Throughout the history of literature, it has often been said that "the poet is the poetry" (Tate, Reactionary 9); that a poet's life and experiences greatly influence the style and the content of their writing, some more than others. Emily Dickinson is one of the most renowned poets of her time, recognized for the amount of genuine, emotional insight into life, death, and love she was able to show through her poetry. Many believe her lifestyle and solitude brought her to that point in her writing. During Emily Dickinson's life, she suffered many experiences that eventually sent her into seclusion, and those events, along with her reclusiveness, had a great impact on her poetry.
             Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts, the second daughter of Edward and Emily Dickinson. Her family was very prominent in the small town of Amherst, but Emily never enjoyed the popularity her family received and began to withdraw early from public life (Ravert 1). Her solitude began long before it was obvious and went much deeper than many noticed at the time. The relationships that existed between Emily and her family were distant and remote, especially the bonds with her parents (Zabel 251-55). Emily's mother was never "emotionally accessible" (Ravert 1), therefore Emily was left without a mother figure in her life. Emily had a very strict, authoritative father, who provided her with an excellent education and many books and literature, but often censored her reading materials for subjects suitable to his own interests (Tate, Six 9-10). She felt her father would never accept the workings of her mind so she took herself away from him, refusing to let herself grow close to her family (Zabel 251-55).
             The Dickinson family was extremely devout in the Christian Puritan faith and tradition. Emily's father was especially strict in his beliefs, but she refused to c...