Upload
foshizz
View
220
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/12/2019 belonging dickinson
1/2
(2012) AllRightsReserved 1 of 2 Formoreinfo,goto www.hscintheholidays.com.au
English(Belonging) DickinsonEssay(2)
Thisismylettertotheworld(No.66)
Thisis
my
letter
to
the
world
by
Emily
Dickinson
isa
poem
written
in
the
form
of
ahymn.
ThispoemaswiththemajorityofEmilyspoemsisconsistentwithherindividualstyle.Her
poemscrosstwogenres,romanticandmodernist.NearlyallofEmilyDickinsonspoems
havenoorlittlesenseofthetimeinwhichshelivedbutaremorerelatedtoEmilysmind.
Emilysworldwasboundedbyherhomeanditssurroundingcountryside.EmilyDickinson
wasarecluseinsocietyandthereforethispoemfitsintothesituationsheisburiedwithin.
ThepurposeofthispoemwasforEmilytosharewiththeworldhersenseofalienationand
isolation.
Thispoemisessentiallyaboutthetensionsbetweendistanceandproximityandbelonging
andnotbelonging.Sheexplorestheworldaroundherthroughherchoices.Emilychoseto
withdrawfrom
the
world
and
therefore
chose
her
life
of
isolation
and
is
content
with
that,
althoughshestillwouldprefertonothavetoworryonbeenjudgedforhersomewhat
unusualchoices.Emilysworlddoesnotrecogniseherasshehasbeensoreclusiveandnever
steppedfarintothegreatersociety.Throughherwritingsheissomewhatpredictingthat
futuregenerationswillexplorethispoemandsoshewantstosharehermessagesonwhat
naturehastaughther.Inthelasttwolinesofthepoem,sherequeststhatpeopleenjoyher
poemsandnotcritiquethemharshlyasshownbythewordsJudgetenderlyofme.
TherhymeschemeofThisismylettertotheworldissimplebeingABABCBDB.Thisiswhat
givesthepoemitssomewhathymnlikecharacteristics.Slantrhymeisusedonthewords
worldandtoldendinglines1and3.Thisandperfectrhymegivethepoemitssenseof
rhythmand
contribute
to
the
idea
of
aconnected
world
with
afew
outsiders
as
the
slant
rhymecanrepresent,nearlytherebutnotquite.Thetoneofthepoemisoneofcomfortable
acceptanceandcontentaslongaspeoplejudgeEmilyandherworkstenderly. Emilyis
speakingforherselfouttotheworld.Themoodofthepoemislonelinessandrealisation.
Thispoemisasimpleyetcomplexpoemwithitsvariousintertwinedmeanings.Youcantake
thepoemliterallytomeansheissendingalettertotheworldorthatEmilyistryingtosay
sheissecludedandtheworlddoesntmakeanefforttoreachouttoher.ThetitleThisis
mylettertotheworldcontrastsasenseofbelongingassheiscontributingherideastoa
worldthatalienatedher.Theactuallettersymbolisesherownrecognitionofisolationtothe
worldandthesecondlinesupportsthisThatneverwrotetomeisaworldthathasnt
communicatedwith
her
to
keep
her
in
contact.
The
simple
news
that
nature
told
is
the
poemscentralmessageandsymbolisesachangeinnatureduringtheyearsofherisolation.
Thislinetogetherwiththenextline,ThesimplenewsthatnaturetoldWithtender
8/12/2019 belonging dickinson
2/2
(2012) AllRightsReserved 2 of 2 Formoreinfo,gotowww.hscintheholidays.com.au
majestyusespersonification.Thisgivesthenewsofnatureaphilosophicalviewthatitfeels
itshouldsharewiththeworld.Theemphasisofthewordmajestypointsouttheimportance
ofnatureseverchanginglife.Oxymoronisusedonthewordstendermajestytoshow
hownaturecanbedisconnectedandtoexaggeratethebeautyandpowerofnature.Syntax
supportstheideaofThisismylettertotheworldbeingwritteninhymnform.
Thenextstanzaexploresnaturesmessagetotheworld,butEmilyfeelsuncertainthather
messagewill
be
safe
as
it
is
given
To
hands
Icannot
see.
This
worries
Emily
as
she
has
lost
controlofhermessageaboutthewonderofnature.HermessageiscommittedtohandsI
cannotseeisagainpersonificationofnaturesmessagetothefutureandwecantellthe
personaisafemale.Thelaststanzaisalmostahopelessplea.EmilyDickinsonswordchoice
showsthatyes,shehasbeenjudgedbynaturessweetcountrymenbuttheyhavebeen
judginghertenderly,orsoshehopes.Fromthiswecanassumethatshedoesntmind
beingjudgedasmuchasonethoughtandperhapsitwasmorethefactthattheworlddid
notunderstandherthatshefulfilledherroleasarecluse.Throughoutthepoemthereisa
constantcontradictionandparadox.Emilybelievesshebelongstotheworld,butnotall
conceptsasshechoosesnottobelongorconformtomainstreamsociety.
Themost
prominent
theme
in
This
is
my
letter
to
the
world
is
nature
as
asource
of
inspiration.Wecangatherfromthispoemthatshewasveryclosewithnatureandfeelsshe
belongsmorewithitthantheoutsideworld.ThepoemimpliesthatEmilyherselfistheonly
onethattrulyunderstandsnatureandforthisreasonshehascommittedthemessageofits
beauty.Successisanotherthemeinthispoem.Emilybelievesthatforthebeautyofnature
anditsmessagetoliveon,shesuccessfullyneedstoshareitsbeautywiththeworldthrough
herletters.Thispoemexplorestheideaofpsychologicalstatesasthepersonafeels
alienatedanddespairinginsocietywithherunknownabilitytoeducatethefuture.
BelongingisexploredthroughDickinsonssenseofbothconnectionandbelongingtothis
worldaswellasdistanceandisolationfromit.Emilyfeelslikesheisacceptedinnatureand
feelsasomewhat
strong
connection
with
it
and
its
ever
changing
beauty.
In
This
is
my
letter
totheworld,thefeelingsofalienationandestrangementarestronglyfocusedon.Emily
andthepersonabothfeelalienatedfromtheirsocietyastheyapparentlyunacceptably
dontconformtothenorm.IsolationisevidentinthepoembythelinesThatneverwrote
tomeandthisisoneofthereasonsthatitisbelievedthatEmilylivedalifeasarecluse,she
washappybeenisolatediftheworlddidntvalueherwordsandideas.Thatneverwroteto
meisalsoanexampleoftherejectionshefacedbysocietywithheralternatewayoflife
andviews,evidentinthispoem.Itseemsthatthroughoutthepoemitisonlynaturein
whichsheisconnectedwithanddevotedherlifeto.Withthisrelationship,shechosenotto
belong.TheletteristheDickinsonssenseofbelongingtonaturethathasresultedinher
turningawayfromtheworld.
ThispoemiswellwrittenbutIfoundithardtounderstandwithoutathoroughexplanation.
Itcontradictsthefeelingsofbelongingandnotbelongingandwhetherthepersonalikes
feelingisolatedandalienatedornot.OnceIgatheredabetterunderstandingofthepoemI
agreethatitiswelladaptedtothecoretopicofbelongingandisagoodpiecetostudyfor
HSCEnglish.Overallthepoemcleverlyincorporatedmultiplemeaningsideasin2short
stanzas.
Teacherscomments:
A,welldone
Dontrefertothecomposerbytheirfirstname