Area of Study: Belongingfinishingwell.weebly.com/.../aos_analysis_notes.docx · Web viewArea of Study: Belonging Poems of Emily Dickinson In this document there are notes by rubric

Area of Study: BelongingPoems of Emily Dickinson

In this document there are notes by rubric point and also notes by poem. At the end of the document there are general notes regarding other aspects of this module.

ContentsRelationships.................................................................................................................................3

I died for beauty but was scarce...............................................................................................3

I gave myself to him..................................................................................................................3

I had been hungry all the years.................................................................................................3

The Saddest Noise, the Sweetest Noise....................................................................................4

This is My Letter to the World...................................................................................................5

Acceptance...................................................................................................................................6

I died for beauty, but was scarce..............................................................................................6

I had been hungry all the years.................................................................................................6

This is my letter to the world....................................................................................................7

What mystery pervades a well..................................................................................................7

Barriers and Choices to Belonging................................................................................................8

A narrow fellow in the grass.....................................................................................................9

I died for beauty........................................................................................................................9

I gave myself to him................................................................................................................10

I had been hungry all the years...............................................................................................10

The saddest noise, the sweetest noise...................................................................................11

This is my letter to the world..................................................................................................12

What mystery pervades a well................................................................................................12

Connections to People/Group/Community................................................................................14

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass..................................................................................................14



Experience..................................................................................................................................16

I died for beauty......................................................................................................................16




Historical and Social Context......................................................................................................20

Religion...................................................................................................................................20

Male dominated society.........................................................................................................20

Slavery (historical)...................................................................................................................20

Conservative society...............................................................................................................21

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Social and Personal Belonging....................................................................................................22



I died for Beauty:....................................................................................................................22

I had been hungry all the years:..............................................................................................23

Place and Wider Community......................................................................................................24

Notions of Identity......................................................................................................................30

I died for beauty......................................................................................................................30


I Had Been Hungry All the Years.............................................................................................30

Potential to Enrich and Challenge Society..................................................................................31


What mystery pervades a well................................................................................................31

A word dropped careless........................................................................................................31


A narrow fellow in the grass...................................................................................................31

I died for beauty......................................................................................................................32

Influences of time.......................................................................................................................33

Thesis Ideas.............................................................................................................................33

I Had Been Hungry All the Years.............................................................................................33

The Saddest Noise, the Sweetest Noise..................................................................................33

A Word Dropped Careless On A Page.....................................................................................34

General Notes about Poems.......................................................................................................35



I died for beauty, but was scarce............................................................................................37

Narrow fellow in the grass......................................................................................................37



A word dropped careless on a page........................................................................................39

PDF Notes for Each Poem...........................................................................................................40

Textual Forms.............................................................................................................................50

Short answer techniques............................................................................................................54

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Relationships

I died for beauty but was scarce

Central idea: Death forms relationships between all human beings by erasing their identity.

- “Adjusted in the tomb” Every aspect of human life, ideals, feelings, identity is erased by death. The action of

erasing is symbolised by “adjust”, humans are adjusted by death. Creates a relationship between every human being as everyone is equal in death

- “And so, as Kinsmen, met at Night” The use of “Kinsmen,” shows that the social inequality between men and women has

been erased by death. The persona longs for a Platonic companionship, which can only be achieved during

death.

- “When one who died for truth was lain, in an adjoining room.” The juxtaposition between the rooms shows their belonging with each other. Further emphasis that people can belong in death.

- “Until the moss had reached our lips, and covered up our names.” Moss is the only thing alive in this poem, the action of covering up their name also

symbolises the erasing of identity, by nature as represented by the moss. Death is a part of nature, and this line suggests that nature makes everyone equal

and connect everyone after death.

I gave myself to him

- “Myself a poorer prove that this great purchaser suspect” This reflects the relationship between male and female where the use of financial

jargon reflects the idea that marriage is a “contract”. This negative view of commitment connects to her negative view on commitment to society.

- “Sweet debt” The oxymoron of sweetness (positive) paired with debt (negative) demonstrates

that it is the woman’s duty to satisfy her partner (this relates to Dickinson’s context as the man was always seen as being superior).

I had been hungry all the years

- "I had been hungry"

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This use of a personal pronoun shows that the poem is extremely personal and can be seen as a confession (for her desire to form a relationship with those among society)

- "I looked in windows for the wealth I could not hope for mine" This reveals Dickinson’s alienation from society, highlighting that she lacks

relationships with people. The 'wealth' symbolises a sense of belonging amongst society and the 'window' symbolising a mirror of her life. Considering she is only ‘looking’ shows that although she may wish to have a relationship with the people within the window, she is unable to do so.

- "plenty hurt me" It is evident the persona was given an opportunity to belong, however when

experienced, she describes it as being hurtful. This emphasises that a relationship with society is so new to her that it brings her such great discomfort. This discomfort is then particularly shown within stanza four, whereby the fractured rhyme scheme mimics this emotion.

- "The birds and I had often shared in nature's dining room" This emphasises that although the persona may be unable to form a relationship

with society, her relationship with nature is enriched. After she experiences the discomfort within stanza 4, she wishes to return back to her simple life among nature. This highlights that the persona’s relationship with nature acts, as her 'comfort zone' or where she is able to find solitude.

The Saddest Noise, the Sweetest Noise

Idea: Relationships in this poem make the persona feel like she belonged but once the people that they had the relationship with have died the persona is left with memories which they relate to a paradox in a happy and mad bird song

- “It makes us think of all the dead…It makes us think of what we had” Repetition of “It makes us think” emphasises a yearning for the past, suggesting a

feeling of belonging with the deceased rather than those of Dickinson’s immediate context – the persona cannot belong in the present due to a lack of relationships.

- “Beyond which summer hesitates, almost too heavenly near” Personification of summer following by selective use of descriptive word “heavenly” The personification emphasises the persona’s relationship with nature and how the

changing of seasons is linked to the cycle of life by addition of “heavenly” Link to the cycle of life shows how our relationship with nature continues as our life

cycle continues, even when we die.

- “An ear can break a human heart as quickly as a spear” Simile, Painful imagery

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Puts emphasis on pain and suffering showing how the bird song and the memories it brings back of past relationships is painful to the persona

- “The saddest noise, the sweetest noise, the maddest noise” Repetition of ‘s’, listing, paradox Puts emphasis on the fact that two are negative and one positive showing that the

persona is upset that they still no longer have their treasured relationships but are happy that they happened

- “That magical frontier” Metaphor for summer Summer is magical for the persona by her remembering all the happy times with the

relationships she once belonged to Also creates a paradox with the bird song which focuses on the negative

This is My Letter to the World

- “The simple news that nature told with tender majesty” Nature is personified as a female figure (which has positive connotations of

kindness and care), revealing the mutual love and acceptance between Dickinson and nature

The word “majesty” holds connotations of kingdom/royalty, which to society “belong”

- “This is my letter to the world that never wrote to me” Use of absolute adjective ‘never’ highlights the extent of alienation and rejection as

Dickinson’s attempt at communication is unreciprocated

- “For love of her, sweet countrymen, Judge tenderly of me.” Hopeful, pleading tone paired with imperative (“judge”) is meant to create a

response within the reader

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Acceptance

I died for beauty, but was scarce

- ‘adjusted in the tomb’ The persona is forgotten by the society which never accepted him/her

- ‘I failed’ Accepting that she failed to understand the beauty of nature and be accepted

by it Failed to be accepted in life due to the value placed on nature rather than

relationships by the persona

- ‘and covered up our names’ The moss covering her name prevents her from having a voice, suggesting that

even Dickinson’s writings will be forgotten in time Even in death the persona experiences isolation and is not accepted as their

memory is forgotten

- ‘Themself are one.’ Despite a lack of acceptance which the persona longed for in life, everyone will

eventually be accepted by death


- ‘I had been hungry all the years’ The prolonged imagery of isolation shows that Dickinson has been ‘hungry’ for

acceptance all her life and when she found it; it was not what she expected. An individual desiring belonging may no longer be ‘hungry’ after experiencing a sense of acceptance – it may be too painful. From this, Dickinson decides to not be immersed within society.

