Debriefing Dickenson Poems

Poems are a way that people can connect with each other. Poems can be used to prove a

point or tell a story. However, many poems have different meanings for different things. In

Dickinson's three poems, 359,353, and 207 she uses figurative language to tell different stories.

If we look closer into her work, the meanings go far more than what the words tell. Dickinson

uses short descriptive poems and tons of figurative language to show different meanings behind

her words.

In Dickinson's poem 359, she shows the harsh reality of nature through her use of

imagery. Dickinson does not just state that nature is brutal, she uses precise imagery to show her

intrusive thoughts of what people do not normally hear.This is shown when Dickinson says,

“And ate the fellow, raw”. Dickinson wants to show that all nature isn’t so beautiful, and rather

animals are dying constantly, showing the brutal side of what is so captivating to people. Nature

is seen as such a beauty of art to people, that Dickinson’s use of imagery, is stating what really

happens in nature that goes unnoticed. Dickinson not only wants to show the bitter side of the art

of nature, she also wants to illuminate the beauty of nature that also comes along: “And then

hopped sidewise to the Wall To let a Beetle pass -“. Dickson pointed out the rough part of nature,

but always wants to show the good things as well. Letting the beetle pass is a way of showing

that no matter the breed, habitat, or animal, animals still have human nature of showing gratitude

towards one another. Imagery is used here to show that there is so much happiness and kindness

in the world of nature that we do not see constantly. Letting the beetle pass is such a subtle way

of showing how nature is so emphatic. Dickinson says, “They looked like frightened Beads, I

thought”. Dickinson thought so much differently than what she experienced viewing the instance

with the beetle. She was so surprised by what happened, and was so appreciative of the beauty of

what happens in nature. This poem elaborates the truth behind the greatness of the outdoors.

Maybe you haven't seen it yet, but when you do, you will be caught off guard by the ways nature

inspires us people.

In poem 353, Dickinson is telling a narrative of someone who disagrees with what life

she is in. She uses this narrative to show how some people are very unhappy with the lives they

have been placed into. Dickinson says,“I'm ceded - I've stopped being Theirs”. Dickinson is

saying that she’s done belonging to who I’m assuming is the person's parents. She points out this

narrative to give the audience the current situation the person in the poem is going through. She

wants the audience to know that the person she is talking about is done being with whom she is

with and wants change within her life. Dickinson later in the poem then says, “My second Rank -

too small the first”. Dickinson is saying that the rank she was put in first was so small, and now

she is so insignificant. She is trying to show the struggle of the person's life using imagery. The

imagery she portrays is that the rank she is given at the start illuminates who she is as a person.

Just because she was not given the greatest start, does not mean that she is not capable of

creating the life she desires. Dickinson also uses descriptive analysis to give the audience a better

understanding of how the queen is proceeded: “A half unconscious Queen”. Dickinson is

showing how the queen is half conscious and still gets power. This shows how people will have

more power based on how they are proceeded, rather than if they are actually fit for power. THis

goes along with the poem relating to the strive for a better life. This really shows that people can

have certain power just by how they are born.

In poem 207, Dickinson uses figurative language to show that she is not drunk on

alcohol, rather she is addicted to the beauty of nature around her. Dickinson is talking about

how being intoxicated connects him and brings him closer to nature. Nature is seen as

Dickinson's spiritual awakening, showing that nature itself is really intoxicating. When Dickinson

says,“Yield such an Alcohol!”, she is saying that she is experiencing a certain feeling that she

has never felt before. She is connecting with the earth, showing the beauty of nature around

her. Dickinson is referring to nature as an intoxicating feeling, showing the joy nature appeals to

her. In this case, the alcohol is the joy that has been brought to her by the everlasting beauty

around her. The feeling nature brings to Dickinson is so very special, that she can't get enough

of it: “I shall but drink more!”. Dickinson wants to consume more because the feeling is so

tempting. She wants to keep connecting with nature because it brings so much extra filled

triumph to Dickinson. The tension that Mother Nature brings her is addicting, which is why she

wants more and more of the environment. Dickinson then says,“Reeling - thro' endless summer

days”. Dickinson is talking about how she is so overwhelmed by nature, that she is being reeled

into these long summer nights. Dickinson keeps referring to the central theme of the poem, about

how viewing nature is so addicting.

In conclusion, Dickinson uses figurative language to tell different stories. In

her three poems, 359,353, and 207 she uses this language to show hidden intrusive

thoughts that have multiple meanings.