Emily Dickinson英语本科毕业论文自己写的

Emily Dickinson －a poet of her own world

Thesis: Emily Dickinson is considered to be one of the greatest and most original poets .She wrote altogether 1775 poems ,of which only seven published in her life time .Emily Dickinson‘s poems are usually based on her own experience ,her sorrows and joys .Her poems often concern the whole human beings, which include death，love, nature, religion. Because of her particularity, Emily Dickinson is to be analyzed as a poetess of her own world in her own way to express her own world in her own ideas and understanding of the world

I. A detailed introduction to the author

A: She lived in a well-educated family

B: She had good education and two teachers influenced her most C: Emily Dickinson‘s character and her life

II. The style of Emily Dickinson’s poems

A: No titles

1. Her poems‘ titles are often adopted by the first line of each poem or part of it

B: Seldom there is punctuation

1. Her manuscripts presented was her use of dashes of different length for punctuation, and her indifference to customary capitalization

C: Her poems are focus on one subject or image.

D: She uses a lot of metaphors and other rhetoric III: Emily Dickinson’s poems A: death

1 I heard a Fly buzz－when I died－ 2 because I could not stop for death 3 I felt a funeral in my brain B: love

1 If you were coming in the fall 2 I had not minded walls 3 Presentiments C: nature

1 A Bird came down the walk 2 My River runs to you 3 Little stone D: religion 1I know that he exists 2 faith is a fine invention IV: conclusion

Emily Dickinson－Ａpoet of her own world

Part I Introduction

No greater contrast can be imagined than Emily Dickinson, whom is still considered to be our greatest and most original poets. Dickinson‘s poetry writing began in the early 1850s. Altogether, she wrote 1,775 poems, of which only seven had appeared during her lifetime. Dickinson called this stream of tiny, aphoristic poems a continuous fragmented ―letter to the world,1‖ a way to bridge her private world with the public. After her death in 1886, her sister Lavinia, empting Emily‘s desk to burn all her correspondence as Emily had specifically directed, was amazed to find almost 2000 poems neatly copied on small pieces of paper conscientious Lavinia was much distressed by her feeling that perhaps Emily had meant these also to be burnt. Fortunately she could not bring herself to destroy what her sister had evidently taken such pains to preserve. With the help of Mrs. M. L. Todd and Thomas Wentworth, the first volume of 115 poems appeared in 1890. Later, two more volumes of poetry and two volumes of letters was were published, with much more to come out in 1914, which finally made Emily Dickinson, especially her withdrawn self, known the outside world. As her poetry continuous to be issued after its first appearance in 1890, her fame has kept rising. She is

now recognized not only a great poetess on her own right but as a poetess of considerable influence upon American poetry of the present century. Because of her particularity, Emily Dickinson is to be analyzed as a poetess of her own idea and understanding of the world. Part A Her family

Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst－a New England village where her grand father had founded Amherst college. Her father was an important lawyer, deeply religious and universally respected as an active leader in all the town‘s civic, educational, political and church activities. Despite his orthodox Puritan beliefs he evidently had a strong unconventional sense of beauty. The story had often been told of his violently ringing in alarm. He calmly pointed to unusual display of Northern Lights, explaining that it was go exceptionally fine he wished no one to miss it! Dickinson‘s mother, Emily Norcross, was a quiet, unassuming woman. She was, in fact, best known for winning numerous cooking awards.

Her father is erudition, mother‘s diligence all played an important role during her writing, and some inspirations of her poetry actually came from her family. Part B

Emily attended the Amherst Academy where she was not only a good student but a very sociable and popular one, known for light－hearted

prank on Valentine‘s day, birthdays, and other such occasions. After her graduation at seventeen she entered the nearby Mt. Holy yoke Female Seminary (now Mt. Holy yoke College). However she was so homesick that she returned to her home－which she never again left for more than a few days at a time－before the end of the school year. Part of the reason for her unhappiness at Mt. Holy yoke, as we learn from her letters, was the religious revival then sweeping New England. The deeply orthodox headmistress concentrated on making it effective in school and Emily was the only student not caught up in the emotional ―rebirth in Christ‖ there. But Emily Dickinson studied the Bible and wrote something about religion although she didn‘t believe it.

When she began writing poetry, Emily had relatively little formal education. She did know Shakespeare and classical mythology and was especially interested in woman authors such as Elizabeth Browning and the Bronte sisters. She was also acquainted with the works of Emerson, Thoreau and Hawthorne. Though she did not believe in the conventional religion of her family, she had studied the Bible, and many of her poems resemble hymns in form.