- ‘trembling drew the table near’ ‘Trembling’ highlights that Dickinson is struggling to conform to the norm of

the community

- ‘I looked in windows for the wealth’ Metaphorical language shows that Dickinson is commercialising the value of

belonging and the need to be accepted. The use of symbolism of ‘windows’ acts as a barrier to acceptance.

- ‘unlike the crumb the birds and I had often shared in nature’s dining room’ The metaphorical language shows that Dickinson finds that being accepted by

nature is far more satisfying than belonging to society, whereby the ‘crumb’ is the opposite of the ‘wealth’

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The positively friendly connotations of ‘shared’ and ‘dining’ highlights that these are important elements in being accepted by society

- ‘myself felt ill and odd’ Dickinson is disappointed/disillusioned by the experience of being accepted –

she feels very uncomfortable as portrayed by the use of both ‘ill’ and ‘odd’ to emphasise this feeling

- ‘entering takes away’ Having the small experience of acceptance has been discomforting and

disappointing.

This is my letter to the world

- ‘this is my letter to the world’ The metaphorical language shows Dickinson’s attempt to reach out to those

around her with a desire to be accepted by her community

- ‘that never wrote to me’ The personification of the world and use of the absolute adjective ‘never’

shows that Dickinson has not been accepted by the world, there is no relationship between the persona or the world

- ‘the simple news that nature told with tender majesty’ The personification of ‘the simple news that nature told’ shows that Dickinson

has found sense of acceptance with nature. Dickinson demonstrates respect and reverence towards nature because she feels that she has been accepted by the world.

The positive connotations of ‘majesty’ show that Dickinson admires nature as being ‘majestical’ and feels accepted by this notion

- ‘to hands I cannot see’ The regretful tone demonstrates that Dickinson feels isolated/not accepted by

her world because of her unavoidable situations. Dickinson wants to belong to the world but on her own terms and this becomes the paradox of the poem – she wants to be accepted for who she is, because of her individual qualities.

- ‘judge tenderly of me’ Dickinson feels that she has not been accepted by society because of her lack

of knowledge about the ‘sweet countrymen’. Dickinson has the desire to belong, but she does not adhere to the conventions of society. She is aware of this and knows that she cannot be immersed within society unless she does so.

What mystery pervades a well

- ‘lid of glass’ A metaphor for the barrier preventing the persona from being accepted by

nature.

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- ‘I often wonder he can stand so close and look so bold’ Dickinson envies that she is not accepted by nature and this is seen in the way

nature is accepted by itself.

- ‘that those who know her know her less the nearer her they get’ The paradox shows that by a lack of understanding one can more easily be

accepted by nature. The more understanding an individual has, the more complexities arise, which limit a person’s ability to be accepted

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Barriers to and Choices of Belonging

A narrow fellow in the grass

Barriers

“grass divides with a comb”o Analogy to hair: metaphoro Analogy of ‘divide/division’ shows Dickinson describing pathways of lifeo Use of a man-made object, ‘comb’ portrays Dickinson feels she has been

controlled by a meaningless object, feeling detached with society

Choices

“a floor too cool for corn”o Ironyo Dickinson’s emotional complacency is seen as she rejects ‘conforming’ sharing

a ‘floor’ that does not match to society. ‘Too cool for corn’ suggests that it does not suit her needs

I died for beauty

Barriers

“We talked between the rooms, Until the moss had reached our lips and covered up our names”

Imagery One can relate moss to ‘mould’ which shows Dickinson believes no one will

remember her as she slowly disintegrates into the background This line provokes audience’s emotions of fear/despair if forgotten (everyone

wants to be remembered) Metaphorical barrier between persona and society The wall between adjoining rooms acts as a metaphorical barrier between the

persona and society, represented by the kinsmen that she converses with. Here there is a sense of belonging in which she has a connection to society, yet there is still a barrier

The ‘spirits’ of truth and beauty communicate until forgotten. Dialogue initiated between the two personas demonstrates recognition of each other’s presence – but, they are subject to constraints of time when their lips are covered by moss. Dickinson similarly suggests that her communication with

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society is subject to constraints of time, she believes a future audience will understand her and she will belong.

“meeting place” Suggests Dickinson believes all humans are united in death. Death is where we

all equally and ultimately belong.


Barriers

“myself a poorer prove” A sense of disappointment and inadequacy leads the persona to fear and a

sense of disillusionment and disconnection, loss, passion and routine The female persona is afraid she will disappoint the male who is the dominant

figure in the relationship – this relates to Dickinson’s personal context

“Sweet debt” Juxtaposition between sweetness and debt Suggest pleasant situation – can renew resources every afternoon – suggest

nothing left to give because already given all that they can to each other - female may be uncertain about identity during day is she good enough

“myself the poorer prove” belonging matter luck rather than romantic notion even though give

themselves wholly to each other – implication is sexual compatibility “daily own of love… each night to owe” is deciding factor if find mutual gain

“the solemn contract of a life, was ratified this way” Symbolism Cannot escape ‘ratified this way’ life is full of experiences one cannot 100%

control – therefore a barrier to fill life

Choices

“I gave myself to him” Financial Jargon Though the persona has chosen to physically belong to someone, there is no

sense of emotional belonging. This is shown by use of commercial jargon, showing that she is merely a possession and part of a trad

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Barriers

“I look in windows for the wealth I could not hope for mine” Metaphorical imagery The window depicts a metaphorical barrier which alludes to her psychological

difficulties to grasp her cravings which is her desire for acceptance in society.

“I could not hope for mine” She is too deep in her seclusion and is too scared to make the transition from

the “crumb” to the “plenty”. Hunger, is a barrier as the world she perceived is only a figure of her

imagination not reality thus producing skewed expectations

“Inside… outside” Antithesis Shows Dickinson’s clear understanding that she does not belong through the

opposing words

Choices

“As a berry of a mountain bush, transplanted to the road” Simile She willingly secludes herself from society evident through her position in the

thoroughfare of society, on the side of the “road”. Note that the persona chooses to belong to nature as she finds connection

evident through the imagery, directly connecting herself to nature

“Wealth” and “ample bread” and “berry” Though tempted, the persona rejects the abundance of society (“the plenty”,

“wealth”, “ample bread”) for the simplicity and adequacy of nature (“crumb” and natural “berry”)

“The birds I had often shared in nature’s dining room” Imagery She finds serenity/peace with nature and chooses to share her life with nature

The saddest noise, the sweetest noise

Barriers

“frontier”

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A frontier can be read as being a boundary, whether between countries, seasons or the living and dead


Barriers

“this is my letter to the world / That never wrote to me” Personification, metaphor, absolute term She desires to belong to society and the literary cannon of her fellow countrymen;

however, she cannot due to the world’s perception of her poetry, leading to a barrier to acceptance

Choices

Even though she voluntarily withdraws from society, she feels indignant that it seems to function without noticing her. Her petulant accusatory claim that no one ever communicates with her indicates that she begrudges or resents her invisibility. But then it was she who cut off society.

Emily Dickinson made a wilful, deliberate and determined resolution to retreat from society and commune with nature, yet she yearns for acknowledgement and recognition. Some critics contend that she wrote, as consolation, out of sheer egotism - a desire to be recognised, remembered after death.

“The simple news that nature told with tender majesty” Personification, juxtaposition and connotations This reveals her love for nature and majesty has strong connotation with

emotional resonance. It suggests that nature speaks to her with benevolence and largess (kindness and generosity), demonstrating her connection with nature and her sense of belonging. Thus she chooses to belong to nature over society.

Capitalisation ‘nature’ emphasises her respect for nature and the personification ‘nature told’ provokes the audience to perceive how Dickinson engaged with nature.

