Emily Dickinson: An American Poet Presented By: Rhaynely Whitaker

Who is Emily Dickinson? One of the greatest poets of American History Lived a very reclusive and simple lifestyle She questioned the theories of immortality and death in a very mantric application A very inspirational writer Emily was both a keen artist and accomplished musician.

Birth and Childhood Emily Dickinson was born on 10th December, 1830, in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. As a young child, Emily proved to be a bright and responsible student. She was a perfectionist and always tried to keep a strict and proper lifestyle.

Influences Emily was also well read, choosing writers such as: Emerson, Thoreau, Dickens, John Ruskin, and nineteenth-century poets like the Browning’s and the Bronte sisters. At Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, she was able to study a range of subjects from Latin to English Literature. Emily Dickinson’s later seclusion from society gives an impression of a life of simplicity and wellness.

Famous Publications “A Bird Came Down the Walk” “I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died” “A Narrow Fellow In the Grass” “Wild Nights! Wild Nights!”

Life Overview and Death Dickinson's poetry reflects her loneliness and the speakers of her poems generally live in a state of wanting more in life. Dickinson's family discovered 40 hand-bound volumes of nearly 1,800 of her poems While Dickinson was extremely prolific as a poet and regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends, she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime.

An Explication of “A Bird Came Down the Walk”

Literal Meaning Dickinson descriptively depicts the bird as it eats a worm, pecks at the grass, hops by a beetle, and glances around fearfully.

Comprehension and Interpretation Dickinson describes the motions of the bird as very fluid and nautical. Flying can be both exciting and frightening or very peaceful and tranquil. Both are joyous and yet also connected with dying and death, particularly rather violent ends.

Writing Conventions Structurally, this poem is absolutely typical of Dickinson. It follows a loose ABCB rhyme scheme. It uses an iambic trimeter with occasional four- syllable lines

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