Human Nature vs Nature Billy Collins and Emily Dickinson are both known for their amazing talents in poetry and have left their legacies for the years to come. Emily Dickinson’s poem “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass” was published in February of 1866 and is still critically talked about to this day. Billy Collins poem “Taking off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes” was published in January of 2000. Collin’s poem was published a little over a century later, which is an example of Dickinson’s very distinct reputation and that she has left behind for the world to acknowledge. We come to find that these two poets do have something in common when it comes to the meanings behind their poems: nature. These poems both talk about nature, but different types of
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Billy Collins grew up in Queens, NY, where he wrote his first poem when he was just 12 years old, only leading up to him becoming one of the most popular poets in the United States. Collins career did not take off until 1991 when his poem “Questions about Angels” was chosen for the National Poetry Series. Collin’s career grew tremendously afterwards, and he has become famous for many more collections—such as Dark Horse: Poems (2002), Ballistics (2008), and Horoscopes for the Dead (2011). Collins later went to spend two years as poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. Critics and readers still hold Collins work at a very high standard (Cunningham, …show more content…
Plenty of rumors were spread about Dickinson, including one about her interest in men and women. The narrator describes Dickinson in a way that can be interpreted as miserable and uninvolved in the situation. The narrator uses words like “motionless” (line 16) and said “and I could hear her sigh when finally it was unloosed” (line 42). Could this have something to do with Dickinson’s sexuality? Also, Dickinson was known as a reclusive person and being in a situation like this could have made her very uncomfortable and uneasy. In the last stanza the narrator says “that life is a loaded gun that looks right at you with a yellow eye” (line 47). The term “a yellow eye” is a direct quote from one of Dickinson’s famous poems “My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun” which has been interpreted to be a sign of aggression or intimidation by giving someone the evil eye. Not only is Collins quoting Dickinson’s work, Collins is implying that Dickinson has realized that she would rather be shot than have to go through something like this. In today’s society, women find it human nature to disguise themselves as something they are not with makeup. Most women use makeup to enhance their features to make themselves and men find them more appealing and attractive; to make them feel accepted. In this poem, Dickinson purposely puts herself
Billy Collins grew up in Queens, NY, where he wrote his first poem when he was just 12 years old, only leading up to him becoming one of the most popular poets in the United States. Collins career did not take off until 1991 when his poem “Questions about Angels” was chosen for the National Poetry Series. Collin’s career grew tremendously afterwards, and he has become famous for many more collections—such as Dark Horse: Poems (2002), Ballistics (2008), and Horoscopes for the Dead (2011). Collins later went to spend two years as poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. Critics and readers still hold Collins work at a very high standard (Cunningham, …show more content…
Plenty of rumors were spread about Dickinson, including one about her interest in men and women. The narrator describes Dickinson in a way that can be interpreted as miserable and uninvolved in the situation. The narrator uses words like “motionless” (line 16) and said “and I could hear her sigh when finally it was unloosed” (line 42). Could this have something to do with Dickinson’s sexuality? Also, Dickinson was known as a reclusive person and being in a situation like this could have made her very uncomfortable and uneasy. In the last stanza the narrator says “that life is a loaded gun that looks right at you with a yellow eye” (line 47). The term “a yellow eye” is a direct quote from one of Dickinson’s famous poems “My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun” which has been interpreted to be a sign of aggression or intimidation by giving someone the evil eye. Not only is Collins quoting Dickinson’s work, Collins is implying that Dickinson has realized that she would rather be shot than have to go through something like this. In today’s society, women find it human nature to disguise themselves as something they are not with makeup. Most women use makeup to enhance their features to make themselves and men find them more appealing and attractive; to make them feel accepted. In this poem, Dickinson purposely puts herself