“Her message is committed To hands I cannot see” Synecdoche? She willingly withholds her poetry from her society for the future generations

of “hands [she] cannot see”


Choices

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“The grass does not appear afraid. I often wonder he can stand so close and look so bold. At what is awe to me”

Personification This shows the high regard for nature that the persona has for a non-living

thing that is not usually given thoughts or feelings. The grass is an example of stoicism (endures pain without feeling) – it is not metaphorically frightened. Grass is low in the scheme of things and is impassive compared to the reactions of a sensitive and imaginative human being. Grass is part of nature so it does not need to fear it. She willingly positions herself to belong to nature and the natural.

The persona has an ambivalent relationship with nature, not knowing whether she should fear it or be in awe of it.

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Connections to People/Group/Community

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass

— “A floor too cool for corn” Snakes like to cultivate uninhabited land (useless to humans) – shows

Dickinson’s want to be apart from others and the rest of society

— “But never met this fellow” There is a shift from curiosity to a dismissive tone in the final stanza

— “Several of nature’s people / I know, and they know me” Finally makes connection with something/one (NATURE) – has great affinity

with it.


— “Hunger” Hunger is an extended metaphor of the yearning of having a connection with

People/Group/community

— “nutritious” Feels as if though these connections will be “nutritious” and it will sustain her

— “wealth” She believes having a connection with others will prove to be of “wealth”- this

use of wording has connotations of being prosperous and successful, and this is what she hoped for

— “Looked in windows, for the wealth / I could not hope for mine” Window is a physical representation of the barrier she has placed between

herself and communities

— “ill and odd” Her experience of belonging to a community however did not satisfy her as she

thought it would – she finds that in order to form these connections she must give up too much of her self-identity, claiming she felt: “ill and odd”

— “the birds and I had often shared”, “as berry of a mountain bush” Identifies with nature She instead prefers an affiliation with nature – she finds that forming a

connection with ‘place’ does not have the same pressures as forming a connection with people

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Dickinson usually subverts traditional poetry tropes, though has adhered to them here (regular ABAB rhyme) – possibly indicative of her attempting to forge a strong connection with readers

— “noise”; “delicious” Begins with juxtaposition of superlatives – paradoxical: suggests heightened

emotional experience; highlights intensity of experience; also aided by sensory images (“noise”; “delicious”)

— “it makes us think” Repetition of this phrase is foreboding

— “sauntered” Slow, relaxed connotations: shows that she has taken connections for granted

when she was alive, and once removed from us, separation makes individuals realise how important they are

— “separation’s sorcery” Sibilance emphasises ties to ‘witchcraft’; considered an extremely negative

influence

— “we wish”, “I” Use of inclusive pronoun (“we wish”) as opposed to personal (“I”) – trying to

show the common weakness that she and her audience share; again aiming for a connection

— “We wish the ear had not a heart / So dangerously near” fears closeness of relationships held in communities

— “delicious…spring…magical…heavenly” and “cruelly…saddest…dead…siren” Juxtaposition of words of both positive AND negative connotations give insight

into Dickinson’s confusion

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Experience

I died for beauty

- “I died for beauty” The primary meaning of "for" is ‘in the cause of’, however it has a secondary

meaning, which is ‘to achieve’ or ‘to have as a goal’ Her perception of beauty, truth and virtue are viewed through the lens of

death as being a prominent, recurring thing Similar to Keats’ idea of achieving beauty in death Beauty is both natural and emotional

- “I died for beauty… when one who died for truth” Speaking positively of death, while still scared about it, she is almost attracted

to death because it can end her woes. She was scared of the notion of prolonged, painful death or illness or agony, but she hoped she could die peacefully

Dying for beauty is a worthy death- “but was scarce adjusted in the tomb”

Existential experiences of fatalism Experiences of life versus death She sees both the appeal and escapism of death, whilst also dreading it

- “He questioned softly why I failed? “For beauty” I replied. “and I for truth – the two are one”

Nature is beautiful and “beauty is truth”, therefore truth is in nature and pretence is in the unnatural (society)


- “the wealth might disappoint” Shows how the marriage is a façade

- “pay”, “contract” Mercantile language (relating to trade or commerce) demonstrates her

experience of institution of marriage was cold and removed, her experience of belonging was a façade, as though it was a checkpoint list of preconceived expectations (marriage, children etc.), versus how she genuinely feels, in terms of her emotions and her true belief about the sanctity of marriage

Mercantile language replaces the religious connotations of union, and shows a shifting focus within her society

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Comments on how she never experienced a more nurturing society, whatever thoughts she had, she could not share with her society, she was not able to flourish

- “at least ‘tis mutual risk, some found it mutual gain” She views the experience as a risk, rather than a gain, demonstrating how she

differs from her society

- “myself a poorer prove” Shy in social situations, felt discomfort at dealing with social situations, Her friend and literary critic, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, would later say

how tense the meeting with her was: “I was never with anyone who drained my nerve power so much.” –Higginson.

Her relationship with Higginson further demonstrates her self-conscious feelings, as well as her feeling of not being able to live up to the dream

- “solemn contract of a life was ratified this way” She knows she is an outsider because she does not comply with this contract

between people because she lacks emotional relationships with others She simplifies the idea of marriage and as a result it loses its shining quality,

and becomes a more unemotional

- “still fable in the Isles of Spice” Fables are stories and lies, so to Dickinson marriages were just performances,

almost myth-like

- “Sweet debt of life each night to owe... daily own of love” Overall feelings towards her experiences of superficial and materialistic

marriages By removing herself from the materialistic society, she is standing true to her

personal moral values


- “looked in windows” Experiences of wanting to belong A person who does not belong, positioned external to the sphere of belonging,

inferred from her “looking in” She realises the unfulfilled need or desire – the ‘hunger’ – to belong is

irresolute, once she tries to belong she sees it is not to her taste – the ‘entering takes away’ i.e. once she ‘entered’ the sphere of belonging, her ‘hunger’ disappeared – the entering of society takes away her hunger.

- “Nor was I hungry; so I found / That hunger was a way / Of persons outside winder, / The entering takes away.”

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Experiences of rejecting belonging – she does not conform to society She realises the unfulfilled need or desire – the ‘hunger’ – to belong is

irresolute, once she tries to belong she sees it is not to her taste – the ‘entering takes away’ i.e. once she ‘entered’ the sphere of belonging, her ‘hunger’ disappeared – the entering of society takes away her hunger.

- “The plenty hurt me, t’was so new, / Myself felt ill and odd” Wanting to belong, as long as it doesn’t take away from her already formulated

sense of identity – not willing to compromise herself to fit in The “plenty” – the majority i.e. society, those that belong to the wider

collective “hurt” her and cause her pain – her perception is that to belong is to suffer. When she tries to belong she feels out of place or in a state of suffering – “ill and odd”

“myself felt ill and odd” – staccato patterning

- “I did not know the ample bread, / 'T’was so unlike the crumb” Juxtaposition of ample and crumb, her experience of belonging is minute and

insignificant compared to the more voluminous experience of belonging shared by all. Ample bread = society, crumb = herself.

Alternatively: the ample bread is the church, and the crumb(s) are the individuals who profess to be religious, yet they are so “unlike” the doctrines of the church to which they belong i.e. they are hypocrites. The church’s values of inclusion, acceptance and love are subscribed to by its followers, but not upheld or enacted by them. Think: “the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree” analogy. Bread as a symbol of Catholicism i.e. communion, the body of Christ


- “that never wrote to me” She has tried to engage and has been rejected, absolute adjective ‘never’

suggests finality, both in the past and in the future

- “her message is committed to hands I cannot see” The religious experience was more accurately seen through nature, where she

could experience pure joy ‘hands I cannot see’ suggests godly hands not physical ones, therefore she

cannot physically connect, but may emotionally/spiritually connect Her isolation and rejection of the church means she cannot be enlightened (her

eyes cannot be opened) – hence why she cannot ‘see’

- “for love of her sweet countrymen, judge tenderly of me” She specifically references the country ‘men’ due to the fact that the society

was patriarchal (male dominated)

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‘countrymen’ can also be read as referring to the audience in general – so possible future generations will understand her better and her connection to them will be stronger

- “letter”, “message” Motif of communication, she communicated her ideas about her experiences

through letters and words

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Historical and Social Context

Religion

The movement called the Great Revival changed society’s perspectives on religion in America. Dickinson's family joined the Great Revival movement, however; Dickinson was a sceptic of it. She refused to be a part of religious movements and attending church. The audience can perceive that the persona in Dickinson's poetry is an outsider to society, possibly due to the fact that Dickinson herself doesn't have the same viewpoints as her family and the society she lives in, regarding religion and the movement which was popular at this time in history. It is vital to take into consideration Dickinson's viewpoint on this aspect of life as it essentially affects the shaping of her own identity, which causes her to have the reoccurring theme of not belonging.

