"Writing Arguments about Emily Dickinson"

For this reading assignment from pages 580-586, I learned about Emily Dickinson, facts about her life, and a small collection of her poems. The piece was titled "Writing Arguments about Poems: Three Case Studies- Writing Aruguments about Emily Dickinson".

This text kept me engaged because I was thoroughly fascinated with Dickinson's lifestyle. She lived in voluntary self-isolation, purposely removing herself from outside socialization, politics, and human interaction. Being a "people-person", this lifestyle is one that does not completely apeal to me, but I am still impressed with her extremely dedicated choice to keep to herself.

The only one of Dickinson's acts of isolation that made me uneasy was her minimalistic interaction with doctors. I was perturbed by this fact about Dickinson because I believe medical attention to be extremely important and cannot imagine not inlisting the help of a doctor when falling ill. However, there are some parts of Emily Dickinson's story that I can relate to. Although this is not something that I am proud of, like Dickinson, I refrain from engaging in political news and most current events. This could be considered an act of ignorant isolation and may appear to some people as careless and lazy.

One of the poems that I liked of Dickinsons was the one titled "Papa above!" I found this poem extremely endearing. It seems to be a plee to "Papa" or a sort of "higher power" asking for a mouse to be protected from a cat. I liked this poem because it shows passion for even the smallest of animals, and asks "Papa" or "God" to "Reserve within thy Kingdom" or protect "His" creations.

I believe that this text is anthologized in our text book because Dickinson was a very talented writer. It would be a shame for others to not be able to enjoy her work, for it is very individualistic and unique.