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"This is my letter to the World" - Emily Dickinson

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"This is my letter to the World" - Emily Dickinson

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By: Samantha Sameshima and William Giang

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1. What is the poem’s tone? Which words reveal this tone? Is the poem ironic?

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1. What is the poem’s tone? Which words reveal this tone? Is the poem ironic?

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Acceptance sets the tone of the poem as the author reaches out for affirmation from her peers, also addressed as the  "world". While Dickinson has faith in her own opinions and has a yearning for them to be shared, she lacks the confidence as the last stanza in her poem states, "...Judge tenderly --of Me".  Hand in hand with this trend, Emily Dickinson ironically wrote almost 1800 poems in her life time, yet only few published. In fact, most of her life, Emily Dickinson stayed within the comfort of her own room. Therefore, the poem addresses the isolation she faced adding connotation as to why this poem is her letter to the world.
S.Sameshima

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 6. What is the theme (the central idea) of this poem? Can you state it in a single sentence? Elaborate on your idea.

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 6. What is the theme (the central idea) of this poem? Can you state it in a single sentence? Elaborate on your idea.

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The central theme of the poem is acknowledgement. In the poem, Emily acknowledges that she will die, as the lines, "The simple News that Nature told— / With tender Majesty," refer to the idea that she acknowledges that she will die. Similarly, she acknowledges that the plans and actions of God are unbeknownst to her through the lines of, "Her Message is committed / To Hands I cannot see—." By the end of the poem, Emily seeks acknowledgement from her peers and wishes for them to judge her tenderly; her real life habits of withholding her poems from the public reflect this idea, as she isn't confident about the way her and her poems will be viewed.
W.Giang

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5. Are there any symbols? What do they mean? Are they universal symbols or do they arise from the context of this poem?

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5. Are there any symbols? What do they mean? Are they universal symbols or do they arise from the context of this poem?

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Emily Dickinson utilizes symbols to describe the invisible forces of God, mainly through the use of the symbols of Nature and unseeable hands. She writes, "The simple News that Nature told," with Nature representing God and the idea that he only communicates the simple idea of death to be known. When Emily writes, "To Hands I cannot see—," the hands represent God's plans, and the fact that she is unable to see what they mean. The symbol of Nature could be considered a universal symbol of an omnipotent force like God, but idea of invisible hands is a contextual idea arising from the poem itself.
W.Giang

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3. What images does the poet use? Do these images form a unified pattern (a motif) throughout the poem?

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3. What images does the poet use? Do these images form a unified pattern (a motif) throughout the poem?

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In Emily Dickinson's poem she personifies nature,  most likely addressing , "Mother Nature" itself. When describing and analyzing nature's ambiguity, Dickinson writes, "...Her message is committed to hands I cannot see--". While frustration occurs in the poet because the world or nature never "writes" back, Dickinson understands that they both have their own plan that will forever be unknown to man.
S.Sameshima

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This is my letter to the World
That never wrote to Me—
The simple News that Nature told—
With tender Majesty

Her Message is committed
To Hands I cannot see—
For love of Her—Sweet—countrymen—
Judge tenderly—of Me