The line “ Then there’s a pair of us! ” uses colloquial terms, highlighting that there is an ease of speech between the reader and speaker. Their unity is also consolidated, as there is an omission of hyphens. “ Don’t tell! They advertise- you know! ” also uses contractions and Informal language, as well as assumes knowledge on the part of the reader.
“ How dreary- to be- Somebody! ” visits the possibility of the road less traveled by and uses many active connotations. The word “ dreary’ is elongated and unconcerned- in contrast to the rest of the text.
In fact, almost every word in the poem is monosyllabic, so when a poly-sociably word comes along, It Interrupts the flow and the word has more resonance. This is true for both “ dreary and “ somebody’. “ Somebody” is a poignant word in this text, as it is used in such a condescending way.
In our society, people are constantly striving to be “ Somebody”, however, in this poem; the speaker equates being “ somebody to being a frog, stuck In a bog. The following line “ How public- Like Frog” is a generally odd line, as the reader would not generally associate a frog as being something so public.
However, this Juxtaposed line is vital to the understanding of the poems context at large. Simile is used, so that the reader can understand exactly how the speaker views being “ Somebody.
There Is also a capital letter on Frog, as there Is on Somebody and Nobody, which give a deliberate contrast to each other, almost creating a paradox throughout the poem. Just as our voice goes down on the pronunciation of Somebody, we do the same for the word Frog, and use hint of disdain in our tone. “ To tell one’s name- the livelong June-” Is the next line of the poem, and it emphasizes that the “ Frog” In the poem Is boastful, repetitive and immodest.
It refers to the croak, which is always the same, monotonous sound, over and over again. The final line “ To an admiring Bog! ” refers to the masses, or the ‘ OFF word “ Bog” in a derisory way, giving it negative connotations, and referring to it as something that sucks you down, and takes away your essence. The poem in turn mocks the pretensions of those who are “ Somebody’ and proposes that it is far better o be a “ Nobody’.
The speaker points out that if you are a “ Nobody’, you are not bound to anybody else.
You can free-thinking and liberal, but once your identity is advertised, fame pins you sown to a generic identity. In turn, you lose your own. The text also portrays the notion of the outsider in an entirely different light, in that it can be a choice, and sometimes is in fact the better option. “ This is my letter to the world” is another significant poem, which conveys the concept of the outsider in a poignant way.
It is also an example of metaphors, which is poetry thinking about poetry. The opening line “ This is my letter to the world” has a strong resonance on the words.
It is a direct address, as though the speaker is showing you, or giving you a gift of some sort. It is almost a contradictory line, as a letter implies a conversation, or a two-way communication, and the speaker of the poem does not have a respondent.
It is also in direct contrast with the next line “ That never wrote to me,” showing, through parallelism, that there is an evident gulf or barrier between the speaker and the world. This barrier also suggests a lack of belonging on the speaker’s part, however wows that she is asking the world to accept her, and she still strives to belong. The simple news that nature told” is a line which flows well in the poem. It highlights the special relationship that the speaker had with nature, and personifies it to be something she identifies with, and someone or something that gave her a message. “ With tender majesty’ is an oxymoron, which contradicts itself and the previous line.
It opposes itself in that tender is usually a term associated with love, fragility and affection, whereas majesty has regal and proud connotations. It shows that although nature is comforting and tender towards her, it also connotes its grandeur.
The line is also in direct opposition with the one above, as the news is first coined as “ simple”, but was told with “ tender majesty’. “ Her message is committed” shows that the speakers ‘ letter’ is not obliged but entrusted, as well as continuing the personification of nature.
‘ Her’ is most likely referring back to nature’s message. “ To hands I cannot see;” is the following line in the poem and one that poses a question; who are the invisible hands? This is answered by seeing the poem going from a private domain to a public one.
It is exemplifying the speakers isolation, as committing her message to the hands will mean that it is no longer Just her isolated self, but she has moved out from herself to the world. It could also be that the hands are not only a distance or separate of space, but of time. The next line “ For love of her, sweet countrymen,” is an inclusive line, and the first time, others are directly mentioned or alluded to in the poem. Unlike other Dickinson poems, “ this is my letter to the world” doesn’t have a lot f added punctuation; however this line has the addition of extra commas.
It also uses a sentential adverb to interrupt normal syntax to emphasis the “ sweet countrymen”. This emphasis takes on a tone of flattery and exaggerated courtesy. There is also poise to the rhythm. The last line of the poem “ Judge tenderly of me! ” is a persuasive and inclusive statement, which ends with an exclamation point, showing that there is importance to the words. There is repetition of the word tenderly, suggesting a fear of being unappreciated or Judged harshly.
It implies that the judgment, and shows her vulnerability.
