Emily Dickinson

             Emily Dickinson is considered by many to be one of the greatest American poets of her time. Throughout her career of writing, she produced about 1800 poems and thousands of letters that border on poetry in and of themselves (Kirkby 10). However, Emily Dickinson lived a very private, reclusive and in some ways, a very strange life. She was so rarely seen outside her home that she was known by her town as the Myth of Amherst (Emily 17). By her relationship with her family, the way Emily dressed, and by the fact that she was extraordinarily reclusive, it is clear that the life Emily Dickinson led a very unusual lifestyle.
             Emily was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10, 1830 to a prominent family (Biography of 11). Her ancestors were puritans and her whole family was Christian except for her (Emily 14). She refused to make a commitment to Christ at the age of 15 even though her family and school had been converted (Kirkby 5-6). She could never profess faith because she was afraid of being 'easily deceived' (Emily 16-17).
             She was the middle child of three, with an older brother named Austin and a little sister name Laviana. Though Emily and her sister never married, her brother married Susan Gilbert, one of Emily's closest friends (Emily 15). Emily wrote her close to 100 poems and wrote her numerous letters (Emily 15-16). In some of her letters to Susan some critics claim that there can be found aspects of homosexuality (Biography of 12). Whether these theories are true or not is debatable. Emily and Susan were inseparable friends for many years until Susan married Austin. Neither Austin nor Emily got along with Susan for very long after the marriage, however. Before long, Susan's extraordinarily harsh temperament and terrible speech began to degrade Emily (Biography of 12). It is said that Susan caused Emily so much grief that she took ten years off her life and hastened the death of her brother (Emily...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Emily Dickinson. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 19:37, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/16093.html