul.Shetookaseriousconsiderationonhumanityandlove,andinheruniquestyleexpressedinherpoems.Herlovepoemsgatheredmoreemotionsthanothers:ecstaticandpassionate;sadanddistressed;clearandgloomy.Thepoemsdescribethepoetesscolorfulandincompatibleinnerworld.Forexample,WildNights——WildNightsissuchapoemonlove.Dickinsonexpressespassionatelongingforalovingphysicalintimacywiththespecificpersonsheisaddressing.ThesceneispresentedmetaphoricallyanditwaterimagesremindsusofdetailsinIStartedEarly——TookMyDog.Thefirststanzaanticipatenightstobespentwithabeloved.Inthesecondstanza,thesenights3becomeareality,andtheconcentratedimageryshowsthatthewildnessstandsbothforpassionandforthethreattoitfromthesociallyforbiddingworld.Inthefinalstanza,thismergingissuggestedby“rowinginEden”,wherethecombinationofseaandportcorrespondstothephysicalrealityofharbors.Thespeakerasamooringshipsuggestsawomannestlingagainstthebodyofmanandintohislife.Dickinson’spoetryisadmiredforitsoriginalityandartistry,whichhelpmouldmodernAmericanpoetry.Thethemesofherpoemsareusuallybasedonherownexperience,sorrowsandjoys;hermeditativecharacter,herfailureinlove,thedeathofherfriendsandrelatives,allcontributedtomakeherdeterminetolistentotheheartechoingtheoutsideworld.Inheropinion,Deathisnotfearfulthinginherpoems,peoplewillgotoimmortalityafterdeath.ItshowsDickinson’sdeepconcernonthefateofhumanbeing.Shewrotethepoemsofnatureatherfemaleperspective,focusedonsometinyandtrivialthings,fromtheseordinarythingsshowheruniquestyleandreflectsomethingdeeply.Thepoetesspraisedthemysteryandmagnificenceofthenaturebyherwellchosenandorganizedwords.Herlovepoemsdescribehercolorfulinnerworld,whichshowherbeautifulwishtopursuetru