There were several men who, at different times in her life, acted as teacher or master to Emily. The first was Benjamin Newton, a young lawyer in her father‘s law office who improved her literary and cultural tastes and influenced her ideas on religion; she refers to him as ―a friend,

who taught me immorality.2‖

Emily‘s next teacher was Charles Wadsworth, a married, middle aged minister who provided her with intellectual challenge and contact with the outside world. It appears that she felt affection for him that he could not return, and when he moved to San Francisco, in 1862 she removed herself from society even more than she had before. Wadsworth may have been the model for the love in her poems, though it is just as likely that the literary figure is purely imaginary.

Actually, her good education and two very important teachers gave Emily Dickinson a lot of help on her poetry writing. And that is why she wrote a lot of poems about love, religion. Part II The style of Emily Dickinson‘s poems

Dickinson‘s poetry is unique and unconventional in its own way. Her poems have not titles, hence are always quoted by their first lines or part of it.

In her poetry there is no a particular stress pattern, in which dashes are used as a musical device to create cadence and capital letters as a means of emphasis. The form of her poetry is more or less like that of the hymns in community irregular.

Dickinson‘s irregular or sometimes inverted sentence structure also confuses readers. However, her poetic idiom is noted for its laconic brevity, directness and plainness.

Her poems are usually short, rarely more than twenty lines, and many of them are centered on a single image or symbol and focused on one subject matter. Due to her deliberate seclusion, her poems tend to be very personal and meditative. Unconventional metaphors are among her greatest accomplishment. She uses not only simple images to indicate universal things but also expresses her personal ideas by significant images. She frequently uses personae to render the tone more familiar to the reader, and personification to vivify some abstract ideas. Her dramatic monologues convey rich complexities of human emotion –elation and depression, faith and doubt, hope and despair. Dickinson‘s poetry, despite its ostensible formal simplicity, is remarkable for its variety, subtlety and richness; and her limited private world never confined the limitless power of her creativity and imagination

Part III

In the following paragraph, some of the poem will be used to indicate the poetess‘ insight of death, love nature and religion. Death

Emily Dickinson wrote many poems concerned with death. During her life time, Emily Dickinson wrote about 500 poetry of death, which consisted of one third of all poetry. Compared with other writers contemporary, she is the poetess who wrote death most. Her poems

concern death, ranging over the physical as well as the psychological and emotional aspects of death. She looked at death from the point of view of both the living and the dying. She even imagined her own death, the loss of her own body, and the journey of her soul to the unknown, such as I heard a Fly buzz－when I died 3,Because I could not stop for death4 and I felt a funeral in my brain. I heard a Fly buzz－when I died5 is one of Emily Dickinson‘s most well-known poem about death. This poem is a description of the moment of death I heard a Fly buzz－when I died－ The stillness in the Room Was like the stillness in the Air－ Between the Heaven of storm－

The eyes around －had wrung them dry－ And Breaths were gathering firm For that last Onset－when the King Be witnessed－in the room－

I willed my keepsakes－signed away what portion of me be Assignable－and then it was There interposed a Fly－

With Blue --- uncertain stumbling Buzz－ Between the light－and me－ And the Windows failed－and then I could not see to see－

In the poem, the poetess uses her unique forms, especially unusual pauses to express her original ideal－Death is awesome and unpredictable. In I heard a fly buzz－when I died, the pauses have the function of both emphasis and suspension. It seems to tell the readers that it is during the poetess‘s dying that she heard a fly, the ―Room‖ and ―Air‖ are capitalized, and here ―Room‖ indicates of mortuary and ―Air‖ the weather. The atmosphere in the room and out of room is both quiet, just like the quietness before the storm. In the first stanza there are four dashes to make the effect of tranquility of the contemporary situation and people‘s sorrow. Through this the poetess tells us indirectly the scene upon death. At last moment, the poetess supposes to see ―God‖. ―For that last onset－when the King , Be witnessed－in the Room‖. This eagerness is emphasized by using dashes to connect the words, and seemingly leaves the question to the reader ―If I can really see God when I died‖, while the last sentence ―I could not see to see－‖ seems to answer the reader I could see nothing either the ―Fly‖ nor ―God‖. This sentence ends with a dash to show the poetess‘s doubt on the existence of God－ If

people can really go up to the heaven after death, but on one can anticipate it. In this poem Emily Dickinson‘s vision, imagination and feeling of calmness when she is facing the death are rightly and gracefully passed to the readers.

