A Study Of Children In Emily Dickinson’s Poems

This thesis focuses on children in Emily Dickinson’s poems with the aims to identify children in her poems,analyses paradoxes and conflicts in her children-related poems and try to find out the underlying reasons behind the depiction of children and the adoption of child speakers.Children in her poems are presented in her poems in two forms:either as a described object or as a speaker.The criteria by which to identify children are three-fold:linguistic features,behavioral and temperamental modes,and ways of thinking unique in children.In light of these criteria,the thesis approaches an obvious paradox in her poems,that is,why children who symbolize life and energy and who are too innocent to ponder profound religious issues are related with death and religion.After thorough textual analysis,it is clearly revealed that children are related with death and religion in three aspects.One:the high death rate of infants and the popular religious beliefs are combined together to uphold the idea of dead children as pioneers on the road to heaven.Two:children are mirrors that reflect everyone’s mortality,humanity,changes in people’s thoughts on death and religion.Three:children are masks for the poetess to indirectly disclose "truth" of death and religion,to express her skepticism and criticism of religious creeds.The conflict is children’s conflicted relationship with nature,which is embodied by children’s intimacy and alienation with nature.Concerning the reasons for Dickinson’s depiction of children and adoption of a child speaker,there are the external reasons that involve the influence of Protestantism,social environment and family atmosphere,and internal reasons which contain Dickinson’s intentions and her shy and sensitive traits.