American Literature

Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)

Women

This collection uses primary sources to explore the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

An undated image of the Dickinson children: Emily, Austin, and Lavinia.

The manuscript of Dickinson’s poem beginning “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,” ca. 1861.

"Hope" is the thing with 
feathers - 
That perches in the soul - 
And sings the tune without 
the words - 
And never stops - at all - 
And sweetest - in the Gale - 
is heard - 
And sore must be the storm - 
That could abash the 
little Bird 
That kept so many warm - 
I've heard it in the chillest 
land - 
And on the strangest Sea - 
Yet - never - in Extremity, 
It asked a crumb - of me.

The manuscript of Dickinson’s poem beginning “I felt a funeral in my brain,” ca. 1861. 

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, 
And Mourners to and fro 
Kept treading - treading - till 
it seemed 
That Sense was breaking through - 
And when they all were seated, 
A Service, like a Drum - 
Kept beating - beating - till 
I thought 
My mind was going numb - 
And then I heard them 
lift a Box 
And creak across my Brain my 
Soul 
With those same Boots of 
Lead, again, 
Then Space - began to toll, 
As all the Heavens were 
a Bell, 
And Being, but an Ear, 
And I, and Silence, some 
strange Race 
Wrecked, solitary, here - 
And then a Plank in 
Reason, broke, 
And I dropped down, and 
down - 
And hit a World, at every 
Crash - plunge, 
And Got through - Finished knowing - then -

The manuscript of Dickinson’s poem beginning “No prisoner be,” ca. 1863, which appears at the bottom of the page.

No Prisoner be - 
Where Liberty - 
Himself - abide with Thee -

The manuscript of Dickinson’s poem beginning “A narrow fellow in the grass,” ca. 1865. 

A narrow Fellow 
in the Grass 
Occasionally rides - 
You may have 
met him? 
Did you not 
His notice instant is - 
The Grass divides 
as with a Comb - 
A spotted Shaft 
is seen, 
And then it closes 
at your Feet 
And opens 
further on - 
He likes a 
Boggy Acre - 
A Floor too 
cool for Corn - 
But when a 
Boy and Barefoot 
I more than 
once at Noon 
Have passed 
I thought a 
Whip Lash 
Unbraiding in the 
Sun 
When stooping 
to secure it 
It wrinkled 
And was gone - 
Several of 
Nature's People 
I know and they 
know me 
I feel for 
them a transport 
Of Cordiality 
But never met 
this Fellow 
Attended or 
alone 
Without a 
tighter Breathing 
And Zero at 
the Bone.

A map of Amherst, Massachusetts, attributed to Charles B. Adams and Alonzo Gray, published by Pendleton’s Lithography in 1833. 

An excerpt from an undated letter from Emily Dickinson to her younger sister, Lavinia. 

Transcript:

Does Vinnie think of Sister? Sweet news. Thank Vinnie.

Emily may not be able as she was, but all she can, she will.

Father told me that you were going. I wept for the little Plants, but rejoiced for you.

Had I loved them as well as I did, I 

[page 2]

could have begged you to stay with them, but they are Foreigners, now, and all, a Foreigner.

I have been sick so long I do not know the Sun.

I hope they may be alive, for Home would be strange except them, now the World is dead.

Anna Norcross lives 

[page 3]

here, since Saturday, and two new people more, a person and his wife, so I do little but fly, yet always find a nest.

I shall go Home in two weeks. You will get me at Palmer, yourself. Let no one beside come.

Love for Eliza, and Mr Dudley., 
Sister

[cover]

Vinnie.

An undated letter from Emily Dickinson to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, ca. 1880.

Dear Friend, -- No “sonnet” had George Eliot. The sweet acclamation of Death is forever bounded. 
There is no trumpet like the tomb — 
The Immortality she gave 
We borrowed at her grave. 
For just one plaudit famishing, 
The might of human love. 
Beautiful as it is, its criminal shortness maims it.

An excerpt from *Introduction to Emily Dickinson* by Henry W. Wells, 1959. 

A page from an 1857 *Godey’s Lady’s Book*, a popular and influential magazine for women during Emily Dickinson’s lifetime.

