Clarissa Kirsch-Downs
Dr. Moreau
PHL 303-21
10 December 2015
Emily Dickinson During the 1800s, Emily Dickinson was a poet who never really saw recognition for her work. After she died, Dickinson was seen as one of the great poets of her time. When it comes to American history, Dickinson left a legacy throughout her work because of her crafty words and difficulty for others to analyze her poems, which left people wanting to know the true meaning behind her poems. One specific poem of Dickinson’s My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun (754) can have multiple meanings of interpretation. My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun is a poem that opposes the traditional American ideas between a man and a woman through her complex wording to describe her own suffering …show more content…
The suffrage movement was the start of women’s rights in America. The suffrage movement was when women started to realize their status in America. Women wanted to feel more accepted in society because women wanted to have an education, a job, and overall feel of equality to men. Most women opposed being dependent on a man and allowing them to be the only one to provide for the family. Women started to have their own opinions, which did not settle well for America at the time. The suffrage movement was the beginning of women’s civil rights; however, women were not equal to men for another 80 years when the nineteenth amendment was signed in 1919. Dickinson’s poem My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun is a powerfully composed work where Dickinson explains the aspects of her ‘Master’ controlling her, but she has the power to kill him with her words because she is his foe. Dickinson is a man’s foe because she has the power to change the words with her words. She has the power within her poems to change the course for women in society. Men saw her as a threat because she was open about her poems. Dickinson did not falsely write a fake name to hide her identity. Instead, Emily Dickinson proudly wrote many poems and wrote her name at the end of each one because she wanted men to know her voice. The poet wanted men to be afraid of her voice, and that is why at the end of …show more content…
For example, “In such instances it is necessary to sift through the clues she leaves in her words in order to decipher the hidden meaning” (Gilligan 1). Dickinson doesn’t give the readers any straightforward answer or meaning through her poems because she wants the readers to think and understand what she means in any of her poems. However, different people have multiple perspectives because there can be so many meanings in her poems. According to Gilligan, “To the average reader, Emily Dickinson’s “My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun—” personifies a gun, but several metaphorical clues lead to a second meaning and message: a woman and her words have great power” (Gilligan 1). Dickinson writes multiple complex words and clues within clues to allow the reader to break down the poem through their imagination. My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun can stand for different meanings, but this is Dickinson’s focus. Dickinson wanted her work to complex and hard to understand so the power within her words can leave others in awe. Also, Dickinson’s work still survives today and is used in English classes across the country. English teachers use her poetry to help students in this day and age to break down the poem, but not every English teacher is going to have the same meaning behind My Life had stood – a Loaded
Dr. Moreau
PHL 303-21
10 December 2015
Emily Dickinson During the 1800s, Emily Dickinson was a poet who never really saw recognition for her work. After she died, Dickinson was seen as one of the great poets of her time. When it comes to American history, Dickinson left a legacy throughout her work because of her crafty words and difficulty for others to analyze her poems, which left people wanting to know the true meaning behind her poems. One specific poem of Dickinson’s My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun (754) can have multiple meanings of interpretation. My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun is a poem that opposes the traditional American ideas between a man and a woman through her complex wording to describe her own suffering …show more content…
The suffrage movement was the start of women’s rights in America. The suffrage movement was when women started to realize their status in America. Women wanted to feel more accepted in society because women wanted to have an education, a job, and overall feel of equality to men. Most women opposed being dependent on a man and allowing them to be the only one to provide for the family. Women started to have their own opinions, which did not settle well for America at the time. The suffrage movement was the beginning of women’s civil rights; however, women were not equal to men for another 80 years when the nineteenth amendment was signed in 1919. Dickinson’s poem My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun is a powerfully composed work where Dickinson explains the aspects of her ‘Master’ controlling her, but she has the power to kill him with her words because she is his foe. Dickinson is a man’s foe because she has the power to change the words with her words. She has the power within her poems to change the course for women in society. Men saw her as a threat because she was open about her poems. Dickinson did not falsely write a fake name to hide her identity. Instead, Emily Dickinson proudly wrote many poems and wrote her name at the end of each one because she wanted men to know her voice. The poet wanted men to be afraid of her voice, and that is why at the end of …show more content…
For example, “In such instances it is necessary to sift through the clues she leaves in her words in order to decipher the hidden meaning” (Gilligan 1). Dickinson doesn’t give the readers any straightforward answer or meaning through her poems because she wants the readers to think and understand what she means in any of her poems. However, different people have multiple perspectives because there can be so many meanings in her poems. According to Gilligan, “To the average reader, Emily Dickinson’s “My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun—” personifies a gun, but several metaphorical clues lead to a second meaning and message: a woman and her words have great power” (Gilligan 1). Dickinson writes multiple complex words and clues within clues to allow the reader to break down the poem through their imagination. My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun can stand for different meanings, but this is Dickinson’s focus. Dickinson wanted her work to complex and hard to understand so the power within her words can leave others in awe. Also, Dickinson’s work still survives today and is used in English classes across the country. English teachers use her poetry to help students in this day and age to break down the poem, but not every English teacher is going to have the same meaning behind My Life had stood – a Loaded