Blank Name
Blank
AP Literature and Composition
4 February 2013
Explicating Emily
Emily Dickinson’s poem I’m Nobody, Who are you seems different then all of her other poems. The tone of the poem and the metaphors of the poem are quite interesting. The poem also creates a satire of our current society.
Emily Dickinson uses special tones in her poem I’m nobody, who are you. She uses humble and playful tones. In her poem, I’m nobody, who are you, she starts by saying “I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?” This tells us that the speaker doesn’t want much attention like many people in our society today. This shows the humble tone in her poem. She continues by saying “Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!” Using this line she brings another person or perhaps you in to the poem. Thus, this creates a playful tone.
Secondly, Dickinson creates a satire of our society that is almost completely full of egotistical people. The speaker says “How dreary to be somebody! How public like a frog.” With those lines she suggests that everyone in the society is trying to have a status in the society by flaunting themselves. In the lines before that the speaker says “Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!” Using this line Dickinson also suggests that if you are a truly sincere nobody you shouldn’t go out brandishing yourself as a nobody to get a sincere status.
Thirdly, Dickinson uses unique metaphors to show an image of the egomaniacal people of the society. In the second