Emily Dickinson

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Unlike most American authors, Emily Dickinson was a quiet, reclusive woman of the 1800’s. She wasn’t known as a poet until several years after her death, however she is considered to be one of the great American poets (“Emily Dickinson-Biography.”). Emily Dickinson wrote about her own life experiences; love, death, education, and her desire to remain young or immortal. Her work, discovered after her death, grew in popularity and continues to sell today.
Born into a well off family on December 10, 1830, Emily Dickinson and her family had no grasp on how she would live her life, or the lasting impact she would have (“Emily Dickinson-Biography.”). Growing up in the center of Amherst society, her ability to surpass the patriarchy of the time seemed unattainable (Crumbley). Her father, Edward Dickinson, prided himself as a model citizen and often ran for political positions. He was elected to the Massachusetts Legislature and to the Massachusetts State Senate (“Emily Dickinson.”). All of the men in the Dickinson men had political ambitions and were attorneys (Crumbley). Dickinson’s mother, however, appears to be a passive wife of a domineering husband (“Emily Dickinson.”). For a young, impressionable teenager, living in a household were men held the power and women weren’t allowed the same rights, led Dickinson to try to protect her differing opinions by adhering to standards of her family and keeping to herself (Eberwein).
As a child, Dickinson’s life revolved around her growing education and religious activities. Typical of this time period, she was expected to quietly abide by the strict puritan ways. Emily Dickinson was blessed with an education at Amherst Academy then at Mount Holyoke (Crumbley). During her yearlong study at Mount...

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...um Encyclopedia of American Literature, pp 269-272, Literary Reference Center, EBSCO host, 22 January 2014.

“Major Characteristics of Dickinson’s Poetry.” Emily Dickinson Museum. Trustees of Amherst College, 2009. Web. 23 January 2014.

“Emily Dickinson.” Poetry Foundation. 2014. Web. 24 January 2014.

“Emily Dickinson’s Poetry.” American Studies at the University of Virginia. 2009. Web. 20 January 2014.

“Emily Dickinson: An Overview.” Brooklyn College. 2009. Web. 31 January 2014.

“Emily Dickinson-Biography.” The European Graduate School. 2012. Web. 28 January 2014.

Crumbley, Paul. “Emily Dickinson’s Life.” Modern American Poetry. National Biography Online. 2000. Web. 31 January 2014.

Eberwein, Jane Donahue. “Emily Dickinson.” Modern American Poetry. National Biography Online, 2000. Web. 31 January 2014.

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