Because I could not stop for Death－is one of her most profound attempts to image some sort of being after death develops the deceptively metaphor of death as a gentleman taking a lady for a drive. He and his passenger are clearly presented but perhaps the carriage also holds ―immorality‖. In a few compact lines the drive rapidly becomes one‘s passage through a lifetime. Although it ends unambiguously at the grave there is still a bare hint of some inconceivable but possible continuing consciousness. The who poem－less than 130 words altogether-reads: Because I could not stop for Death－ He kindly stopped for me－

The carriage held but just ourselves－ And Immortality.

We slowly drove－He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too; For his civility－

We passed the school, where children strove At Recess－in the Ring－

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain－ We passed the setting Sun－

Or rather－He passed Us－

The Dews drew quivering and chill－ For only Gossamer, my Gown My Tippet－only Tulle－

We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground－ The Roof was scarcely visible－ The corn ice－in the Ground

Since then－‘tis Centuries－and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses‘ Heads Were toward Eternity－

In this poem, we can see Emily Dickinson‘s perfect use of metaphors and talent for expressing philosophical ideas by simple images. In the

poem, death is not so terrifying but a civil man who drives the author toward ―eternity‖. The author regard life is just like a journey but she will not stop so ―He kindly stopped for me‖. Emily Dickinson uses ―School, the Field of Gazing Grain, and the setting sun‖ to represent different stages of life, which is a typical example of her using metaphors. ―School, where children strove‖ may symbolize childhood; ―Fields of Gazing Grain‖ adult; and ―Setting Sun‖, old age. ―The Dews‖ symbolize human‘s life, transient and weak. So ―The Dews drew quivering and chill‖ on the journey toward ―House‖ the author thinks a lot and they finally arrive at the grave. In the last stanza, the poetess expresses her philosophical idea again. It seems that although life is transient but after people‘s death they get eternity－“spiritual eternity‖ That is why she feels centuries are shorter than a day .She is already toward ―Eternity‖. Viewing thing in a philosophical way shows Emily Dickinson‘s talent, especially when those philosophical ideas are expressed by simple images.

Another typical example is I felt a Funeral in my brain‖. Compared with the previous two, death in this poem is terrifying. In this poem, Emily Dickinson expresses her fright and fear to death by another technique－dramatic monologue. I felt a funeral, in my brain, And Mourner to and fro

Kept treading－treading－till it seemed

That sense was breaking through－

And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum－

Kept beating－beating－till I thought My mind was going numb－

And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my soul

With those same boots of lead, again, Then Space－began to toll, As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but a Ear,

And I, and Silence, some strange Race Wrecked, Solitary, here－

And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down－ And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing－then－

In this poem, the poetess imagines and describes the situation of funeral, she uses the image of funeral to express her point of view upon

the moment of death. The entire poem is Emily‘s dramatic monologue. In this poem, the word that includes the first person voice appears eight times, such as“I ”and ―my‖. In her mind, although a person is dead, his ―sense‖ still exists; he can hear and feel something. In this poem, she first heads the walk of the mourners. Then she feels there is a ―Service‖, because she hears the drum beating, then people take her to the grave. In this poem Emily Dickinson also expresses the philosophical idea, such as ―As all the Heavens were a bell, And Beings, but an Ear‖ to indicate that sense exists after death. The poetess also expresses her fear, uneasy and sorrow, through the words ―creak, wreaked, solitary plunge‖. Part III B Love

Love is another subject Dickinson dwells on. Some of her love poems treat the suffering and frustration love cause. These poems are the reflection of her own unhappy experience, closely related to her deepest and most private feelings. Many of them are striking and original depiction of longing for shared moment, the pains of separation, and the futility of finding happiness, such as ―If you were coming in the Fall‖ ―I had not minded walls‖ and ―presentiment‖.

If you were coming in the Fall6 is the poetess‘ most famous poem about love. Emily Dickinson‘s desire and disappointment are fully and strongly presented in this poem.

If you were coming in the Fall

I‘d brush the summer by With half a smile and half a spurn As housewives do a fly

If I could see you in a year I‘d wind the months in balls And put them in separate drawers Until their time be falls

If only centuries delayed I‘d count them on my hand Subtracting till my fingers dropped Into Van Die man‘s land

If certain when this life was out That yours and mine should be I‘d toss life yonder like a rind And taste eternity

But now all ignorant of length, of times uncertain wing , It goads me like the goblin bee

That will not state its sting!

