Emily+Dickinson*

//**Because I Could Not Stop For Death**//
- The speaker accepts death calmly and compares waiting for death to waiting for a gentleman caller. - Stands out the the audience because the speaker personifies death to be her husband. - The first stanza has the speaker waiting for Death, who arrives in a carriage, with Immortality being the other passenger. - In the second stanza the carriage that represents death drives slowly, which could mean to represent a slow death, possibility caused by a disease. - In the third stanza the speaker goes through the different stages of life, starting from being a child at recess to an adult and then to death (settling sun). - She then states that she is dressed in a wedding gown, which is ironic because she is actually attending a funeral. Dickinson views death as a new beginning rather than an end. - The speaker calls her tomb "a house", which demonstrates how comfortable she is with what has happened to her. - She also states that "each/Feels shorter than the day", illustrating her acceptance of death. - Overall theme of accepting death as a natural part of life, instead of viewing it as something to fear.

//I Died For Beauty -- But Was Scarce...//
- The speaker, who has died for Beauty, is placed in her tomb and right after another man, who has died for Truth, is placed in the tomb next to her's. - The man states that Beauty and Truth are the same. - Even though there's a romantic feel between the man and the woman, at the same time there's a yearning from both of them for a platonic relationship. - As the poem progresses it becomes more 'silent' between the two and they slowly submit to death.

//I'm Nobody! Who Are You?//
- Many dashes and interruptions, which disrupts the flow of the poem which contributes to the overall hasty and quick tone. - Even though her overall tone is very childish and playful, the point that she is trying to make about society and the people is sharp. - Almost claiming that being a Nobody is better than living life as a Somebody (may be referring back to Dickinson's own life, as she was not successful as a poet until after her death). - The public figures that are defined as Somebodies are seen as only trying to get their name out there and not actually be doing anything of any significance - Her many uses of exclamation point illustrates how being a Nobody isn't something to be ashamed of, but instead something to embrace.

//Success Is Counted Sweetest//
- Consists of three stanzas: - In the first stanza the speaker states that the person who understands success the most is the one that fails. - The second and third stanza which needs to be read together in order to be complete, discusses how the "loser" truly grasps victory as he or she listens to the enemy celebrate. - Third person point of view, where the speaker is observing a battle from the outside. - Readers do not learn personal or emotional characteristics about the speaker, because she doesn't express any feelings. - The theme that the failed one is the one who comprehends success the most is stated clearly in the first two lines.

//The Soul Selects Her Own Society//
- Utilizes long dashes to interrupt the flow of the poem and incorporate pauses throughout the reading. - An ominous and sinister tone when talking about privacy and seclusion. - "The Soul selects her own Society": This idea that people select a few people to include in their life and then exclude everyone else. - The beginning two stanzas emphasize just how cold and unfeeling the subject is acting towards everyone. - The third stanza illustrates the same idea by stating that even from an entire nation, only one person will be chosen. - The vivid imagery contributes to the overall somber mood.

//There is another sky *//
- Dickinson wrote this poem for her brother Austin, and utilizes nature as a means to express her emotions to him. - Telling him that even though life may seem dark right now there's always hope and optimism. - "There is another sky" is simply a metaphor to state that in life there are different many ways to look at life. - Even though this poem seems to be written for her brother as she actually states his name in the poem, it may also be to convince herself that the world isn't as bad as it seems since Dickinson was going through a rough time in her life when she wrote the poem. - She utilizes optimistic and peaceful words such as "sunshine", "serene", "fair" and "brighter" to emphasize the message.