Examples can include in the poem I Gave Myself to Him, in the lines "I gave myself to him" and "and took himself for pay", which generally portrays the concept of the religious context. These lines link together marriage and the contract of slavery. This overall conveys the religious context as Dickinson perceives marriage as a negative thing, almost as an agreement of convenience in society; Dickinson's viewpoint on nature can be reflected through this.

Male Dominated Society

Emily Dickinson grew up in a male dominated (patriarchal) society which has an influence on her sense of belonging/not belonging within her context and portrayed through her poetry. This was an era of rigid social convention in a conservative society where women had little place with little voice in society. Girls would obey their fathers and grew up to marry (usually approved or set up by the family). At the time, the American literary world was not close to female writers and women would only write about the morals of society, whereas Dickinson challenged the society and the role in which women would have in society. Poetry was considered a man’s arena, especially in New England. Through Dickinson poem “I gave myself to him”, she reflects the social context at which she is writing from, where women’s roles were to marry and be of service to her husband. Through this poem it also is reflective of her religious context with the symbolism of the contract of marriage “myself a poorer prove”.

Slavery (Historical)

During the 1840s and 1850s there was a social movement organised to abolish the institution of slavery. Dickinson’s father fought for the abolition of slavery, and when the bill was passed for individual states to choose whether or not to adopt slavery into their state, so Edward Dickinson and other U.S. Congressmen began to plan a new political party, which is now known as the Republican Party.

The Civil War touched Emily Dickinson’s life, as her brother paid a conscript to take his place in the war to avoid it, Dickinson’s friend Thomas Wentworth Higginson led the first black

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regiment in the Union army, and one of her closest friend’s husbands was killed by an explosion in the battle.

With reference to her poem I Gave Myself to Him: “I gave myself to him, / and took himself for pay” Dickinson immediately creates an analogy centred on the similarities between loveless marriage and the contract of slavery.

Dickinson’s analogy contrasts the plight of slaves fought over by the idealistic men of the mid-nineteenth century to the plight of their middle-class wives who ironically existed in near-servitude to their husbands.

Conservative society

At the time that Dickinson wrote her poems, the conventions of poetry demanded strict form. Dickinson’s use of broken meter, unusual rhythmic patterns and assonance were looked down upon as sloppy and inept from respected critics of the time. However, her style in time was echoed by many respected poets such as T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Many could not see past her unique technique to appreciate her beautiful imagery and fresh metaphors.

Quote Technique Justification“I gave myself to him, and took him for pay”

Analogy Dickinson immediately creates an analogy centred on the similarities between loveless marriage and the contract of slavery. Dickinson’s analogy contrasts the plight of slaves fought over by the idealistic men of the mid-nineteenth century to the plight of their middle-class wives who ironically existed in near-servitude to their husbands

“the wealth might disappoint, myself a poorer prove”

Symbolism The wealth symbolising an item and the use of first person “myself”- show the expectations and the ‘disappointment’ of not having the potential to meet expectations. Men in Dickinson’s context would have no voice and would obey the man and therefore it was important for a woman to meet the man’s expectation in the marriage.

“depreciate the vision”

Allusion and irony

The irony (satire) of the poem is centred on the excessive legal and fiscal requirements “depreciates the vision”- alludes to the fear and reluctance of the bride to join her husband in a marriage contract. This emphasises belonging within a relationship and the power at the male has within the marriage and therefore this reflective of her social context as males dominated society.

“but till the merchant buy, still fable in the isles of spice”

Beautiful and exotic imagery

This is suggesting the power at which the males have within society as there is an imbalance in power and/ or expectations. The ‘merchant buy’- symbolism the slavery as well as the females lack of power in her relationship and in society therefore specific to her social and historical context - where males had strong dominance and females would obey.Unequal power within a relationship created the expectation that married women will bear children and attend to the housekeeping duties of their husbands domicile. Her identity is made all the more precarious given that if her value disappointment, she may be ultimately jettisoned as cargo, and thereafter be at loss for any identity at all- the nautical imagery of the third stanza suggesting a woman whose identity and sense of self-worth lies uneasily on a surfeit of water or else is figuratively all at sea.

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Social and Personal Belonging

Social - Inclined to seek out or enjoy the company of others; sociable; Spent in or marked by friendly relations or companionship; Intended for convivial activities.

Real world example: Team sports, community involvement, working with the society Personal - Of or relating to a particular person; private:

Real world example: playing sport for personal gain, rather than for the team


She scrutinised the inextricable links between orthodoxy, the formation of an individual’s identity and the agonising paradox of belonging

‘I gave myself to him; is indicative both of generosity and of wholehearted self-giving Marriage – does it merely socially sanction inferiority? Is the self-lost to the union? Is it

an empowering expression of love? Longing – is it a socialised way of being? The poem presents a negative portrayal of love’s business. It also queries the wisdom

of belonging.


The tension between gender, identity and writing were unique only to women. She commonly explored the process by which culture urges conformity.

Personal autonomy, compound words like self-realisation, self-expression, and self-reliance emerged to describe a process by which a heightened state of awareness could be obtained.

The persona’s sense of isolation is captured in the opening lines, ‘This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me…’

For the love of nature, personified traditionally as female the persona asks the world to judge her ‘tenderly’. The ‘world’, now is defined as the ‘sweet’ one whom she loved and ‘countrymen’, probably in the old-fashioned sense of one’s immediate community rather than the whole nation.

I died for Beauty:

Idea Quote AnalysisPersonal Her personal

motive is beauty Fear of being

forgotten The bond between

family members

- "I died for beauty"

- "Adjusted in the tomb"

- "As kinsman… covered up our names"

- "moss had

The use of first person language

Personal thoughts The poem is like a diary as

she The family burial suggests

the eternal bond between each member, showing the

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reached our lips" personal belonging to the persona's family

Social Connection to Keats: They both died for their own values

- "He questioned softly why

- I failed? For beauty, I replied. And I for truth, -the two are one; we brethren are," he said."

-

The fact that both characters failed in both of their poems, and now they have eternal life to reflect upon their decision

Inter-textual reference

I had been hungry all the years:

Idea Quote AnalysisPersonal Discussing her own

private experiences“I had been hungry…”“The plenty hurt me, ‘twas so new.”

Use of first personExtended expression of hunger

Describes her nervous response

“I trembling drew the table near”

Emotive language

She experiences a disconnection from society

“As a berry of a mountain bush transplanted to the road.”

Metaphoric scenario

Her yearning to belong is more satisfying that belonging – discovers herself through her writing

“Nor was I hungry, so I found…”“The entering takes away”

Voyeurism – pleasure of watchingFeeling sated is over-ratedCathartic - producing a feeling of being purified emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically as a result of an intense emotional experience or therapeutic technique

Social Sharing is required to achieve belonging

“The birds and I had often shared in nature’s dining room.”

The act of dining is collective

Not belonging, feeling separate, can be a preference for an individual. In essence the group can be disaffected by the individual. An individual might not want to belong.

Connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world are important for a sense of belonging

In the poems, ‘This is my letter to the world’, ‘I died for beauty’ and ‘I gave myself to him’, Dickinson refused to be constrained by the patriarchal dogma that determined appropriate subject matter for women poets and elliptically explored the inner intensity and double voice of the female perspective.

