How Did Emily Dickinson's Life Affect Her Poetry

Emily Dickinson: Her Life and Poetry Coming from a wealthy family, Emily Dickinson did not let her riches get the best of her. She took her education very seriously and used what she learned to transform into a popular and passionate poet. Taking an unorthodox approach to her writings, Dickinson changed American Literature with her creative style of poetry. Revealing her passionate desires and summer adventures, it is difficult to believe that Dickinson lived a very secretive life. Although she lived secluded, her works have reached the eyes of many all over the world. Starting the first few years of her life away from her family, two year old Emily Dickinson moved to Monson. Due to difficulty while delivering a baby, Emily’s mother was

The school, just like Emily, took education very seriously. She studied Latin, history, mathematics, geography, philosophy, and botany (Habegger 142). After attending Amherst Academy, Emily moved on to Mount Holyoke Women’s Seminary. McLean writes, “This academic year was Emily’s longest time away from home.” (McLean 26). Mount Holyoke grouped their students into three classes, senior, middle, and junior. Emily was classified as a junior, but took some courses that were at the middle level, such as algebra (McLean 27) (Habegger 193). Emily excelled in all of her subjects. Overall, it seemed that Mount Holyoke’s main focus was the understanding of concepts and learning. One thing that stood out at the Seminary, but was not easy to understand, was religion. In the years of Emily Dickinson there were many religious revivals and awakenings. Fasting was popular and so was enlightenment (McLean 30). Going along with what was popular in the eighteen forties, Mount Holyoke focused on meditation, fasting, praying, and devotions (McLean 30, 32) (Steffens 25). The information Emily attained at Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke Women’s Seminary could have very well contributed to the knowledge of her poetry. Although she wrote in an unorthodox way, her education was key in the development of her