In our reading for class on Tuesday, we had the following poem (445):

“They shut me up in Prose –

As when a little Girl

They put me in the Closet –

Because they liked me ‘still’ –

Still! Could themself have peeped –

And seen my Brain – go round –

They might as wise have lodged a Bird

For Treason – in the Pound –

Himself has but to will

And easy as a Star

Look down opon Captivity –

And laugh – No more have I -” (206).

I wanted to talk about this poem because I felt like Dickinson was speaking to every little girl who ever dreamed of something society told her she could not do. I also really enjoyed the sassiness that she gives off in this poem, and for good reason, I think. Combined, these two aspects really reflected how I feel about a lot of problems today. It makes me wonder if Dickinson would identify as a modern feminist (yes, please let me know what you think in addition to your thoughts on my questions). I also think that the imagery in this poem is very vivid, but I had a hard time figuring out what the last stanza is talking about in relation to the rest. I’m curious to see what you all thought of this poem as you read it and how it resonated with you. Here are some questions for your perusing (feel free to answer whichever ones you want, in whatever order or whatever picking you choose):

  1. Who do you think “shut” Dickinson “up in Prose”? Why would women be expected to be solely writing prose at this time? Was Dickinson’s being shoved in a box even about her being a woman, or was it her particular style with poetry that set her apart?
  2. What does Dickinson mean here by “still”? What would it mean to be a “still” woman in her time period? What does it mean to be a “still” woman today?
  3. Do you read this poem as a gendered one, or do you think it applies more broadly than to the experience of women?
  4. What do you make of the last stanza? I was a bit perplexed by it, so I’m eager to see what you all have to say.
  5. Do you identify with this poem? If yes, how so? For me, I have had many experiences where I felt like I wasn’t capable of doing something because of what someone else told me a woman couldn’t do.
Piper’s CS for March 30
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