`` It Was Not Death, For I Stood Up, By Emily Dickinson

â€Å"Mental Illness in Literature: How mental illness can be detected in mediums such as written literature, letters, and medical history; with a specific focus on Emily Dickinson’s link of mental illness to reclusiveness within her works titled â€Å"It was not Death, for I stood up,† â€Å"After great pain, a Formal feeling comes,† â€Å"I dwell in Possibility,† â€Å"My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun,† and â€Å"Tell all the Truth but tell it slant†.† Emily Dickinson is one of the most influential female poets of the 19th century. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830, Dickinson began her life as a normal child. Growing up, Dickinson had more opportunities than most women of the 19th century; being able to attend the all-female Amherst Academy, as well as Mount†¦show more content†¦Theodora Ward, a transcriber and analyst of Dickinson’s letters, describes the letters and poems to take on â€Å"acute sensitivity.† (Ward) Emily Dickinson did not reach her full potential as a poet until the 1860’s. Before her thirtieth birthday is when Emily Dickinson decided to never leave her home again. The decision, stated by Theodora Ward, was â€Å"clearly reflected in the letters after 1860† (Ward). Emily Dickinson’s poem My Life Had Stood – A Loaded Gun was written circa 1862, just two years after her decision to never leave her home again. This poem incorporates the theme of death; but it a different context. Dickinson does not refer to death as the powerful main focus, but moreover the ability to die. In the second stanza, the focus shifts from a gun as the main subject of the poem to Dickinson using the term â€Å"We† to become the voice and guardian of the master. The gun serves as a symbol for the relationship between life and death, and while the gun can outlive its master; it really never lives at all without the power to die. If Dickinson spoke about death in this cont ext, could she be in a manic depression in which she cares no longer to live? (Ward) Emily Dickinson was healthy most of her life. When she was younger, she displayed symptoms of having tuberculosis. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was very afraid of the disease and had her treated immediately. Other than the tuberculosisShow MoreRelatedContributions Of Emily Dickinson1045 Words   |  5 Pagesideas to flow. When alone an individual can be with their thoughts, dreams and hopes. Emily Dickinson spent years in solitude and confinement which allowed her creative juices to progress. Overtime, her ideas began appearing on paper as magnificent poems. Love, death, life, hope, weapons, birds, bees, flowers, and gardens are all themes used by Emily Dickinson in her poetry. It is unbelievably stunning that Dickinson gives off such beautiful imagery for someone who rarely left the house. She has connectedRead More A Comparison of the Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost1062 Words   |  5 PagesThe Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost The poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost contains similar themes and ideas. Both poets attempt to romanticize nature and both speak of death and loneliness. Although they were more than fifty years apart, these two seem to be kindred spirits, poetically speaking. Both focus on the power of nature, death, and loneliness. The main way in which these two differ is in their differing use of tone. The power of nature is a recurring themeRead MoreAnalysis Of Emily Dickinson s Poem My Life Had Stood- A Loaded Gun 993 Words   |  4 PagesEmily Dickinson is a very famous and accomplished poet with over 1700 published poems. Several of her poems are similar in theme, and also similar in bringing out human emotions that we humans usually try to avoid. The common theme in most of Dickinson s poems is the wonders of nature, and the identity of self, as well as death and life. The five poems with the common theme of death are: â€Å"My Life had Stood- A Loaded Gun†, â€Å"I Heard A Fly Buzz- When I Died†, â€Å"Behind Me Dips- Eternity†, â€Å"Because IRead MoreAnalysis Of The Letters Behind The Locked Box By Emily Dickinson1571 Words   |  7 PagesLetters Behind the Locked Box - Emily Dickinson â€Å"If I read a book and it makes by whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry† (Emily Dickinson). This effect that Emily is referring to is the impact her writing has on her readers. Her life from beginning to end is one that is a bit mysterious, however it clearly reveals more detail as one becomes more familiar with her writing in accordance with her lifetime. Emily was an amazing poet that was purely honest and bona fideRead MoreEmotion in Emily Dickinsons â€Å"My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun†1109 Words   |  5 PagesThis poem was written by American poet, Emily Dickinson, who was born in the 1800. This was the period where art was based on emotion; the â€Å"Romantic Period†. She was also born in the Victorian Era, where women had to be shackled to their pedestals and most had to be married by age eighteen. They were not allowed to vote, or earn money. This information should help the reader better understand the poem. When writing the poem â€Å"My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun† Dickinson thought of what format to useRead MoreSymbolism in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry918 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry Kevin Hardy Jr. English 215 Dr. Maxwell Poems have many different interpretations, but let it be known that different people could see poems in many different ways. In Emily Dickinson’s poetry, she uses interpretations that refer back to mortality because of her past experiences throughout life that influenced her to write. But, there are other hidden facts that you would be able to see Dickinson’s poems, she uses symbolism of immortality, death, sorrow andRead MoreEssay about Emily dickinson1145 Words   |  5 Pages Emily Dickinson’s poetry powerfully indicates values of society of the time. It does this through its conciseness, its simplicity and its control. Indications of society’s values are seen in many of Dickinsons poems, but they are especially noticeable in ‘It was not Death’, and ‘Because I could not stop for Death’. In Dickinson’s poem ‘It was not Death’, she demonstrates how restricting and stereotyping society can be on an individual , and how society values the conformity of the whole communityRead MoreDeath And Love : Emily Dickinson1679 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Dickinson, born in a puritan and religious family in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, is known to be one of the greatest poets of all time. However, she is characterized because she seldom left her home and had few visitors. By 1860, Dickinson lived in almost complete isolation, and yet the few people to ever have contact with her were a huge influence on her poetry. Grief, was Dickinson’s primary companion, especially during her writing period, which some scholars attribute as the timeRead MoreDickinson’S Infatuation With Death.Emily Dickinson Is Well-Known1363 Words   |  6 Pages Dickinson’s Infatuation with Death Emily Dickinson is well-known due to the fact that she uses an immense amount of death in her poetry; she is also known as being reclusive and death-obsessed. Although other poets don’t typically use large amounts of death in his or her own poetry, Dickinson decided to take her own path in order to get her point across; meanwhile, some found her obsession with death rather disturbing. On the other hand, death could be interpreted through variousRead MoreWalt Whitman and Emily Dickinson808 Words   |  4 PagesWhitman and Emily Dickinson both had different and similar views, which influenced how they wrote their poetry. Their social context, life experiences, and gender are reflected in their poetry. Emily Dickinson focused a lot on death and her struggles of being a woman during her time. Her poems often described the inner state of mind. Waltman attempted to combine universal themes with individual feelings and experiences, such as his personal experiences with the Civil War. Whitman and Dickinson are two