Emily Dickenson's Fame Is A Fickle Food

Unlike most poems, Emily Dickenson’s “Fame is a Fickle Food” compares Fame with food. As it is an analogy, it does not necessarily have a symbolic meaning, as it describes fame literally through unique and extensive metaphors. The analogy in “Fame is a Fickle Food” suggests that fame is a changing thing that comes and goes and destroys people. In the first five sentences, Emily Dickenson describes Fame as a Fickle Food, or a changing or unstable food that sits on a shifting plate. This gives a definition of fame. Although fame can really not be a food, it is described as food because food changes and will rot and mold over time, so fame is described as something that always changes. When Emily says that it is upon a shifting plate, it refers to fame being unstable, something that moves around from person to person. She then goes on to say, “Whose table once a guest but not the second time is set.” This analogy defines fame as a one time thing, as fame (the food) is only set for a guest once, but not a second time. This theme is very common in today’s world, as new generations …show more content…
However, it is also written to teach and warn people of pursuing something that they will die from. Through her definition of fame, Emily Dickenson warns the reader that fame is destructive, changing, and futile, something that is not a means to an end. She successfully warns the reader that fame will come and leave as soon as it does and that people long for fame as the crow longed for the corn but will only eat of something that won’t last. In our world, this is constantly seen. Many celebrities become increasingly popular but as soon as they rise to fame, they die to themselves to have more fame, and soon fall. In consequence, this poem also describes popularity as fame comes from popularity. And as fame is changing, so is popularity, the people always want something new and exciting to grab their