Introduction to Emily Dickinson Honors English 11 December 11, 2014

About the Author Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, in 1830, Emily Dickinson was a prolific poet, though few poems were published during her lifetime. Her family was very prominent – her grandfather founded Amherst College, where her father, also a US Congressman, was Treasurer. However, Emily challenged many of the conventions of the society around her, particularly religion. While she read the works of other 19 th century poets in England and America, she developed her own idiosyncratic style, using dashes and capitalisation. In later life she became very reclusive and died in 1886.

Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson!

Because I Could Not Stop For Death Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality. We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put away My labour, and my leisure too, For his civility. We passed the school where children played, Their lessons scarcely done; We passed the fields of gazing grain, We passed the setting sun. We paused before a house that seemed A swelling of the ground; The roof was scarcely visible, The cornice but a mound. Since then 'tis centuries; but each Feels shorter than the day I first surmised the horses' heads Were toward eternity.

When analyzing poetry, get FLIRTY. 1. F - Focus on the form of the poem, looking at the structure, punctuation, line lengths and the arrangement of the poem’s stanzas. How do these features add interest and meaning to the poem? Also examine the arrangements of the words, phrases and sentences in the poem. 2. L - Examine the language used in the poem, looking at the meaning of words and whether they have negative or positive connotations. 3. I - Look at the techniques, imagery and sound devices, alliteration, etc. that has been used. How do these techniques bring out the main themes and ideas in the poem? 4. R - How does the poet make use of rhyme (end and internal), repetition and rhythm? Why does she do this? 5. T - What are the poet’s main ideas that she brings out in the poem and how does he do this? Explain the feelings that the poet conveys throughout the poem. Describe the poet’s attitude to his subject. Does this change as the poem progresses? Carefully examine the tone throughout the poem and find vocabulary to back up your discussion. 6. Y - How do you react to this poem? Does it bring any particular thoughts to mind? Which poems would you compare this one with?

Use the FLIRTY method to analyze “Success is counted sweetest” (page 753)

For Homework Choose a song and analyze it using the FLIRTY method of poetry analysis. You may choose whichever song you like, but please make sure to edit it for any profanity or subject matter that is inappropriate for school. Your assignment is due on Monday, 12/15/14. Please make sure to include the following: 1. A copy of your song 2. Your FLIRTY analysis. It should be typed. Please be sure to number your assignment (#1-6) with your response to each step in the FLIRTY method. Be prepared to share your responses with the class.