Emily Dickinson Because I could not stop For death… Poets Study- Rudey

Life Emily Dickinson, born in Amherst, Massachusetts on Dec. 10, 1830Emily Dickinson, born in Amherst, Massachusetts on Dec. 10, 1830 She was born in a Puritan’s family. Her father was a famous lawyer.She was born in a Puritan’s family. Her father was a famous lawyer.  She was described, “as a witty woman, sensitive, full of humanity”  She had only seven of her poems published during her lifetime

Was She Weird?  Known for being a recluse, she didn’t leave her family’s homestead for any reason after the late 1860’s.  She almost always wore white.  She often lowered snacks and treats in baskets to neighborhood children from her window, careful never to let them see her face.

Career  Lived at home, took care of home chores.  She made few short trips to Boston or Philadelphia. Otherwise, she was always at home.  She cared about death and immortality (1/3 of all her poems talked about these two themes.)

Dickinson’s Publishing Career  Sent poems to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a literary critic and family friend.  He recognized her talent, but tried to “improve” them, which made Dickinson lose interest.  At the time of her death, only seven of her poems had been published.

Publication??  Only 7 poems published.  Poetry is for Dickinson a means to attain pleasure- Puritans thought pleasure was a sin.  (1830 – 1886)- different type of Puritan thought

Biography  Born December 10, 1830 in Amherst, MA.  Educated at Amherst Academy.  At 17, began college at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary; she became ill the spring of her first year and did not return.  She would leave home only for short trips for the remainder of her life, leading scholars to speculate she may have been agoraphobic.

Dickinson’s Importance Dickinson wanted her poetry to have:  Tight constructions  original images  direct and plain language  Images!  Her poems are short, many of them being based on a single image or symbol. But within her little lyrics she wrote about some of the most important things in life: love, nature, morality and immortality.

Dickinson in Love?  The Master Letters  Unknown man  Samuel Bowles  Dickinson’s editor  Susan Gilbert  Dickinson’s sister-in- law

What’s her deal? Why didn’t anyone ever read her? Published 1,775 poems AFTER she died. Published 1,775 poems AFTER she died.  Emily Dickinson wrote in the conventional metrical form, though she did not always strictly observes the rules of versification.

Because I could not stop for death….  Stanza 1: The angel of death, in the image of a kind person, comes in a carriage for the sake of Immortality and the poet.  Stanza 2: To show my politeness to god of death, I gave up my work and my enjoyment of life as well; I give up my life.  VERY Tongue in cheek.

Poem BECAUSE I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality. We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put away My labor, and my leisure too, For his civility. We passed the school where children played, Their lessons scarcely done; We passed the fields of gazing grain, We passed the setting sun.

Dickinson’s Influence  Along with Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson stands as one of two giants of American poetry in the nineteenth century.  The poem is discussing death, a very gloomy subject, but it is done with a rather light tone. The tone is light just because the author does not take death as a catastrophe; instead, she treats the angel of death as a very polite gentleman

Dickinson’s Legacy  Dickinson died May 15, 1886 of nephritis (kidney disease).  Dickinson is considered influential to poets such as Adrienne Rich, Richard Wilbur, Archibald MacLeish, and William Stafford.  Along with Walt Whitman, Dickinson is one of the two giants of American poetry of the 19 th century.

Poets Project  Due Date Friday Feb. 3rd.  Goal: To write a one to two page paper ( words) exploring and answering the following questions:  #1- Why is this poet “famous” or considered “great”?  #2- What did this poet do in terms of style and with their writing that makes them different?  #3(Friend test) Do you like the poet’s poems? Why/why not? Would you recommend the poet’s writings to a friend?

Poets Project (cont)  If you just go on Wikipedia.org and copy and paste information on a poet I WILL BE SO MAD. Honestly, I will turn you in for plagiarizing. That is not the point of this quick project. If you think I won’t know- I’ll know!