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Examine the theme of emily dickinson poem
Emily dickinson poetry analysis
Examine the theme of emily dickinson poem
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Emily Dickinson's "The Goal" discusses her theory that each human being lives each day striving to obtain one specific goal. She theorizes that each individual longs to fulfill one specific achievement whether "expressed" to others or is "still" (l. 2) and locked into the individual's heart.
Dickinson says that it is an inevitable part of human nature to live this way, whether we believe so or not, and have not been able to recognize the specific theme of our life as it is "admitted scarcely to itself" (l. 5). She speculates that we attempt to cover our ambitions from others because we lack "credibility's temerity" (l. 7) and are scared that we are less accomplished than we should be to even imagine so great of expectations. She also brings out that not only are we wary of sharing our dream to others, but we ourselves approach it "adored with caution" (l. 9).
Even though we ourselves doubt our ability to achieve the extent of our dream, Dickinson says that the further away and the less attainable, the more desirable of an objective it becomes. She says that we chase after our goal like someone chasing after "the rainbow's raiment" (l. 11) which we continue to pursue for its beauty and the pot of gold, even though we know that it is only an appealing myth and the end of the rainbow does not truly exist at all.
She compares our faith in achieving our goal as someone reaching "a brittle heaven" (l. 9) and living their lives in blind faith that they will ultimately achieve that goal. We all live our lives in part expecting to achieve utopia and to see the face of God at our death, but occasional we question the rationale of this heart's desire. We do however have to believe on the basis that without that belief, living a moral life and having a supernatural relationship would be ludicrous without that end reward of sitting at the feet of our maker. Likewise, we should live our lives with a mortal goal and faith that we will achieve it. If we approach our earthly desires in this manner, we will be more disciplined, and will seek to achieve this goal with all costs.
Dickinson says that we should be inspired by "the saints' slow diligence" (l. 15) who have gone before us all working towards their goal of spreading the gospel and doing good works.
Some of us can be slaves to society, but still there are some others that will see beyond it to reach for what they want. People will do anything to fulfill their dreams. They will travel great distances or change their whole lifestyles to succeed. But not everyone prevails. In the end, it's the people that guide themselves and are not controlled by others. The best days may be the first to flee, but dreams live on forever (174).
All humans have dreams and goals for their future that they wish to someday turn into reality. Dreams are different for every person, and some dreams are greater and grander than others, but they are all similar in that humans live for dreams because humans innately crave a better tomorrow. While many people do achieve their ultimate goals within their lifetimes, some people have unattainable dreams that are destined for failure. Two quintessential American novels, The Great Gatsby and the Catcher in the Rye, recount the stories of two hopeful young men with lofty plans, Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield. Both of these utopian young men possess impossible, unreachable dreams; Gatsby desires to rewind his life so that he may enjoy it with his beloved Daisy instead of losing her while at war, and Holden wishes for time to halt altogether so that he must not face the challenge of growing up and becoming an adult in a cruel society. Through the example of both of their tragic stories, it is evident that humans often rely too heavily on dreams, and when these vital dreams fail because of corrupt societies, they lose touch with reality and fall into despair and defeat.
Throughout the book the author implies that through persevering through adversity, following omens, and overcoming one's fears, everyone has a chance to achieve their dreams.
In the novel Walden, transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau proclaims the importance of recognizing a determined life built from the parameters of society. He declares, “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” (Thoreau 261). In this quote, Thoreau utilizes the literary device of repetition to emphasize the importance of mastering the skill of not letting the unimportant and insignificant matters infiltrate one’s life and not letting others choose one’s actions. Another example of an adamant life is unraveled in Emily Dickinson’s inspiring poem “A Light Exists in Spring.” In the poem, she reveals that, “It passes and we stay/A quality of loss/Affecting our Content” (Dickinson 268). Arguably, this demonstrates that many people struggle with the pursuit of happiness because individuals allow outside influences to change or to decide what one does; this shows that people will often times go along with the raging river of the status quo to later be washed ashore and deserted alone on an island, an island called self. Ultimately, it is essential to observe that by realizing that one lives a dictated life the pursuit of happiness takes one step closer towards breaking away from the overbearing pressures of conformity and the status
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” This quote from Walt Disney addressing the concept of achieving dreams is very accurate, and can be seen throughout literature today and in the past. Dreams can give people power or take away hope, and influence how people live their lives based upon whether they have the determination to attack their dreams or not; as seen through characters like the speaker in Harlem by Langston Hughes and Lena and Walter Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in The Sun.
