A Study Of The Images In Emily Dickinson's Poems

Emily Dickinson is the most influential poet in the history of American literature, whose works still arouses great interest in modern critics. Dickinson's poetry is famous for its splendid yet elusive images. This paper attempts to conduct a study on the images in Dickinson's poetry for the purpose of unveiling the true essence of her poems. The author of this paper would establish the images in the historical context and try to reveal the sources of inspiration of the images, striking up a connection between the perplexing images and emotional experiences of the poet. Then, according to the major influences discussed in this paper, the images would be divided into three categories and discussed more detailedly through specific examples. Also, the author would try to discuss the major features of the images in Dickinson's poems. Adopting the methods of close reading and data analysis, this paper concentrates on the impact of Dickinson's life experiences on her writing and tries to explore the inner world of the poet and the meaning behind the verses. The author of this paper believes that all the images in Dickinson's poems are not created by accident or merely out of intuition; instead, they are deeply rooted in her everyday life experiences and her own exploration of life and death.