1. Emily Dickinson 1830-1886 Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1830 Father was an attorney, a state rep. and senator. Attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, a Calvinist school. Failed to “convert” or conform to religious expectations of the school. This liberated her to think on her own.

2. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) She was well read and was especially interested in British female contemporary writers: the Brontes, George Eliot, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. As an adult, she became increasingly isolated, rarely leaving her home. On the last ten years of her life, she remained within her house and garden. Dressed only in white and would not allow neighbors or strangers to see her. Between 1874 and 1885, she lost her father, her mother, her beloved nephew, and her close childhood friend.

3. Not publicly recognized during her lifetime. Dickinson published seven poems during her lifetime. After her death in 1886, her sister discovered over 1,000 poems in her bureau. A collection was published in 1890. Some poems were edited to make them more conventional. Considered one of the greatest poets in American literature. Dickinson and Whitman exerted the most influence on poetry to come after them.

4. Her style Distinctive voice, looks inward Transformed traditional forms and meter of poetry to irregular meter. Enjambment Slant rhyme Dash Unconventional capitalization Startling imagery

5. Topics of her poetry Personal pain and joy The relationship between self and nature The intensely spiritual The intensely ordinary Confronting death Immortality Religion: reverence, rebellion, uncertainty Love

6. Directions: Answer the following questions on Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” in your group. Be prepared to share your answers with the class. 1.Who is the speaker of the poem? 2.What is the tone of the poem? Provide at least two examples from the text to support your response. 3.What type of figurative language is used in the poem? 4.What is the overall message of the poem?