The passage of time can stimulate individual’s personal values and choices whether or not one will belong or segregate from the normal. This highlights Dickinson’s ambiguous relationship by upholding a strong sense of spiritual connectedness towards nature as she begins to move away from the hurtful society but also feels that she does not belong to nature as she does not own it. Using metaphor and personification Emily Dickinson demonstrates that if one were to judge one another they should judge by the truth in the poem “This is My Letter to the World”.
The letter that is presented can metaphorically be seen as a document which encloses the feelings of a lonely poet who is misunderstood throughout their life. It is expressing how she wants to be included in society through all of her hard work as a poet. One can already see her resentment towards the world with “This is my letter to the world/that never wrote to me–”(Dickinson 1-2).
This letter is addressed to the world who is seen to have ignored the poet. She has stated this line to help to attempt to reach out to the world and find her belonging. The second line represents her attempt at achieving acceptance from the world is unreciprocated and she has resentment at her invisibility in the world. She seems to believe that she works hard to hopefully achieve and receive recognition. Another metaphor present in the poem is simply through just a couple if words. Often when words are put up to a comparison by have two very different meanings it is a bit confusing.
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The poem has some contradictory points which are “with tender majesty”(Dickinson 4). Tender means gentle or delicate meanwhile majesty has an opposite meaning of with power or greatness. These two words have opposite meaning but are put right next to one another as a comparison. In the poem, the words are used to describe nature and it is displaying how something can be beautiful but have power over another object.
While metaphors helps to understand deeper meanings of some lines, personification helps to describe nature as the ignorant society that Dickinson is hurt by. Frequently one tries to cover up their pain by putting on a brave face. Instead this poet, made something beautiful have characteristics that make it unkind and hurtful. Nature is the place where people look to for calming down or clarity in a situation because it’s so calm and peaceful. Often “The simple news that nature told”(Dickinson 3).
This line is personifying nature and referring to it as a person who speaks. Indicating to nature like a human makes it easier to compare to society and Dickinson makes nature act like she would like to be treated by society. It is ambiguous that she is isolated and alone in the world. The way she describes how “her message is committed/ for love of her, sweet countrymen”(Dickinson 5,8). “Her” is referring to the outside world and society in general. Society has ignored all of her work and is making a mock of it. One often judges others based on no clear evidence they generally judge by sight.
The role of women and the social expectations of woman might have triggered her to further distance herself away from the outer world. Therefore, Dickinson left her poems in hopes to gain literary recognition by the future audience as her own contemporaries were not ready to comprehend her poems. This poem depicts Dickinson’s isolation in society and it shows her personal choice to no longer try and be in society.
