Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson of Amherst, Massachusetts was a poet who lived from 1830-1886. During her life, she wrote nearly 1,800 poems, but she only published eight of them. It wasn’t until four years after her death that her other works of poetry became available for the public to experience. Her poetry was different than that of a “typical poet” because her poetry lacked rhyming and proper grammar. However, some found her poetry to have a drawing that made them want more.
She was from a prominent family. Her grandfather founded Amherst College, and both of her brothers were lawyers and served as college treasurers and trustees just as her father had. As her mother was seen as an invalid, this left her sister, Lavinia, to take care of their large home.
Emily lived a life of seclusion at home seen tending to her garden and their large home. As she would watch the passing world from her bedroom window, she would write poetry and letters. In many of her writings, it is said she wrote quite frequently to her women friends and these writings gave way to speculation that she may have been in loving relationships with some of these women; particularly her sister-in-law.
Her poetic subjects consisted mostly of death and her religious rebellions, yet at times, they reflected the love and despair that she apparently kept trapped inside. She also wrote many times about nature and its simple beauty.
In her poem #1545, it is her mocking perception of the Bible and how empty it seemed to her. However, as she compares it to the poetic writings of Orpheus, she notes in his writings there is no condemnation. She must have viewed the Bible as a book that only condemned and caused her disgust and shame.
In her writing structure, for me, there appears to be confusion. As I read them, I sometimes do not understand her meanings, yet others are quite obvious. Her vocabulary seems very extensive, but the writing structure causes me difficulty. Her letters to T.W. Higginson seem to have more details as to her intent. The one I found easiest to follow is the one she wrote on August 1862. She is apparently questioning her existence and is asking him for his reassurance. Even though she appears to be encouraging him to go to no trouble to come see her, I would say that with the emotional state she stayed in most of her life, she was at times, actually looking and yearning to be wanted, needed and justified to just be who she was.
Poetry is something I typically enjoy and most of us have tapped into at one time or another. I mainly like poetry that I can relate to that gives a sense of security and contentment. With Emily Dickinson, I didn't really enjoy them that much. They lacked the flow that I think is needed that makes poetry poetry. As I researched who she really was, she was apparently a very depressed, dark person who may have been living the life of a lesbian, but in the time she lived, such a way of living would have gotten a person killed, so she lived in her own prison. She rebelled against religion and lacked any personable skills. I know her works are now legendary, but for me, I can do without any type of writing that is depressing.