Themes in Dickinson's Poetry

Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to portray how Emily Dickinson weaves nature imagery with religious motifs in her poetry to address themes of transcendence, spiritual transformation and religious awakening. The paper shows further how the poet's profoundly personal approach toward religion, her reclusive lifestyle and her predilection for transcendent contemplation make her poetry emblematic of nineteenth century America.

From the Paper:

"Notoriously reclusive, even anti-social, Emily Dickinson left behind a canon of nearly two thousand poems. The few that were published during her lifetime were done so anonymously, and so Dickinson's poetry remained as shrouded in secrecy as the poet herself. Dickinson's poetry reflects some of the prevailing literary themes in nineteenth century America including transcendentalism and romanticism. Nature and religion play predominant roles in the poetry of Dickinson, which is infused with flowery diction and lofty rhythm. Undoubtedly fascinated by the interface between the spiritual and natural worlds, Dickinson frequently uses nature as a metaphor. Transformation, the passage of time, life, and death are themes visible in the natural world and echoed in the journey of the human soul."

Sample of Sources Used:

• All poems retrieved from Dickenson, Emily. "The Complete Poems." Online at Bartleby.com. Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.bartleby.com/113/
• "Emily Dickinson." Biography from Poets.org. Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/155
• "Emily Dickinson." Retrieved July 2, 2008 from http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson

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