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Place and Wider CommunityPlace and Wider Community

Poem Quote Analysis“This is my letter to the world”

“my letter to the world” - The use of personal anecdotes here is juxtaposed to the addressee of “the world”. Personal anecdotes present a more direct connection between the reader and the speaker. “My letter to the world”, whilst being a personal confession is ironically met as the speaker does not specifically single out individuals to express their thoughts, but rather addresses a whole community, which can be interpreted as a desperation for a sense of connectedness, to any individual in the wider community- She is separated from society, and she resents her invisibility even though she was the one that cut society off.

“never wrote to me” - The use of the high modality word “never” and the harsh “v” sound presents to us the perspective of the persona, expressing to the reader that the “world” appears to be unforgiving, that the wider community does not openly accept individuals which is the instigator of the negative feelings and seclusion from the wider community

“This is my letter to the world/ That never wrote to me”

- Dickinson asserts her sense of alignment to the natural world as she is excluded from the literary sphere on her social and cultural context.- The letter is metonymical for her body of work and poetry → paradoxical moment of both vulnerability and strength (openness and truth) that she does not belong to the world. In Dickinson’s context, the letter had special value as a form of communication. This emphasises how she attempted to belong to this society.- America is the untamed world of the poem, a vast horizon with no entrenched cultural traditions as of yet. Dickinson seeks to establish herself within the community.- Rhythmic pause after ‘me’ in the second line emphasises the point of isolation and seclusion from the community. She accepts her isolation not as a criticism of society but as the way things are.

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Dickinson feels rejected by an unforgiving world reveals and this reveals her lack of acceptability

The simple news that nature told/With tender majesty’

Tender majesty → an oxymoron, reflecting Dickinson’s dynamic relationship and connection with nature. Unusual use of ‘majesty’ suggests the gentle influence and authority this place has over her world.

‘Her message is committed/To hands I cannot see.’

Nature is personified as a female, further emphasising the way in which Dickinson is creatively enriched and nurtured through nature. Dickinson relates this to a potential human companionship as ‘is committed’ → suggests a certain closeness, respect, love and admiration- juxtaposed against the male-dominated literary cannon that never writes back to her.

‘For love of her, sweet countrymen / Judge tenderly of me’.

- Dickinson wants to pass on the enlightened message that the natural world has entrusted her with. Almost a child-like confessional tone that is enhanced by the simplicity of the poem’s form.Countrymen’s “love of her” (nature) can be sarcasm since they do not look after their natural world.- The poem changed from resentment to a plea of understanding.She doesn’t want to be judged for finding her place in nature and not with society.

“That never wrote to me” - One way communication between herself and the public, she wants her poetry to fit in and to connect to society that she herself will be able to connect with the community- She feels that she doesn’t fit in with the community - feels isolated from the rest of the world and doesn’t belong

“The simple news that nature told with tender majesty”

- Demanding her connection of nature and her sense of belonging. She wants to make it so that she fits in with the wider community- She suggests that nature speaks to her kindness and generosity rather than the wider community

“her message is committed to the hands that I cannot see”

- The emphasis that hope with which she entrusts her interpretation of nature of the reader- This suggests a future for her poetry and being accepted rather than an audience and belonging to the community of her time- This makes it seem like she is completely

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alienated from society, with no physical contact.Writing a letter that will never be returned is her only form of communication with them.

“for love of her, sweet countrymen, judge tenderly of me”

- She has no control over how her poetry will be received by society and she pleaded in the name of nature for kind treatment and acceptance into the wider community

Additional Notes (This is my letter to the world):

Aspect of belonging: persona is restricted in her capacity to connect with the world around her as a consequence of her inability to communicate effectively.

Belonging and exclusion can exist symbiotically: she belongs to nature but is excluded from the male-dominated literary community.

Through her isolation from society she is connected to the natural world.

Poem Quote AnalysisI died for beauty ‘I died for beauty, but was

scarce /Adjusted…one who died for truth’

- Dual personas represent the values of both ‘Truth’ and ‘Beauty’ echoing Keats’s paradoxical notion of ‘Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty’ which conveys Dickinson’s desire to belong to the literary world through her writing → shared experience as poets and also through their mutual high idealism of martyrdom.- Can be interpreted as dying to support or achieve beauty-“Scarce adjusted” is in effect, comic relief as the read can make humour through the personas who think they have died for a great cause, but actually lay forgotten, not belonging to the wider community or place, but rather to themselves as they share their experiences

‘We brethren are’ and ‘as kinsmen met a night’

- Dual personas make the ultimate sacrifice in dying valiantly for their beliefs → sense of belonging through shared experience of death.- Personas are linked as being like brothers as they are linked by experience, and have met together in death

‘When one who died for truth was lain/In an adjoining room’.‘And so, as kinsmen met a night, /We talked between the rooms’.

- Extended imagery of the personas separated by their ‘adjoining rooms’ and ‘talk between the rooms’ is representative of the lack of complete belonging to other people and places, despite a yearning for companionship → Dickinson commented on the superficiality of the ideals.- “Adjoining room” also can be interpreted as a separateness from the wider community

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and place (a literal and metaphorical barrier), the persona is confined to themselves and is considered an outcast- Even in death she envisions isolation from others- Usually families are buried in the same tomb, so the line suggests that belonging to a family persists after death

Continual use of ‘we’ and ‘us’ Expresses the dual persona’s temporary sense of belonging to each other through shared sense of purpose before belonging more permanently to collective humanity through the inevitability of death.

Poem Quote AnalysisI had been hungry all the years

‘I had been hungry all the years. / My noon had come to dine.’

- The extended metaphor represents Dickinson’s hunger as deeper than a physical hunger (physical, social and spiritual) → revealing that belonging to her society is something the persona has been craving for.- This is also reiterated through the constant repetition of “hungry”, revealing the persona’s desire to satisfy this hunger

‘I trembling drew the table near/And touched the curious wine’.

- The setting is communal yet to the persona it is an unfamiliar experience - “trembling… table… touched” (alliteration emphasising the feelings of deprivation and fear within this unfamiliar situation and the hesitant yet curious attitude towards it → relates to the personas and Dickinson’s experience with belonging as they both would like to see what it would be like to belong but are not fulfilled with what the experience

T’was this on tables I had seen/ When turning hungry home/ I looked in windows for the wealth/ I could not hope for mine’

- The window is metaphoric for an interested and detached observer who has a yearning to belong to the ‘wealth’ of another entity, society or ideal → but realisation she is unable to find satisfaction in it.- Reveals the persona’s alienation- the window acts as a mirror/ barrier to the observers life → but choses the life she lives- The window is a barrier, but is also taunting the persona of what she cannot have in “I could not hope for mine”

‘I did not know the ample bread/T’was so unlike the crumb/The birds and I had often shared/In nature’s dining room.’

- Denies herself the richness of the ‘bread’ instead reverting to the ‘crumb’ → acknowledges the importance of belonging to society but does not enter into it.- Religious allusion of ‘I did not know the ample bread’ → unable to take communion with her religion union.- ‘dining room’ continues the ‘feast’ and ‘house’

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imagery that is representative of civilisation and ‘wealth’ → she paradoxically finds dignity and comfort in nature.- The metaphorical reference to sharing the “crumb” with the birds implies how strong her connection to nature is rather than society- Domestic language- Gives the separation between her and the community a physical image. There is now a physical wall between society and nature.

‘The plenty hurt me, /’twas so new/Myself felt ill and odd/ As berry of the mountain bush/Transplanted to the road’.