This is one of Emily Dickinson‘s poems about love, but she never mentions the word of love once. Instead metaphors are well used to show the love she intends to express. The reader could figure out the poetess‘ eagerness to see the lover and brave to face the difficulty to get love. The poetess can‘t wait to see her lover and she can shorten the time which hind her from meeting her love. No matter several months or ―a year‖ or ―centuries‖, the poetess would regard the time as short as she imagined. Her love is so deep that she even can ―toss life yonder like a rind‖ ―If life was out‖ she boldly expresses her love proclaim. It seems that Emily wants to say ―I love you and I will love you no matter I were alive or dead, my spirit would love forever‖ However, unfortunately, the poetess doesn‘t know when they could meet and weather they can meet each other. She feels disappointment and sorrow, the feeling just like ―the gobin bee‖ who wants to sting her or attracts her attention, but he never come close and take action. The poetess often holds the dream but never can be realized, disappointment and oppressed feeling comes out through the poem.

Although the poetess uses common words to say something, but we can feel her inner world deeply, which is ranging from excitement to disappointment Emily‘s outstanding imagination and unique ideas of love are easy to find in this typical poem.

Another typical poem is I had not minded walls7 I had not minded walls Were Universe not rook And far I heard his silver call The other side the block

I‘d tunnel until my groove Pushed sudden through to his Then my face take recompense－ The Looking in his eyes. But‘ tis a single hair, A filament, a law－ A cobweb wove in adamant A battlement of straw－

A limit like the veil Unto the lady‘s face But every mesh a citadel And dragons in the crease!

In this poem, the poetess uses metaphor to put abstract thing into concrete object. For example, she thinks the social convention and moral disciple as walls or groove which prevent her from reaching to her lover.

In this poem we can conclude that the poetess is careless about the obstacle and she would fight against with these things, for love she can sacrifice anything but just to see ―the looking in his eyes‖ and she feels recompense. It seems that this poem is written to someone who she loves, but the lover can‘t return his love because of the social condition. She seems to encourage him and express her determination. Although in reality she can do nothing but wait, she uses poems to pour her true feelings and passionate love and hatred for social bonds.

Another well-known example is presentiment8. This is quite different from the above one .If we say in the former poem, Emily Dickinson is eager to find real love and full of expectation and determination in this poem, Emily express her disappointment to love Presentation－is that long shadow-on the lawn- Indicative that suns go down- The Notice to the star led Grass That Darkness-is about to pass

This poem is short; the poetess uses no persona word but to express her real feelings and thoughts. The monologue used in this poem is particular. Some background information about this poem helps to understand the sensitive and mysterious poetess well and fully. This poem was written soon after .Emily Dickinson‘s intimate friend, also suspected love, judge Otis P. Lord of the Massachusetts Supreme Court died. At that

time, the poetess was very sad and depressed.

―Long shadow, sun go down and Darkness‖ clearly indicates Emily‘s depression, sadness and. Suffering. The whole poem actually says‘ ―my lover died .His death took away my lover, my lover.‖ Part C nature

More than five hundred poems Dickinson wrote are about nature, in which her general skepticism about the relationship between man and nature is well expressed. On one hand she shared with her romantic and transcendental predecessors who believed that a mythical bond between man and nature existed, that nature revealed to man things about mankind and universe. On the other hand, she felt strongly about nature‘s inscrutability and indifference to life and interests of human beings. However, Dickinson managed to write about nature in the affirmation of the sheer joy and appreciation unaffected by philosophical speculations. Her acute observations, her concern for precise details and her interests in nature are pervasive, from sketches of flowers, insects, birds, to the sunset, the fully detailed summer storms, and the change of reasons; from keen perception to witty analysis.

A bird came down a walk9－ is a poem in which the poetess expresses her passion and appreciation for nature. A bird came down a walk－ He did not know I saw－

He bit Angleworm in halves And ate the fellow, raw,

And he drank a Dew From a convenient Grass－

And then hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a beetle pass－

He glanced with rapid eyes That hurried all around－

They look like frightened Beads, I thought－ He stirred his velvet Head Like one in danger, cautious, I offered him a Crumb And he unrolled his feathers And rowed his softer home－

Than oars divide the Ocean, Too silver for a seam－

Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon Leap, plashless as they swim.

In this poem, the poetess gives a vivid description about the bird,

How does ―he‖ eats, drink, play and refuse ―my‖ crumb‖ and fly away. It seems that she wants to make friends with the bird but is refused softly. This poem shows Emily‘s opinion about nature‘s inscrutability and indifference to the interests of human beings .Her genuine affection for nature can be sensed tremendously in it. Her heightened sensitivity and intelligence have given her new and original perspective in nature.

