blog




  • Essay / The symbolism and importance of nature in Dickinson's poetry

    For Emily Dickinson, a passionate botanist, nature was a beautiful mystery, and throughout her life she spent much time among the plants, without ever feeling connected to the natural world. Her writing reflects this lack of connection and inability to penetrate nature when she describes the grass that "closes at your feet" in "A Narrow Man in the Grass." This inability to be part of nature is also demonstrated in many of his other poems; in “A Bird Came Down the Path,” she is unable to offer “a crumb” to the bird, and she is unable to reach the water “thus far” in “What Mystery Permeates a Well!” In “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass,” Dickinson presents a paradox; man is distant from nature, yet very close, to show his lack of understanding of nature. She describes nature in detail, showing not only her passion for it, but also her physical proximity, however using the simile "divides as with a comb" for grass, which is a juxtaposition of the natural and the unnatural, demonstrating her lack of understanding. and therefore an emotional distance. This is further emphasized by the dash that ends this line, representing a barrier between man and nature, although nature is “at your feet”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Dickinson thus mocks romanticism and transcendentalism, which believed in the connection between man and nature, which for her was not simple. This poem presents the complexity she sees in relationship and how difficult it is for a human to know nature. Dickinson presents not only a lack of understanding towards nature, but also a detachment from it. Although Dickinson wishes to know nature, nature is indifferent to man, which she shows by explaining her fondness for "fresh" earth. "Cool", although literally relating to temperature, has connotations of disinterest, aloofness and aloofness, and is later reflected in the display of "cordiality" between man and nature – a formal relationship and quirky. The detachment between man and nature shown in “A Narrow Man in the Grass” is also depicted in “What Mystery Permeates a Well!” » by Dickinson! However, here she uses strange imagery to convey this; she suggests that nature is foreign to him, describing it as "other-worldly", and therefore beyond his reach - although this is juxtaposed with his personification of nature as "neighbor", which has more connotations friendly and more familiar. But most frightening is the “face of the abyss” simile, which suggests that she cannot truly see nature; it is a black hole in his knowledge and understanding of the world, an element of a dark presentation of the relationship between man and nature. Another presentation is the danger of nature to man, which in "A Narrow Man in the Grass" is immediately evident, as snakes have deceptive and deadly connotations in the biblical account of the Garden of Eden. Dickinson also describes the snake's movement as "a whiplash"; a rapid, violent and unpredictable movement, which particularly frightened her, as she suffered from epilepsy, which made jerky and aggressive movements even more terrifying. Such a description is juxtaposed with the following "Unbraiding", which both reinforces the idea that nature is a mystery to Dickinson, and also demonstrates how nature is unpredictable, making it a destructive and dangerous force. It is also within this stanza that the meter changes,.