- Images of dislocation and displacement → Simile serves to highlight the discomfort and isolation Dickinson finds in the harsh, human domain.- Image of isolation → unable to write poetry if she is uprooted and placed in society or the judgemental literary world.- Uses the simile and imagery of the “road” to reinforce a communal setting that society is a part of, but refers to the persona as a “mountain bush” an insignificant part → highlighting the seclusion.- A lone berry itself is very small comparatively to a mountain, and when placed on the road, individuals will by-pass it without acknowledging it- Mountains are secluded and is often situated in areas of low population, isolated and is natural- She is the berry who belongs to nature; she has been placed in a different environment and is feeling out of place.- She feels out of place when she is amongst society- She is comfortable in nature, but she wants to belong with society, even though it’s an uncomfortable place for her.

‘Nor was I hungry, so I found/That hunger was a way/Of persons outside windows/The entering takes away.

- Her emptiness remains despite having experienced or found what she initially desired. Instead of finding a sense of belonging through shared religion etc., she aligns her identity to nature. Whatever she is longing for is quenched by her sense of experience → reminiscent of the way in which Dickinson’s poetry was edited removing her identity from her art.- Last line ‘The entering takes away’ → deliberate ambiguity → there is no sense of fulfilment or reconciliation at the end → but an acceptance that she finds sustenance within the natural world.

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Poem Quote AnalysisA narrow fellow in the grass

‘A narrow fellow in the grass/ Occasionally rides/You may have met him- did you not? / His notice sudden is.’

- Personification of the snake as a female → implying that the companionship the narrating persona has with nature, she wishes is one with a male.

‘The grass divides as with a comb, /A spotted shaft is seen, /And then it closes at your feet/ And opens further on.’

- Alliteration and sibilant whispering sounds ‘sp’ ‘sh’ ‘s’ evoke an ominous but beautiful atmosphere. It aurally mimics to snakes sounds and movements- The snake is a disturbing/alienating aspect of nature and is a biblical allusion, negative connotations of the snake in the bible → could imply that although Dickinson has a connection with nature, it is not perfect as the snake is constantly compared to man- made objects which seem tempt and want to destroy the purity of nature.- Could also take nature as Dickinson/ the persona, and that the phallic symbol of the snake as the male gender, and the control and power it could have over her, and other females. In this sense she cannot connect to nature or man. (female or male)

‘He likes a boggy acre, /A floor too cool for corn; / Yet when a boy and barefoot,/ I more than once at noon’

- Sexual undertones and connotations- The snake is laying in a cool, moist, warm environment “boggy acre” and the snake is confident in both natural and man- made environments- Natural environment here – persona feels connection to place

‘Several of nature’s people/I know, and they know me; /I feel for them a transport/Of cordiality,’

- The snake is considered to belong to nature and so is the persona- but she is afraid of the snake → can someone ever truly belong (to place)?- Cannot accept the snake as “nature’s people” because of the fear it creates- The snakes relationship with nature is as equal as the personas

‘But never met this fellow,/Attended or alone, / Without tighter breathing/And zero at the bone.’

- The persona is frightened of the snake whether “attended or alone”- could imply that Dickinson is afraid of the entire male gender and its community- Dickinson has a strong connection with nature, but only now recognises its strength and power over her, as it can make “tighter breathing” suggesting potential shock, horror and death.

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Notions of Identity

I died for beauty

- “For Beauty… I for truth” This quote shows the direct inter-textual reference to Keats Poem- “Ode to a

Grecian Urn” which emphasises her lack of connections and identity in the society she is a part of.

This also emphasises that Dickinson, due to her lack of connection within the society, cannot connect with a physical element – she can only connect through medium e.g. another dead person.

- “Till the moss had reached our lips and covered up our names” To Dickinson her life is insignificant and she feels that she died in vain Emphasises her morbid view on life, that once you die your life immediately

becomes insignificant, everyone forgets who you are Emphasises that nature is sublime and shows the grandness of nature - cycle of

life when you’re alive you depend on nature, when you die nature depends on you

Dickinson describes that she eventually becomes a physical part of nature.


- “Solemn contract of a life… Insolvent every noon” Loss of her own person identity Hidden aspect of identity within this poem Dickinson states that she loses herself to him she now belongs to him When you are with someone else you can lose your identity and will not always

be positive - “Mutual Risk, Mutual Gain”

Business language- gives illusion of no emotion , very bleak people give up their identity to belong in society

I Had Been Hungry All the Years

- “Touched the curious wine” Persona sacrifices a part of her identity in order to try and conform

- “Nor was I hungry… the entering takes away” The anticipation is more fulfilling than conforming Persona feels disillusioned

- “As berry of a mountain bush / Transplanted to the road” Simile of displacement

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Potential to Enrich and Challenge Society


- Criticism of marriage - Dickinson challenges social construct and established paradigms of the time

Business jargonCallous Sweet debt of life each night to oweDisbelief in dogmatic religion


- “But nature is stranger yet” The largeness, depth and uncertainty are the causative factors of her fear The more she becomes aware of her surroundings the less she understands Persona believes nature is too complex for any human to understand,

suggesting that humankind is pretentious and holds preconceived notions about nature’s power

A word dropped careless

- “Careless” This is a criticism of amateur writers – this is ironic being in the form of a poem

- “Seam” May allude to a shroud or a book – refers to the aging of knowledge and its

value

- "Infection in the sentence breeds" Infection suggests an unwanted or unnatural presence, possibly suggesting

that amateur writing is unnatural and disgusting (in the persona’s eyes).


- “Judge tenderly of me” Imperative gives sense of vulnerability

A narrow fellow in the grass

- “Fellow” This reference to the snake as being her fellow emphasises her affinitive

connection with nature At the same time, her desire to be around nature is juxtaposed by her fear of

doing so

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I died for beauty

- “Truth… beauty… adjoining rooms” Dickinson’s inter-textual allusion to John Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn, who

glorifies and unites the ideals of, “truth” and “beauty,” is contrasted by Dickinson as she separates them in “adjoining rooms,” a metaphor for what may have been a barrier in life and perhaps in death.

- “We brethren are… as kinsmen” Dickinson illustrates the uniting powers of death

- “He questioned softly why I failed” Important how she has failed. She is trying to emphasise that she will lose her

ability to communicate and that is what she fears most. She is looking for Martyrdom as with the other persona. She is commenting on the futility of striving for ideals.

- “Moss had reached our lips and covered up our names” Powerlessness of the human condition Nature decomposes them as the true power in the poem Ironically the 'beauty and truth' have been lost amidst the dank cold image of

moss.

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Influences of time

Thesis Ideas

Passage of time forces an individual to reflect on their sense of belonging, in which they can discover a sense of ambiguity and complexity

Attitudes to belonging can change over time An individual’s perceptions of belonging evolve in response to passage of time and

influences of context. This then impacts how they shape connections/notions of identity.

When an individual is influenced by passage of time it can ultimately impact on their sense of self by either promoting a sense of belonging or hindering it which can lead to exclusion.

I Had Been Hungry All the Years

- “my noon” This is a reference to the persona’s mid-life crisis which forces her to

evaluate/reflect on her experience of belonging

- “Dine… table… wine” These are all aspects of the interior of home, so her observations begin in a

setting of domesticity. This can also be read as being an extended metaphor of her interiority of self, which is unsettled, fearful and apprehensive.

- “trembling drew the table near…touched the curious wine” Note that she only touches the wine, she doesn’t drink it. This suggests an

exclusion from social convention.

- “the birds and I had often shared in nature’s dining room” Juxtaposition between looking in/out

- “berry of a mountain bush transplanted to the road” Dickinson is the “bush” (natural feature) and “road” is society (man-made

structure). This powerfully depicts her displacement in society. Her observation that she is different from the society (through the incongruent imagery) shows that she now has a clearer sense of self i.e. she is natural in this ‘man-made’ world.

- “Nor was I hungry” The last stanza is an evaluation (due to passage of time) where the persona

discovers the advantage of suspended desire in upholding her integrity of self; she is resistant to corruption by societal influences.

The Saddest Noise, the Sweetest Noise

- “so dangerously near… almost too heavenly near”

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Persona hasn’t yet reached where they want to be, they are stuck in the ‘in-between’. This is supported by the irregular rhyme scheme which is fragmented which suggests an unsettled feeling of unsureness.