The chasing of a mirage is a futile quest where an individual chases an imaginary image that he or she wants to capture. The goal of this impossible quest is in sight, but it is unattainable. Even with the knowledge that failure is inevitable, people still dream of catching a mirage. There is a fine line that separates those who are oblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represent those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment.
The concept of the American Dream has been present in the lives of many since the beginning of American literature’s arrival
The American Dream is often thought of as the key to happiness, usually defined as the thing that one wants to achieve in their lifetime. However, it does not always end the way one may wish. When one attempts to achieve it, he risks the possibility of failure. In many fictional novels, this theme is displayed. In novels and in real life, there are continuous interruptions with one’s dreams. Although the American Dream, however one may define it, promises hope for people and characters from all backgrounds, it is impossible to achieve.
In the United States there is an idea many pursue called the American dream, which differs from person to person. The American dream according to americanradioworks.publicradio.org is “a revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition”. Yet it has been said there is no real definition of American dream, instead it merely proves that it has an unconscious influence in American mentality (Ştiuliuc 1). The American dream is different for each person because everyone yearns for things that will they hope will in return make them happy. Whatever that may be, each person goes through different struggles to obtain what they want. According to Frederic Carpenter, the American dream “has never been defined exactly, and probably never can be. It is both too various and too vague” (3). The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse depicts the different interpretations on what the American dream actually is through the opinions and actions of Hector Esperanza, Efren Mendoza and Mrs. Calhoun.
The poetic work penned by Emily Dickinson is often viewed cryptically mainly due to the aspects of less punctuation and presence of destructive language that aligns imagery. For the purpose of analysis, the poem selected is Dickinson’s 754, ‘My Life has Stood – A Loaded Gun’ which was published in 1999. The poem has eluded critics and the interpretation of this work was carried out in a number of ways including frontier romanticism and a spirituality expression. On the other hand, the poem is underpinned with an extensive metaphor, in the light of which the life of the speaker becomes a loaded gun. The beginning of the poem depicts a typical American scene with the existence of a gun, a hunter, and a trip to the woods for hunting. The poem
In Emily Dickinson’s poem #336, the narrator feels a strong sense of despair and laments at having lost the physical ability to see in one eye. The narrator reflects upon the importance of sight in experiencing nature and finds a better appreciation for it now that she has lost her sight. By the end of the poem however, the narrator experiences transcendence, as she comes to the realization that through the act of imagination she is able to see far more than the limited view her eyes provided her with. Through the act of poetic writing, the narrator is able to capture the beauty of nature and engrave in into her soul. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s excerpt from “Nature”, he alludes to the significance in sight when it comes to it being able to merge the human soul with nature to create perfect unity, and as such he lays the groundwork for Dickinson’s ideas that are presented within her poem. Though Dickinson’s poem may initially seem transcendental, it can also be interpreted as a mixture of Emerson’s transcendental ideas and those that support the notion of imagination. Dickinson’s poem serves as a response to Emerson’s ideas because she adds on to his thoughts and unites his idea that there is oneness present in the world with the notion that imagination and sight serve as a bridge that connects human consciousness with nature to create this oneness that Emerson believes in.
Similarly, many of the goals and desires that the American Dream holds are not always what they seem to be. On the surface, they may seem to be what everyone wants, however below is the real truth about these desires and their consequen...
An Anonymous person once said, “The American Dream is dead”. Disagreeing with the bleak and disillusioned saying I used The Great Gatsby and the literary terms setting and plot. With a setting that shouts, “Come for your Dreams”, and a plot that proves dreams are worth the dreaming if for the contentment of the fantasy, the dreams aren’t futile but a certain buoyancy in the life of a person, a reason to live. Dreams are companions in life, whether actual goals or small entertained thoughts of the possibilities of the future, no matter how much we may live in the present called today.
...f our acts do not have an impact on the ultimate goal. In regard to this response, I would say that it is in our nature to do what makes us happy, whether it is true happiness through virtues or happiness from material things. Either way one is going to do whatever they can to obtain what pleasures their soul. Our acts shape and mold us whether we know it or not. Our acts and decisions shape us, which can change our goals as well. If we perform virtuous acts then our goal will be virtuous which is why all of our acts should be aimed towards that goal.
Emily Dickinson was an unrecognized poet her whole life. Her close family members recognized her talent, and her needs to write poetry, but the literary establishment of her time would not recognize her skill. Even though she was unrecognized, she was still quietly battling the established views through her poetry. Her literary struggle was exposed after her death since, while living, only five of her poems were published.