Emily Dickinson Research Paper

1451 Words6 Pages

Throughout the ages, the status of the female has been controlled under the oppression of males. In the early 19 century, American women were considered as men's accessories and they were dependent and family-centric; they did not have their own independent soul and thought, and even they were not the independent individuals. However, with the development of society and economy, a new generation of women grew up, and a new era of women’s liberation was beginning. The consciousness of female has been sprouting in various countries around the whole world. Emily Dickinson was a representative American woman in early American literature. Dickinson was a famous poet and a brilliant letter writer in American literature and mainly the subjects of …show more content…

Her poems are based on her own life and experiences. Dickinson sought freedom and equality of spirituality, and she tried to get rid of social constraints. First, in the years of her life, if a woman falls in love with a man, she would not speak out directly because the traditional culture claims that women should learn to control their emotions and limit their expressing of love to men. Women can only accept love passively from men. Dickinson despised the secular and old view of marriage; she encouraged women to talk their love, express their minds, and actively engage in loving relationships. Second, Dickinson was born in a religious family and taught in a school with a strong religious atmosphere. She was critical of the oppositions in the traditional religious creeds when she was at an early age. In the early of the 19th century, the concepts of religion were deeply rooted in the hearts of people. Her "rebellion" thoughts at that time, the society was bound to come under …show more content…

Who are you?" (Dickinson #1669), she wrote "I'm Nobody! Who are you? Are you- Nobody - too?" She expressed her thought in the first person that was an inevitable symbol of feminine voices. This kind of language is to use direct and powerful showed female's views and opinions, and directly declared an emotional force. In the old and traditional patriarchal society, Dickinson courage to shout out her heart's voices. In the article of Sandra McChesney " A View from the Window: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson." The author wrote, "Discarding the usual rules of English, Dickinson refashioned ordinary words to an extraordinary purpose and sometimes even invented new words when she found none to suffice." (McChesney #2). In the processing of punctuation and rhythm, she intentionally violated conventional prosodic. According to another McChesney's quotation “When we read Dickinson'suniquely constructed language, we are aware that it developed a style unlike that of any other poet. Of course, we note her use of punctuation, primarily the famous dash." (McChesney #3). Dickinson extensive used of dashes to express the transition, jumping, or omit components cause ups and downs on the rhythms. The rhythms of her poems were seen as a silent rebellion against the mainstream of male society, as well as a form of poetic expression of the awakening of female