My life had stood – a Loaded Gun (Emily Dickinson)

• Who is the loaded gun?
The loaded gun is a woman(poet) torn between two dimensions how she perceives herself (Rich, p.1), trying to feel and do in the 19th century things that were thought to be exclusive to men, taking the risk of defining herself and her feminine ideal side, governed by patriarchy. (Rich, p.1).

- Verse #1: “My life had stood – a Loaded Gun- “ o She knows she has the power to be strong and independent on her own, but because of society she is found split (Rich, p.1)., knowing she can’t be this way, that’s why she says she’s a loaded gun, because she can decide to overcome the oppression but still hesitates.

- Verse #2: “In corners – till a Day” o She means she’s hiding what she feels and really wants to do until one day, not anymore. That’s why “Day” is capitalized. Because it is that day she decides she’s had enough.

- Verse #3: “The owner passed – identified” o “The owner” is her, but the version of her who’s had enough of being restricted to an ideal of what women should do and feel. Presents herself of everything a woman is not or is believed she cannot be: cruel, hard, proud (Bennett, p.2).

- Verse #4: “And carried Me away- “ o The version of her that does and feels things excluded to men in the 19th century, decides he’s enough and carries her away to be who she truly is revealing her lack of conventional femininity (Bennett, p.3).

- Verse #5: “And now we roam in Sovereign Woods” o When