- “by separation’s sorcery… it makes us think of what we had”

Reminiscence Personification of separation

A Word Dropped Careless On a Page

- “malaria” Negative imagery has connotations of infectious and contagious disease which

implies words and their meaning transcend time

- “wrinkled maker” Presents the ageing of the composer over time There is a motif of words, whereby words live on after death. Dickinson’s aim is

to create a legacy for herself – so she writes these poems so she can live on

- “Perpetual scream” Perpetual means forever lasting, implying that there is forever

screaming/growing

- “Sickness” The sickness referred to is misinterpretation of her words. Her poems give a

sense of catharsis (purging of emotions) however context changes over time, thus she feels people won’t be able to understand her in an altered context

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General Notes about Poems

I had been hungry all the years “hungry” suggests the need to belong, yet paradoxically belonging can be found in a time

of feeling estrangement and exclusion from others This is one of the Dickinson’s definition poems. A definition poem is one that intricately

examines and observes the dynamics of the inward state or self. It is the effect. Rather than the cause which is defined. In this case it is the effect of hunger or longing and its resolution.

The poem examines the ideas of excess and deprivation, what it means to want, to be hungry or the desire not to want (hunger for)

Choosing not to belong is seen as a personal choice, about remaining true to your inner self

The use of first person is used to generalize the emotional state of desire. Ironically it seems at its greatest when unfulfilled.

In the second stanza the speaker recalls being outside (alienated) looking in through the window, observing, not interacting. She does not “hope to own” because she is not part of, or does not belong to, that world. But the speaker does belong to her inner self. Thus ironically she gains a greater sense of self and belonging by choosing not to belong to that world separated by the window

TECHNIQUE EFFECT EVIDENCE/Meaning

5 stanzas 8, 6, 8, 6 syllables per line pattern

Punctuation - End of each stanza is marked with a full stop.

Enjambment - lack of rhyme in a stanza.

Monotony, sense of loss and lack of joyfulness.

Lack of rhyme, apart from 1st stanza

Religion Table and wine are spiritual bread and wine of communion. The reference to the transfiguration of Jesus. Her inner religious debate is unsatisfied. She is on the outside looking in at the experiences of other, and deciding whether or not belief is the right choice for. There is something barring her ability to connect with others. She chooses not to follow the dogmatic practises led by others, and seeks her own connection with God and Jesus.

"curious wine""ample bread""I looked in windows for the wealth"Last stanza.

Personification/connection to nature

Creates a connection to nature. Association with birds and being given crumbs creates feeling of insignificance/overlooked.She is vulnerable and out of place.

"T'was so unlike the crumbThe birds and I had often sharedIn nature's dining room"

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"As berry of a mountain bush transplanted to the road"

Hunger - extended metaphor

Touches the food but doesn't eat it, so doesn't feel truly connected. It creates a sense of deprivation and emotional deprivation.

"I had been hungry all the years""Nor was I hungry so I found that hunger was a way of persons outside windows the entering takes away"

NOON Used as a point of crisis or moving into a new phaseThis is the when the sun/son is at its highest point (son of god)

"My noon had come to dine"

Repetition of letters/alliteration

Flow, rhythm 2nd stanza: "tables & turning" "hungry home & hope" "windows & wealth"

Use of pronouns Accentuates her individuality. Irregular use in 3rd stanza creates a sense of disembodiment, exclusion and outsider

"Myself felt ill and odd""I".

Links to belonging:

Belonging, not belonging vary Contextual forces shape identity Choices to belong, barriers to belonging Attitudes to belonging change over time Exclusion/self-exclusion Notions of identity


The poem tells of a contract between two people that may or may not be successful. It is generally considered to be marriage and love. The two parties may or may not be happy with the bargain that they have struck

The contract of marriage subsumes individual identity – especially the woman’s. The possible advantages and disadvantages of such belonging are explored particularly the risk of surrendering identity

It suggests that what she gives each night is not fulfilling to the soul, but simply part of a contract – but there is a sense of mystery, excitement associated with her image of the Spice Islands.

Belonging is dependent on the acceptance of social coder like marriage36

I died for beauty, but was scarce

An ironic poem about two people who converse in the “tomb”. One who believes she died for the high ideals of “beauty” and the other for “truth”.

Superficially, beauty and truth appear similar, but each is in a separate or adjoining room. Dickinson thus examines the paradox and delineates the two ideals. Whilst one speaker draws the parallels between the two kindred spirits “we are brethren” and as “kinsmen of the night” suggesting a sense of new found belonging, their separation remains as they “talked between the rooms”.

Both ideals failed. The idealism gives way to mute, cold death as “the moss had reached lips” and the tombstone “covered up the names”. This ends their capacity to speak and obliterate their identity – thus all sense of belonging and beliefs are erased from death. Gives a real sense of anonymity and finality

The prevalence of the Gothic imagery, live burial – signified the conversation and the decay as the moss grows over their bodies provides a chilling setting.

This contrasts with the intimate, conversational tone of the first two quatrains of the poem

A number of critics believe the poem is a direct response to John Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn driven by the paradoxical lines which are founded in the Romantic view of the beauty of the natural world.

Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know

In contrast to Keats, Dickinson challenges the view that beauty and truth are synonymous Dickinson chooses to ignore the social conventions of the time, writing in a deeply

philosophic manner about life and death. The finality of death in the last lines reflects her uncertainties about God and her resistance to Christian indoctrination

The language is seemingly simple and straight forward, yet in characteristic Dickinson style it reveals complex issues associated with life, death and belonging

Perhaps in the death, they are united as they return to the “earth” to nature. She explores and examines ideas rather than providing absolute answers

Narrow fellow in the grass

Initially the speaker shows a sense of delight and wonder as she observes and describes the snakes movements and environment. There is a real sense of familiarity with the snake, each seemingly belongs to and shares the beauty of the natural world.

Raises ideas about the mystery of nature and how humans inevitably are “outsiders, allowed to observe but not understand it search” (Michelle Droham). Nature is capable of betrayal, the snake is able to inhabit places from the “grass” to the “boggy acre”, places the speaker will never fully belong to or understand.

The snakes actions, like nature are unpredictable, thus despite the familiarity, the reminiscing and almost conversational tone for much of the poem the speaker can never truly understand or belong to the snakes world – the paradox

The second stanza creates a sense of something invisible or mysterious, identified only be the momentary glance of the “spotted shaft”.

A sense of menace is introduced with the words “whip lash”. The child confuses the snake for a whip.

The snakes gentle movement’s contrasts sharply with the whip image37

Nature can deceive, clear parallel with human behaviour and influences our understand of “belonging”

Dickinson has chosen unusual images to describe the snake, “fellow”, “rides” and “wrinkle” rather than the traditional choices of slither and slide, This makes the reader see the snake in a different way, to become more aware of its ambiguous nature or relationship with humans

Despite the acceptance of the snake’s place in nature the speaker is fearful to accept the snake. Thus metaphorically it is impossible to “belong” where emotions of fear or deceit or betrayal are apparent.


Dramatic monologue – multiple contradictory voices heard – in this poem associated with “noise”

Explores and examines death rather than finding absolute answers Examines the paradox of orthodox views versus individual identity of “belonging” after

death or as a living person coping with grief. Reflects her inability to reconcile herself, or others, with death. Reference to “heaven” are mixed with the mystical “sirens”

Subtlety of paradox communicates importance of belonging as heartache and loss – a consequence of belonging – align with “mutual risk” of I gave myself to him

Deals with a moment of time, a time of philosophical reflection that leads to wisdom - a new found understanding of her mortality

Lyric poem – explores a specific intimate moment in time from a first person perspective through a detailed examination of the emotions of loss and suffering

Sensory experience, creates tension between longing and belonging


Whilst being a particularly short and succinct poem it raises important issues about the need to belong and to communicate and interact with others, in this case in the outside world. As Dickinson was a recluse this is an interesting poem as it shows her need to test and share her views on a wider platform. Belonging is not automatic it is a result of interaction and expressing of ideas.

