I’m going to be honest. I came into the class loving Dickinson, and I left with a greater appreciation for her. Whitman just cannot compare (sorry, not sorry).

Throughout the last couple of weeks reading her material, I have noticed a couple of trends in Dickinson’s poetry. I’m torn on whether they are individual choices based on the poem or a reflection of her style. Thus, I pose the question to you.

  1. Blaming They

Dickinson has a tendency to accuse or place “they” in a poor light.

“They shut me up in prose” — 445

“They leave us with the Infinite” — 352

“I’m ceded – I’ve stopped being Their’s – / The name They dropped opon my face” — 353

“‘Tis true – They shut me in the Cold – / But then – Themselves were warm” — 658

Do you think there is a consistent “they” being blamed? If so, who? Or do you think each of these ‘they’s refers to a different group of people?

2. Final Dash

Dickinson also has the pattern of using dashes at the end of her poems. We discussed in class about whether this is her trying to leave the poem on a hanging note, or indicating that there is more to come. However, is this truly the case? Or did Dickinson end her poems with dashes as a stylistic or meter choice? (Look through the book and you’ll find a magnitude of examples).

On a separate note, I watch the Kemp Symposium presentations yesterday. Particularly, I was interested in Hollis’s discussion of color words in Whitman’s poetry. I wonder if a similar study could be applied to Dickinson and the word “blue.” Perhaps it is just me, but I noticed her using that color often. If you noticed it as well, what do you think it means, if anything deeper than the color? Again, do you think this is another stylistic pattern?

“With Blue – uncertain – stumbling Buzz” — 591

“Or it’s Advantage – Blue – ” — 593

“The Brain is deeper than the sea – / For – hold them – Blue to Blue – ” — 597

“From inns of molten Blue – ” — 207

All in all, I really enjoyed this semester with you all. Digging into the deeper meanings of Dickinson’s poetry is one of my favorite things to discuss in a class. I’m sad to see it go so soon. Hopefully, I’ll see you all in the upcoming semesters. Have a great summer!

Final Dickinson Thoughts

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