Live life

At first glance, Emily Dickinson’s poem #470 seems to be written by a depressed and apathetical person. However, upon further examination, it is clear this is not the case. Dickinson’s consistent and constant use of the same forms of meter, tone, rhythm, and sound brilliantly creates a level of security and stability in the poem, which is destroyed in an effort to emphasize the instability and false security in “accepted society.”

Initially, the poem seems to be a call from a very depressed author who “guesses” she is alive and dreams of her own funeral. While reading the poem for the first time, one immediately falls into the rhythm and “flows” with the poem. The Iambic meter, the meter and style of normal speech, is easy to read and not very taxing on the brain, lips, or eyes. This sets up a strong, secure base, which allows for quick reading of the poem, an error that Dickinson wants the reader to make. The swift flow of the words abruptly halts and resembles that

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Upon second reading, the poem takes on a much slower, softer rhythm creating a somber tone. While the poem has this fun, happy rhythm is does not speak of happy things. Lastly, Dickinson’s use of Iambic meter, regarded by many as the “meter of life” delivers a huge blow to socially accepted “life. She also adds that “I am alive- because I am not in a Room-The Parlor-Commonly- It is-so visitors may come,“ explaining her disgust for the need to “show off” as well as the gender role of females, expected to entertain, cook, and clean. This conflict, coupled with the destruction of the rhythm, emphasize how easy it is to sway society and lead them without their knowledge into destruction. ” She repeatedly argues why she is alive and free while society is lifeless and enslaved by itself. ” Not only does Dickinson use the meter of life sarcastically to denounce life, she also, ironically, kills the Iambs, using life to kill life and imposing a message of false or lifeless existence by “ordered society. of stop-and-go rush-hour traffic, tripping the reader up and forcing changing the tone of the poem. She restates this feeling again in this poem by stating that she is alive because she is still, “marked (by) Girlhood’s name. These statements cast a shadow on society, which she believes enslaves the spirit and destroys individuality (one’s inner self). No longer is the poem viewed as a cry for help, as one now realizes a tone of sarcasm and disgust for gender roles and “accepted society” in general.

The key to emphasizing the lifelessness of society is first, quickly sucking the reader into an easy to read and “fun” poem. ” She believes she is physically, emotionally, spiritually, and infinitely alive. She states that she “is alive-because I do not own a house,” forcing her to maintain it, decorate it, or be tied down.

In the last stanza of the poem, Emily Dickinson creates a serious of speed bumps and roadblocks, with forced pauses, which reemphasize the previous arguments and reveals the true meaning of the poem.

Approximate Word count = 673
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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