Belonging is thus a two way process. The central metaphor of the letter is a form of communicating with others.

Her poem invites the reader to speculate and question social, cultural expectations of the time.

Central metaphor of the poem is communicating and writing, shown through word choice of “letter” and wrote

Central theme of the poem is the paradoxical nature of alienation, the love of solitude versus the need for outside contact.

Critic TH Johnson – “blessed but isolated” performing the role of an interpreter of nature for the benefit of the world from which she is alienated.

Traditional lyric, hymn form, 4 line verses arranged in alienating lines of 8 and 6 iambic syllables. This adds a sense of reverence to the words, heightens their significance and displays the power of language.

Her love of nature will instil the necessary tenderness to all who pass judgment and thus to the sender – the poet.

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A word dropped careless on a page

The central concern seems to be the ambivalent nature of language, particularly the written word. On the one hand it can help us belong or be included, on the other it can lead to exclusion or contamination.

The image of writing is juxtaposed to the image of a debilitating disease – malaria. It can affect indiscriminately

Strong verbs are used “dropped, stimulate, folded, breeds”. This can be said to reflect the writing process, the active involvement needed to write and the consequences that can result from “careless” word choice, the difficulty in controlling words of thought or how meaning of the words is received

The term “wrinkled” is again ambivalent. The creasing of a page in a bound book “folded in perpetual seam” or perhaps trickery.

At one point we can belong to a group through words but if they are a lie, they can breed and infect relationships.

Effective pun on the word lie, the word lying on a page also lies about the “maker’s intent. Once written, the word assumes dynamics of its own: it can be recalled.

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PDF Notes for Each Poem

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Textual Forms

This form table encapsulates all possible texts used in the short answer section. Included are all features of the forms and the Pros and Cons of each medium. These features can help you answer those short answers questions.

Forms Features Pros Cons

Poetry

ShortObvious imageryFull of techniquesSymbolismRhymingIronyHyperboleMetaphorMotifPersonificationPerspectiveStanzaCouplet

ShortEasy to readPowerful imagerySensory imageryEvocativeIntensely personalEmotiveAffectivePowerfulRhythm – structureLyrical – melodiousSoundsOrderEconomical

Have to dig deeperHard to understandNo time to think of a characterLimitedFocus is more narrowContained

Image

Colour/ black and whiteInter textual referencesFramingVectorsFocus

Easy to understandClearEye catchingQuick to analyseNon linearMore interesting

May not be deep enoughNot enough detailHard to see between the linesDeceptively simpleSubliminal

Song lyrics

RepetitiveRhymingMetaphorsImageryEmotive

CatchyBriefRepetitiveMemorableSimple

Hard to find meaningNot deep enoughNot enough evidence givenNot complete without the music

Biography

Written in 3rd personFacts gathered through research and interviewsChaptersPhotos + captionsGlossaryIndexImportant dates maybe a timetableWhat the person has gone through/ what makes them noteworthy

Requires personal interest LengthyRequires concentrationUnappealingTends to be rather boring

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Pros fiction

PlotSettingCharactersThemeEntertainmentConflictFictionTenseDialogue

Descriptive detailMuch more time for characterisationGrow attachmentThings can happen over timeTime frames (flashback)More time to create particular settings

Not complete because it’s only an extractLengthyVerbose – not getting to the pointCould be boringOpen form

Newspaper article

Short and snappy headlineWho, what, when, where, howNon- fictionQuotesPast tenseImagesLayoutStatisticsInformativePoint of viewHumourWord choiceImagerySentence structureAdjectives

InformativeInverted pyramid structure – important information firstFactualCurrentGives a feel for the climate for one placeArguably historical source

Claims to be unbiasedTend to trail of due to loss of interestTo many wordsVerboseLengthy

Cartoon

SymbolsColoursCaricaturesStereotypesAnalogyIronySizeLabellingSpeech bubblesFocusAngleToneFacial expressionContext

SimpleClearEngagingTo the pointHumorousLevel of realityImmediacy – being close to the actionRelatable

Artistic skills could be bad and hard to understandCredibilityReliabilitySubjectivity

Procedural recount

TitleAimHypothesisIndependent, dependant and controlled variableMaterialsMethodResultsGraphDiscussionConclusion

In stepsDirectConcise

LengthyUnclearNot interestingHard to relate

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Explanation

Logical SequenceEventCausalConsequentialPresent tenseVerbsConjunctionsGeneral nounsNon-human participants

ClearConcise

LengthyNot engagingNo climaxHard to link belonging

Discussion

Relating verbsGeneral nounsPersonal point of viewVarying degrees of certaintyFactual adjectivesEvaluative languagePresent tense

EngagingVariety of perspectives and ideas

Can be confusing with two sidesLengthy

Speech

ExaggerationRhetorical questionPersonal pronounsFigurative languageQuotesAlliterationOnomatopoeiaRhymingHyperboleHumourInclusiveness

Colloquial (generally)EngagingCould be humorousRelatable

Lose effect of the speech as you read it

Advertisement PersuasiveTarget audiencePositive languagePromising – make you feel like you can’t live without itAttract attentionMemorableHumourAppeal to sensesAlliterationRhyme

EngagingShortClearConciseTo the pointPositiveEasy to argue

Need to dig deepToo fakeSubjectivity

Webpage HyperlinksNon linearVisualsActive engagementCalls for action

Appealing to the eyeOrderedSimply constructed

ConfusingNon linear

Personal opinion

ParagraphsTenseAction verbsEmotiveDescriptivePurpose

ColloquialRelatablePersuasive

SubjectiveLengthyBoringManipulative

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Structure

Non fiction GenreLanguageStylePoint of viewStructureSelection of detailDialoguePlotCharacterisationSettingThemetone

TruthfulPredictable

LengthyHard to relate to

Picture book extract

ColourModalityLayoutReading pathVectorsDrawing styleWritten textEmotive

SimpleClearConciseInterestingEasy to find techniquesVisually appealing

Too briefHard to dig deepNot as effective

Monologue First person singularVerbs and expressionsColloquialInformalityDramatic languageBeyond limits of self and experienceAudience appliedNot a conversationCharacterisation

ExpressiveEmotiveNot a conversation

Hard to find techniques

Film script extract

TitleGenreName of director and actorsActingSettingCostumesSpecial effectsMain plotcaptivating

Clear characterisationsConnection to storyEmotive

Hard to find techniquesNeed to dig deeperAll dialogue

Recollection Past tenseHistorical contextSocial contextPolitical contextEmotiveIn timePersonal voice

InformativeFactual

Not emotiveBoringLengthy

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Short answer techniques

Glossary

Examine Inspect (someone or something) in detail to determine their nature or condition; investigate thoroughly.

Describe Give an account in words of (someone or something), including all the relevant characteristics, qualities, or events

Depicts Portray in words; describe.

Portrays Represent or play the part of

Explore to look into closely; investigate

Attitude A settled way of thinking or feeling, typically reflected in a person's behaviour

Analyse Consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

Distinctive Characteristic of one person or thing, and so serving to distinguish it from others

Aspect A specific way in which something can be considered:

Conveyed Make (an idea, impression, or feeling) known or understandable to someone

Discuss Talk or write about (a topic) in detail, taking into account different ideas and opinions.

Perspective Your perspective is the way you see something

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Insights The capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing.

Basic tips

- If the question involves a plural then ensure you talk about a number of aspects o E.g. Evaluate how the text effectively provides insights into belonging.

- Look at the marks requiredo If it is worth 3 marks then write a technique, its effect and textual evidence.o 2 ½ lines per mark is a good indicator

- Use of Venn diagrams for poems that distinguish between differences and similarities for the final question.

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Documents

Area of Study: Belongingfinishingwell.weebly.com/.../aos_analysis_notes.docx · Web viewArea of Study: Belonging Poems of Emily Dickinson In this document there are notes by rubric