Emily Dickinson’s “The Drop that Wrestles in the Sea” focuses on the loss of identity. The drop in the sea is her wrestling with society. Its identity is lost because of its own insignificance to such a large entity, but it still tries to defend it. Dickinson is aware of this and contemplates just how large the society is and whether she can wrestle against such a large force . By the end the greek sea-goddess, Amphitrite smiles at the drop and the drop takes that as a sign that she will still retain her own individuality when she pleads “‘Me’?”, but the drop misinterprets the smile as a smile of comfort rather than a smile of pity and the drop continues to struggle tirelessly against society.
The author of this poem uses rhythm and rhymes
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He would argue that the poem transforms our way of language by applying an idea such as society removing our individualism and rephrasing it into an experience. Emily Dickinson would be considered a philosopher because she questions our existence and identity within a culture that seeks to assimilate us. The act of writing the poem is also a way of staging words and language which Noe would argue is how we create art. In carefully choosing each word so that it gives purpose towards the entire poem, the words become objects that serve as building blocks being assemble to create an entire …show more content…
During childhood it is a time of expressionism and play, but as we grow up we are guided into the confines of society where we are shaped and molded to fit into the massive organism that we call our culture. The poem serves as an outlet for Emily Dickinson to express her desire to be a kid again instead of actually devolving into the mental state of a child who is completely unaware of the social obligations that transform her identity.
Baldwin might state that “The Drop that Wrestles in the Sea” is Dickinson’s way of exploring her place within the world and addressing the overwhelming force of society upon our identity. In doing so she seeks to find the answer of whether she can truly pushback against society to keep her identity and whether she is able to change such a massive entity. Baldwin would agree with the author that society is difficult to change, but would go on to say that she is not the only drop within the ocean and therefore could wrestle with the sea as a group to exert a significant change upon our
Upon first look, Billy Collins “Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes” seems to be a wild fantasy for Emily Dickinson that he is entertaining. Upon closer examination, however, the poem reveals his subconscious desire to have sex with his mother and his frustration about his inability to do so, resulting in the displacement of his sexual desires onto Dickinson.
“The Convergence of the Twain” is a nonlinear retelling of the Titanic disaster of 1912; however, on a deeper level, the poem explores hubris, downfall, and how fate connects hubris to downfall. Through tone, diction and juxtaposition, the speaker describes the sinking of the Titanic as inevitable and necessary. The juxtaposition of the Titanic and the environment in the first five stanzas symbolizes the opposition between man and nature, suggesting that nature overcomes man. The speaker characterizes the sea as being “deep from human vanity” (2) and deep from the “Pride of Life that planned” the Titanic. The diction of “human vanity” (2) suggests that the sea is incorruptible by men, and then the speaker’s juxtaposition of vanity with “the Pride of Life” (3), an allusion to humanity, further implies a connection between the two.
The poems “Sea Rose” by H.D and “Vague Poem” by Elizabeth Bishop were both written by two women who took over the Victorian era. H.D’s works of writing were best known as experimental reflecting the themes of feminism and modernism from 1911-1961. While Bishop’s works possessed themes of longing to belong and grief. Both poems use imagery, which helps to make the poem more concrete for the reader. Using imagery helps to paint a picture with specific images, so we can understand it better and analyze it more. The poems “Sea Rose” and “Vague Poem” both use the metaphor of a rose to represent something that can harm you, even though it has beauty.
Emily Dickinson was an intricate and contradictory figure who moved from a reverent faith in God to a deep suspicion of him in her works. (Sherwood 3) Through her own intentional choice she was, in her lifetime, considered peculiar. Despite different people and groups trying to influence her, she resisted making a public confession of faith to Christ and the Church. (Sherwood 10) She wanted to establish her own wanted to establish her own individuality and, in doing so, turned to poetry. (Benfey 27) Dickinson’s poems were a sort of channel for her feelings and an “exploration” of her faith (Benfey 27).
Emily Dickinson was one of the greatest woman poets. She left us with numerous works that show us her secluded world. Like other major artists of nineteenth-century American introspection such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Melville, Dickinson makes poetic use of her vacillations between doubt and faith. The style of her first efforts was fairly conventional, but after years of practice she began to give room for experiments. Often written in the meter of hymns, her poems dealt not only with issues of death, faith and immortality, but with nature, domesticity, and the power and limits of language.
Emily Dickinson had an interesting life, and is a profound woman in the history of America and literature. Emily wrote many poems. Some are titled, and many are given chronological numbers instead of headlining the main theme. I am interpreting Poem #315.
...sed society with religious overtones throughout the poem, as though religion and God are placing pressure on her. The is a very deep poem that can be taken in may ways depending on the readers stature yet one thing is certain; this poem speaks on Woman’s Identity.
...eart would split, but because she is able to see nature through her imagination she is safe from those effects, shown when she says, “So safer-guess-with just my soul” (18) While Emerson uses only sight to form a connection with nature, Dickinson uses both sight and imagination to connect people’s souls to nature when she says, “…with just my soul open the window pane”(19); the eyes are said to be the windows that lead to one’s soul, so through this statement Dickinson shows that there is a correlation between imagination, sight, and soul because through all of them one is able to become one with nature. Through the very act of writing this poem Dickinson reveals that poetic writing is another form of reaching oneness with nature.
In a beautifully descriptive poem titled “Diving into the Wreck”, author Adrienne Rich seems to be depicting a quest the narrator is on, to delve deep into the sea and explore a wreckage beneath the waves. The poem focuses more so on the preparation and process of the dive rather than of the search of the wreckage itself, which plays an interesting factor in the poem. But, as the narrator dives into the water, the reader is taken into a deeper journey along with them. Diving under the surface of the poem, and looking further into the meaning, there is a central theme of women who have been oppressed for hundreds of years struggling for their rights in a society that is mainly dominated by males. The poem is much more than just an adventurous
Through Dickinson's precise style of. writing, effective use of literary elements, and vivid imagery, she creates a. poem that can be interpreted in many different ways. The precise form that Dickinson uses throughout "Because" helps convey. her message to the reader. The poem is written in five quatrains.
...e use of figurative language and many literary techniques, Dickinson makes clear her theme, adding on to the intensity of the poem.
Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I” and “VIII”, are both three verses long and convey the irony and anguish of the world in different ways. By paraphrasing each of Dickinson’s poems, “I” and “VIII”, similarities and differences between the two become apparent. Putting the poem into familiar language makes it easier to comprehend.
Dickinson's poetry is both thought provoking and shocking. This poem communicates many things about Dickinson, such as her cynical outlook on God, and her obsession with death. It is puzzling to me why a young lady such as Emily Dickinson would be so melancholy, since she seemed to have such a good life. Perhaps she just revealed in her poetry that dark side that most people try to keep hidden.
Porter, David T. The Art of Emily Dickinson’s Early Poetry. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966. Print.
Emily Dickinson’s poems are giving ample scope for interpretation. At first glance her poems seem simple to interpret because of her brevity but exactly that is what leaves space for phantasy and offers the opportunity for different interpretations. What she really means is therefore vague and difficult to grasp. Through her over usage of dashes, which might dramatize her thoughts, the reader’s power of imagination is induced and he or she is able to accomplish the poem with own ideas. Dashes appear at the end or even within a poem, it could connect both parts, beforehand and afterward, is a caesura, the pause in a line of a verse, or even an ellipsis. Because of all three options it is also difficult to figure out what Dickinson’s intention