In the poem “XIV” Emily Dickinson shines a light on the rising search for independence, jurisdiction, and escaping the tyranny of conformity. Motivationally stating that she has “stopped being theirs,” (1) Dickinson awakens the need for individuals, most importantly women, to stand up against the fate chosen for them by society and to fight to forge and discover their own path to take in the ever winding road of life. Wielding a swift amount of metaphors, Diction, alliteration, and Dickinson calls upon the reflection of conformity and taking charge of one’s life despite the overruling stature of society sharing a similar parallel to the plot behind The Awakening, a novel by Kate Chopin. .
Initially, Dickinson provides a comparison between the act of baptism and living according to the life that one was in a way given. When Dickinson talks about “the name they dropped upon my face with water,” (2-3) she is stating how some individuals feel the same amount of powerlessness in their own life that a baby might …show more content…
When she uses the words “with water,” (3) she is drawing attention to the act of baptism. Although baptism is a religious act that symbolizes the rebirth of an individual under a certain faith, in Dickinson and Edna’s case it can be viewed as the moment in which they realized that they were not in full control of their life. For Edna it could also be seen as a reference to the day when she swam out to see and discovered that she could swim. As she was “reaching out for the unlimited,” (Chopin 37) Edna gained a different perspective of life, which would cause her to almost lose herself. In the end, it is when searching for a new angle that one can finally open their eyes to what has always been, but they have always been blinded
Initially, Dickinson provides a comparison between the act of baptism and living according to the life that one was in a way given. When Dickinson talks about “the name they dropped upon my face with water,” (2-3) she is stating how some individuals feel the same amount of powerlessness in their own life that a baby might …show more content…
When she uses the words “with water,” (3) she is drawing attention to the act of baptism. Although baptism is a religious act that symbolizes the rebirth of an individual under a certain faith, in Dickinson and Edna’s case it can be viewed as the moment in which they realized that they were not in full control of their life. For Edna it could also be seen as a reference to the day when she swam out to see and discovered that she could swim. As she was “reaching out for the unlimited,” (Chopin 37) Edna gained a different perspective of life, which would cause her to almost lose herself. In the end, it is when searching for a new angle that one can finally open their eyes to what has always been, but they have always been blinded