*Godey’s Lady’s Book* focused on topics such as fashion, raising children, and household management. It also featured stories and poems by male and female authors. 


Questions

1. Henry Wells claims that Dickinson “transcended both her genius and her sex, her provincial world and her personal relationships” (xiii). Think about the poet’s isolation and consider the relationship between imagination and freedom. Use [Wells’ overview](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-poetry-of-emily-dickinson/sources/836) of Emily Dickinson’s poetry, the [map of Amherst](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-poetry-of-emily-dickinson/sources/833), and Dickinson’s poems to explore how limitations and boundaries may encourage creativity. Now discuss why you agree or disagree with Wells’ statement that Dickinson’s poetry transcends the boundaries of physical isolation.
2. Few of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published in her lifetime. When she died she left her possessions, including more than 800 poems, to her sister Lavinia. Look at the [letter Dickinson wrote to Lavinia](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-poetry-of-emily-dickinson/sources/834). In it she writes, “Does Vinnie think of Sister? Sweet news. Thank Vinnie. Emily may not be as able as she was, but all she can, she will.” Analyze Dickinson’s use of third person for herself and her sister. Why does she call herself “Emily” instead of “I” and use the nickname “Vinnie” instead of “you”? Hypothesize a connection between the letter’s use of third person and the themes of Dickinson’s poems, such as separateness, loss, and transcendence.
3. Look at the [letter Dickinson wrote to T.W. Higginson](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-poetry-of-emily-dickinson/sources/835). It begins, “Dear Friend, no ‘sonnet’ had George Eliot. The sweet acclamation of Death is forever bounded.” Research Higginson, George Eliot, and sonnets. Next, discuss their potential connections to the four Dickinson poems in this set.

Activity

1. Use the [page from the 1857 issue of Godey’s Lady's Book](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-poetry-of-emily-dickinson/sources/837) to identify what the magazine calls “the wants of the ladies of America” at that time. Divide students into groups and give each group a recent issue of a contemporary magazine for women, such as *Family Circle*, *O: The Oprah Magazine*, or *Real Simple*. Each group will compare female magazine readers’ interests in the 1850s to those today. Finally, assign each group of students a poem by Emily Dickinson, who turned 27 the year this issue of *Godey’s* was published. Discuss the similarities and differences between the poem’s interests and the interests *Godey’s* identifies.
2. After studying the form and content of Emily Dickinson’s poetry, ask students to list its distinct features, such as dashes, free verse, and themes of loss and freedom. Challenge students to write a poem in Dickinson’s style. Compile the poems in a booklet, as Dickinson did. Small groups might discuss which poems are their favorites or evaluate which best match Dickinson’s style.

Teaching Guide: Exploring the Poetry of Emily Dickinson

Resources

1. [Resources](http://www.edickinson.org/resources), Emily Dickinson Archive. 
2. [Emily Dickinson](http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/about_emily_dickinson), The Emily Dickinson Museum. 
3. “[Her Own Society: A new reading of Emily Dickinson](http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/08/04/her-own-society),” *New Yorker*. 

Overview

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American writer who lived during the Civil War and the first wave of feminism, during which women fought for suffrage and other rights. Dickinson lived a famously isolated existence but read widely and used letters to stay connected to the world. Dickinson’s inventive poems experiment with punctuation, syntax, metaphors, and diction to explore themes including nature, freedom, death, power, and faith. Though she published little during her lifetime, Dickinson wrote almost 1,800 poems and hundreds of letters. Today, Dickinson is one of the most read and studied American writers. Dickinson’s innovations in poetic form and examination of unexpected topics inspired writers in future generations, both in the US and around the world; her influence can be seen, for example, in modernist poetry of the twentieth century.

English

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

poetry-emily-dickinson_02_8643a746bc8a5c3eed1c0d04e1f85684.jpg

Courtesy of Emily Dickinson Archive via Harvard Library.

Dickinson, Emily, "‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/8643a746bc8a5c3eed1c0d04e1f85684.

The manuscript of Dickinson’s poem beginning “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,” ca. 1861.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 2 of 10 in the Primary Source Set The Poetry of Emily Dickinson