Emily's Creation Of Her Poetry example essay topic

Emily Dickinson refused to conform to the standards which were set forth for her by her peers. This was seen not just in her poetry, but also in the ways in which she chose to live her life. It seems as though Emily saw standards as rules, rules which she would reject in the greatest degree possible. Emily, though, was not always so opposed to society. In fact, Emily Dickinson was once considered to be a high-spirited and energetic young woman until she began to withdraw from society in 1850. This withdrawal included Emily losing virtually all of her contact with friends and family, except through letters and poems.

Emily spent the majority of the rest of her life alone in her home until 1861 when she finally completely secluded herself, as well as her poetry from the rest of the world. There were two types of religion which were present in Emily Dickinson's life. One type of religion, Puritanism, allowed her to remain grounded in her faith of God. The other type of religion was called Transcendentalism, which permitted Emily to release herself from limiting conceptions of humanity which enabled her to view herself as an individual with an identity. In order to truly understand the complexities of Dickinson's works, her relation to religion is an element which must be examined. Emily's strong conflict between Puritanism and Transcendentalism in her poetry seems to be the key factor that has allowed her to become one of the greatest and most influential American poets of the nineteenth century.

This religious background also suggests that Emily read and wrote poetry in order to learn how to reach and describe her connection to her soul. Emily did not feel as though she could bring everyone to be at one with their soul, but her writings describe her own personal connection. Emily' description in the poem "I Dwell in Possibility" proposes that her poetry originates from the closed spaces of her private sphere and also allows her access to the power and ability of reason. Therefore, poetry that was written in the confines of her room becomes her only possible link to the spiritual world. Emily's creation of her poetry is the channel which directly leads her to her soul, as well as to a realm where she has her own identity and is connected to the community. Emily Dickinson begins " I Dwell in Possibility" by setting up the difference between poetry and prose.

This is done in order to describe the realm of freedom which she accesses when she is writing her poetry. This clear contrast can be seen in the line " I dwell in Possibility -- / A Fairer House than Prose -- ", in which Emily rates poetry as being superior. The word Possibility seems to be Emily's synonym for poetry. Similarly, Emily is describing her ability poetically to be able to connect to the soul. Her ability to connect to the soul establishes her own identity within the community. It seems as though Emily does her explorations for the soul in the house which is full of possibility, or poetry itself.

The third line, "More numerous of Windows -- / Superior -- for Doors" suggests, by Dickinson, that this house is more superior than the house of Prose. Within this line Dickinson clearly portrays the creation of poetry as an opportunity in which she is able to express herself in a free and unrestricted way. The ability to write poetry, which occurs through her use of Reason, provides a door to freedom and creation, while the ability to write Prose occur's through understanding alone, providing a limitation to the restricted public realm that is covered by social convention. Poetry is a "fairer house" than prose because of its freedom..