Preliminary Thesis: Emily Dickinson’s powerful and influential poetry was caused by her experience with death, her religious upbringing, and her choice of physical isolation.
Emily Dickinson wrote over 1100 poems during her period of isolation from 1858 to 1865, all of dealing with themes like sorrow, nature, and love. She bound about 800 of these pieces in fascicles, or self-crafted books, which she rarely showed anyone except family members and certain well-respected friends (Amherst College).
Dickinson suffered from a severe eye condition called Iritis, which most likely pushed her towards separation from society. She also enjoyed several benefits from saying in the Homestead, such as a large conservatory where Dickinson could cultivate various types of plants …show more content…
Therefore, it appears as though Dickinson had the ability to live a social life but made the decision not to (Amherst College).
Dickinson’s father died in 1874, her mother suffered a stroke in 1875, her beloved nephew Gib passed away in 883, Otis Lord died in 1884, and Helen Hunt Jackson passed away in 1885. The stress of each death advanced Dickinson’s sick condition, until she finally died in 1886 (Amherst College).
Even at an early age, death served as an evident force within her life through the losses within her friend group and family. For instance, Sophia Holland, her cousin, had passed away while Dickinson was still young. She could not have escaped the nature of funerals and the process of death, as her house was conveniently located close to her town’s cemetery (Amherst College).
While most of Dickinson’s family entered the Calvinist church, including her sister, brother, father, mother, and friends, she never affiliated herself with any specific church, regardless of the religious revivals occurring all around her (Amherst
Emily Dickinson wrote over 1100 poems during her period of isolation from 1858 to 1865, all of dealing with themes like sorrow, nature, and love. She bound about 800 of these pieces in fascicles, or self-crafted books, which she rarely showed anyone except family members and certain well-respected friends (Amherst College).
Dickinson suffered from a severe eye condition called Iritis, which most likely pushed her towards separation from society. She also enjoyed several benefits from saying in the Homestead, such as a large conservatory where Dickinson could cultivate various types of plants …show more content…
Therefore, it appears as though Dickinson had the ability to live a social life but made the decision not to (Amherst College).
Dickinson’s father died in 1874, her mother suffered a stroke in 1875, her beloved nephew Gib passed away in 883, Otis Lord died in 1884, and Helen Hunt Jackson passed away in 1885. The stress of each death advanced Dickinson’s sick condition, until she finally died in 1886 (Amherst College).
Even at an early age, death served as an evident force within her life through the losses within her friend group and family. For instance, Sophia Holland, her cousin, had passed away while Dickinson was still young. She could not have escaped the nature of funerals and the process of death, as her house was conveniently located close to her town’s cemetery (Amherst College).
While most of Dickinson’s family entered the Calvinist church, including her sister, brother, father, mother, and friends, she never affiliated herself with any specific church, regardless of the religious revivals occurring all around her (Amherst