Cindy Nguyen
Mrs. Glenn
Language Arts
17 March 2013
Emily Dickinson’s Life
Emily Dickinson was almost unknown as a poet in her lifetime, but she is now recognized as one of the greatest American poets, and in the eyes of some, as one of the best poets of all time. During her life, Emily Dickinson was famous for being a recluse dressed in white. Even though she lived in isolation, she lived a passionate life, but what matters most is that her poetry speaks powerfully to us.
Dickinson had several major themes in her writing. One of the themes she often included in her poems was home, family, love and loneliness. Her family was a major influence in her writing and because she was confined in her home most of her life, her poems reflect the loneliness she felt.
In December of 1830, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts to a well-established family. At the time of her birth, Emily’s father was an ambitious young lawyer and her mother had the role of being a traditional housewife. Emily was the middle child and she was cherished by both her older brother Austin and her younger sister Lavinia. Unfortunately, Dickinson had a very distant relationship with her mother, and an austere one with her father. As a young girl, she attended her family’s church on a regular basis, but she proved to be eccentric when she declined to officially join the church. She even refused to call herself Christian.
At school, she was a good student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary but left after one year due to health problems. Prior to being secluded in her house, Emily was actually quite social. She attended many parties, impressed her father’s political colleagues, and amused people with her wits. Emily was a lively and clever young woman.
In the 1850s, something changed in Dickinson life and it still remains a mystery today. During this time, Emily began to write poetry. At first, she started to write simple and traditional poems, but as time passed, she began to experiment and began to write a massive amount of poetry. Emily took a trip to Philadelphia and met Reverend Charles Wadsworth whom she possibly fell in love with. He was the man who influenced much of her love poems. Her love came to a tragic end when he left her for the West Coast. The 1860s and 1870s came and Emily grew even more isolated from the world. Dickinson no longer wore clothes with color. Instead, she wore only white. She did not accept any visitors who came to see her; she locked herself in her room like a prisoner. The ones she loved began to die in a sequence, one after the other, first her mother, then her friend Otis, her young nephew, her friend Helen, and lastly Dr. Charles Wadsworth. Finally in 1886, Dickinson’s health wasn’t good. She was feeble and soon found herself to be an invalid. She was only fifty-six when she died on May 15, 1886, and was buried in a white coffin in Amherst.
In conclusion, when you look at Emily Dickinson’s life at a glance, you may think of her as very eccentric, unbalanced, and even crazy, but the most important thing is that her poems speak to us. Her poems capture certain aspects of life that helps us understand and relive our own experiences through her poems.
Citations
1. "Emily Dickinson: An Oerview." Emily Dickinson: An Oerview. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
2. "Emily Dickinson." - Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
3. "Emily Dickinson." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
4. "Emily Dickinson.”: The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
Mrs. Glenn
Language Arts
17 March 2013
Emily Dickinson’s Life
Emily Dickinson was almost unknown as a poet in her lifetime, but she is now recognized as one of the greatest American poets, and in the eyes of some, as one of the best poets of all time. During her life, Emily Dickinson was famous for being a recluse dressed in white. Even though she lived in isolation, she lived a passionate life, but what matters most is that her poetry speaks powerfully to us.
Dickinson had several major themes in her writing. One of the themes she often included in her poems was home, family, love and loneliness. Her family was a major influence in her writing and because she was confined in her home most of her life, her poems reflect the loneliness she felt.
In December of 1830, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts to a well-established family. At the time of her birth, Emily’s father was an ambitious young lawyer and her mother had the role of being a traditional housewife. Emily was the middle child and she was cherished by both her older brother Austin and her younger sister Lavinia. Unfortunately, Dickinson had a very distant relationship with her mother, and an austere one with her father. As a young girl, she attended her family’s church on a regular basis, but she proved to be eccentric when she declined to officially join the church. She even refused to call herself Christian.
At school, she was a good student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary but left after one year due to health problems. Prior to being secluded in her house, Emily was actually quite social. She attended many parties, impressed her father’s political colleagues, and amused people with her wits. Emily was a lively and clever young woman.
In the 1850s, something changed in Dickinson life and it still remains a mystery today. During this time, Emily began to write poetry. At first, she started to write simple and traditional poems, but as time passed, she began to experiment and began to write a massive amount of poetry. Emily took a trip to Philadelphia and met Reverend Charles Wadsworth whom she possibly fell in love with. He was the man who influenced much of her love poems. Her love came to a tragic end when he left her for the West Coast. The 1860s and 1870s came and Emily grew even more isolated from the world. Dickinson no longer wore clothes with color. Instead, she wore only white. She did not accept any visitors who came to see her; she locked herself in her room like a prisoner. The ones she loved began to die in a sequence, one after the other, first her mother, then her friend Otis, her young nephew, her friend Helen, and lastly Dr. Charles Wadsworth. Finally in 1886, Dickinson’s health wasn’t good. She was feeble and soon found herself to be an invalid. She was only fifty-six when she died on May 15, 1886, and was buried in a white coffin in Amherst.
In conclusion, when you look at Emily Dickinson’s life at a glance, you may think of her as very eccentric, unbalanced, and even crazy, but the most important thing is that her poems speak to us. Her poems capture certain aspects of life that helps us understand and relive our own experiences through her poems.
Citations
1. "Emily Dickinson: An Oerview." Emily Dickinson: An Oerview. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
2. "Emily Dickinson." - Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
3. "Emily Dickinson." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
4. "Emily Dickinson.”: The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.