Topic > Discussion of Symbols in Emily Dickinson's Poetry

Emily Dickinson wrote many poems throughout her life; however, very few were published. Emily wrote her poems so that they were encrypted and enigmatic to the reader. He appreciated his abilities to create deeper meaning in his poems; he also loved to make symbolic not just a small part of his poems, but the entire poem. Emily Dickinson's use of symbolism is what made her poetry so touching to readers, because symbolism is a very important part of literature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Symbolism gives readers a connection to their own lives. A symbol could also serve as a lesson for the reader, just like the theme or moral of a story. In Cuéllar Cajiao's article, Disentangling Emily Dickinson's Riddles and Encoded Voices in "My Life had Stood a Loaded Gun" and "I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed", Cajiao states "Each reader has his own way of giving meaning to lyrics according to a complex mix of personal experience, training and sensitivity" (Cajiao 28). This quote expresses the fact that the symbol of a piece of literature can be different between different people based on their life; you may see one symbol different from another in the same literary work. That said, authors like Emily Dickinson crafted their literary work with symbols based on their lives. In this way, authors are able to provide readers with a connection to their own lives. Although symbolism is everywhere in literature, especially poetry, it can be slightly difficult to find from time to time. Michael Farber noticed how difficult it was to find both the symbols and their meanings when he sent one of his students to discover why the myrtle was a symbol. Farber, after noticing the difficulty of finding symbols and their meanings, created a book called A Dictionary of Literary Symbols. In it he writes, “But where, exactly, do you send a student to discover the symbolic meaning of [anything]” (Ferber 1). Emily's poems, just like other literary works, can have symbolism that is difficult to pinpoint. However, knowing a little about Emily's background can make it a little easier to discover what the symbolism Emily intended is. Emily lived a very simple and, to the naked eye, boring life according to Gerhard Brand's biography of Emily Dickinson: “[Emily] was born in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, December 10, 1830, spent nearly her entire life in the home of family and died there May 15, 1886. She graduated from Amherst Academy in 1847, then attended nearby Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for a year. He traveled occasionally to Springfield and twice to Boston. In 1885, she and her family visited Washington and Philadelphia. She never married” (Brand 12). Brand states that this little quote is the summary of Emily's life; however, Brand also writes, “Yet her interior life was so intense that a distinguished twentieth-century poet and critic, Allen Tate, could write, “Any pity for Miss Dickinson's 'hungry life' is misdirected. deepest ever lived on this continent." It is a life that has proved a perplexing enigma to many critics and biographers. (Mark 12). Despite her seemingly dull life, Emily wrote many poems, about two thousand to be exact. However published only ten in the local library. Roseanne Hoefel's analysis of The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, she states: “After Emily Dickinson's death in 1886, her sister Lavinia found forty-nine fascicles, or packets […] These were well. welcomed and led to the publication in 1891 of 161 further poems and, in 1896, of others168 […] In 1914, Dickinson's niece and literary heir, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, compiled more poems […] Millicent Todd Bingham published the remaining 688 poems and fragments in 1945” (Roseanne). that's how we got to see all of Emily's known works, rather than just the ten she published while she was alive. Many of his poems were about his favorite thing: nature. In terms of religion, Emily attended a Congregational church; however, his view of God was very strange. She believed in and feared God, but sometimes gave up on God in her poetry. Emily's death is marked on May 15, 1886. In Thomas Arp's book, Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound & Sense, twenty-one of Emily's most popular poems are listed . Included in this list are: A light exists in spring, I heard the buzz of a fly - When I died, apparently without surprise and tasted a liquor never prepared (Arp XVIII-XIX). In Dickinson's I Heard a Fly Buzz-When I Died, most of the symbolism can be found in the fly and the people in her room. In this poem, the narrator lies on her deathbed, surrounded by her friends and family. In his analysis of this poem, Christopher Nesmith writes: “Although it may seem that I take the side that the appearance of the fly is a bad omen or at least a negative symbol […] I disagree with [those who believe this ] in pointing out that the introduction of the fly into the scene suggests a king of natural chaos amidst the imposed artificial order and propriety of the scene” (Nesmith 165). This not only expresses Nesmith's point about the symbolism of the fly in Emily's poem, but also expresses that not everyone will see a symbol the same way. Another poem by Emily, seemingly unsurprisingly, shows an example of how Emily used an entire poem to express a symbol. This poem was considered the one that expresses Emily's feelings of God. In his analysis of this poem, Richard Brantley states, “In “Seemingly Without Surprise” the speaker sarcastically renounces God and rejects him triumphantly without denying his existence in the past or giving up the right to speak to him again” (Brantley 24 ). This poem symbolizes the struggles Emily had with God. The struggle was probably quite large and upset Emily in her relationship with God. Emily's poem Tasting a Never-Brewed Liquor, shows an example of both her love for nature and her symbolism through multiple parts of his poetry. Emily's poem is written: “I taste an unbrewed liquor - From the mugs collected in Pearl - Not all the vats on the Rhine produce such alcohol! Leaning on the - Sun -” (Dickinson in Arp 737-738). It turns out that the speaker of this poem is a hummingbird. The hummingbird drinks from a flower which is “From inns of Molten Blue” (Dickinson in Arp 737). The quote: “From Tankards scooped in Pearl” refers to the inner part of the flower from which the hummingbird drinks nectar (Dickinson in Arp 737). Another quote, “I taste a liqueur that has never been prepared,” talks about the nectar of plants; the nectar is sweet and nutritious for both hummingbirds and butterflies, and is produced naturally. The two lines that mention “Bee” and “Butterflies” talk about how the hummingbird is now the only animal or insect that collects nectar from plants; therefore, the hummingbird does not have to fight any creatures for one turn at each flower (Dickinson in Arp 737). The last stanza of the poem can be slightly confusing; however, the last stanza means that the hummingbird will continue to drink nectar from the plants until it dies. Each of these symbols helps Emily express the meaning of the poem to each reader. Please note: this is just an example. 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