My river runs to thee－10is also Emily Dickinson‘s typical example on nature. In it the poetess expresses her eagerness to embrace with nature.

My River runs to thee－ Blue sea! Wilt welcome me? My River Waits reply－ Oh sea－ look graciously－ I‘ll fetch thee Brooks From spotted nooks--- Say –sea—Take Me!

In this poem, the poetess imagines herself as the river and gives nature its own personality. The river wants to get into the sea and waits the admission. The last line reveals the poetess‘ eagerness and passion to get together with the sea. She requires the sea to accept ―her‖, because the sea also likes the river ―look graciously ―at the ―river‖.

Little stone11 is another Emily Dickinson‘s typical example on

nature.

How happy is the little stone That ramble in the Road alone, And doesn‘t care about careers And exigencies never fears--- Whose Coat of elemental Brown A passing Universe put on, And independent as the sun Associates or glows alone, Fulfilling absolute Decree In casual simplicity---

Little stone12 is much like Emily Dickinson‘s personal monologue. In this poem, she gives the little stone a lot of vivid personality, such as ―happy, rambles, fears and independent‖. But after reading this poem for several times, I deeply and clearly find that Emily Dickinson doesn‘t just write little stone, but herself. Like the little stone that is ―independent as the sun Associates or glows alone‖, Emily Dickinson withdraw from the society and lived almost all her life in self-imposed seclusion. She seldom touches the civil war or other great national events, but focus on the permanent themes of life and death, love and lovers, the reflection of beauty or mystery of nature and meditation on religion. Part III 4 religion

Emily Dickinson also writes some poems about her doubt and belief about religious subject. While she desires salvation and immorality, she denied the orthodox view if paradise. Although she believes in God, she sometimes doubts His benevolence.

I know that He exists13 is one of her poems about God‘s existence. I know that He exists Somewhere --- in Silence --- He has hid his rare life From our grass eyes.

?Tis an instant‘s play ?Tis a fond Ambush--- Just to make Bliss Ear her own surprise!

But --- should the play Prove piercing earnest--- In death‘s --- stiff---stare.

Would not the fun Look too expensive! Would not the jest ---

Have crawled too far!

It is her early poem. In this poem, she is suspicious about the God‘s existence, but not quit sure. She begins with ―I know that He exists in somewhere‖, but where, she never sees him, so she comfort herself that we can‘t see him from our ―gross eyes‖. He is ―a fond Ambush‖. She writes ―Should the glee－glaze－In Death‘s stiff－stare‖. Maybe when we die and go to the heaven we can see him, but she thinks in order to see God she should be dead. It‘s ―too expensive‖ and the jest God made to people is too big.

As she grew older, she was not quite able to conceive a God; she nevertheless tried to imagine what he might be and what his responsibility for his creatures on earth was. As she grew older and became increasingly confirmed in her independence of mind she continued to wrestle with the same question, but the residue of hopeful belief became slighter, such as the poem Faith is a fine invention14

Faith is a fine invention When Gentleman can see- But Microscopes are prudent In an Emergency

In this poem, the poetess expresses her attitude toward God. It‘s just a ―Faith‖ God doesn‘t exist .When emergency appeared, God is prudent to

help you. the capitalized word‖ Microscope‖ indicates of God.

Again, because of her particularity, we can conclude that Emily Dickinson is a poetess of her own world. Her poetry doesn‘t fit to any particular group but to herself. Part IV: Conclusion

To sum up, Emily Dickinson was one of the greatest women in American history of literature. Her poetry comes out in burst; the poems are short, many of them being based on a single image or symbol. But within her little lyrics Miss Dickinson writes about some of the most important things in life. She writes about love and lover, when she either never really found or else gave up, she writes about success, which she thought she never achieved, and about failure, which she considered her constant companion.

Her poetry is read for its particularity, such as the use of unconventional similes, metaphors, dramatic monologues and unusual dashes. Although my research only explores some parts of Emily is talent, there is no doubt that the solitary poetess of Amherst, Massachusetts, is a writer of great power and beauty. She is a poetess of her own world.

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EMILY DICKINSON－A POETESS OF HER OWN WORLD

BY DU YAN PING

A thesis submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature of Foreign Languages Lollege, Shaanxi Normal University, in partial fulfillment of the degree bachelor of arts in English language and literature

May , 2006

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