Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson

Historical Context

Emily lived in an era when most young women were expected to be "proper"- polite, refined, and obedient. Emily's father attempted to protect her from reading any books that might challenge the family's conservative values. Emily rebelled somewhat from these strict rules and limitations, by turning inward and writing clever, passionate poetry.

Poll

Have you ever struggled to share your thoughts with your family and/ or friends because of fear of judgement?

• Yes

• Sometimes

• No

Lyric Poetry

• is verse that reveals the feelings and attitude of the speaker

• most poems are short and musical

• similar to lyrics of a song

• were originally written to be sung, but that is no longer the case

Multiple Select

Select all that are true about lyric poetry

• always contain rhymes

• short and musical

• originally written to be sung

• reveals feelings and attitude of the speaker

Meet the Author

Emily Dickinson (1830- 1886) is considered one of America's great poets. She was born and died at her parents' home in Amherst, Massachusetts, and except for one year in college and a few travels to Boston and Washington, DC, she rarely left home. Lacking outside relationships and experiences, Dickinson lived an intense inward life and captured her reflections in brief yet lyric poems. Perhaps her life motto can best be summed up by a line from one of her poems:

"I dwell in Possibility"

Multiple Choice

Fill in the blank: She lived an intense _______ life.

• outward

• inward

Multiple Choice

Where did she live the majority of her life?

• Boston, Massachusetts

• Washington, DC

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Amherst, Massachusetts

Open Ended

What do you think she meant by "I dwell in Possibility" ?

If I can stop one Heart from breaking

A Lyric Poem by Emily Dickinson

Vocabulary:

in vain = without success

Multiple Choice

What sentence best paraphrases everything the speaker in the poem says?

• I would like to stop all the pain in the world

• I would like to stop cruelty in nature

• If I can stop a heartbreak, I will be well-known

• If I can relieve just one person's pain, my life will matter

Multiple Choice

The meaning of the line, "Help one fainting Robin Unto his nest again" is closest to...

• helping a homeless person find shelter

• helping a fainting person sit down

• calling a doctor to an accident on the highway

• sharing your lunch with a friend

Multiple Choice

Which of the following phrases could best be substituted for the words "in vain" in the poem without changing the meaning of the poem?

• with pride

• with anger

• full of sadness

• as a failure

He ate and drank the precious words

A Lyric Poem by Emily Dickinson

Vocabulary:

robust= strong and healthy

dingy= dirty or discolored

bequest= gift or inheritance

Multiple Choice

True or False: A "dingy" house would be dirty or discolored.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or false: If a painting is a "bequest" to a museum, the museum did not buy it.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or false: A man who is "robust" takes medicine and has long stays at the hospital.

• True

• False

Poll

Which of the two Emily Dickinson poems is your favorite?

• "If I can stop one Heart from breaking"

• "He ate and drank the precious words"

Open Ended

Why is the poem that you selected your favorite of the two?