Why I decided to write this blog

Do you ever read something that completely changes your perspective? Imagine reading a couple lines of text that completely transform an emotion or state of mind that you feel but could never put into words. Now, this emotion has been completely put into words and from that, there's something even more powerful that emerges.

Someone else feels the same way. And now not just one other person understands, but everyone who's read those words arranged in a certain way can relate - or at least acknowledge that the feeling is valid. It's like someone's diary has been publicized, and somebody had just as bad a day as you (or if you're lucky, just as good a day as you). 

Emily Dickinson captures so many emotions in her poetry because her poetry was her diary. All of her poems were published posthumously after being discovered by her siblings. When I read a lot of Emily's poems, I felt like I could relate - mostly because although we are from two separate eras, I think we're similar. A lot of her poems deal with themes that are pretty heavy, like death and grief, success, and truth.

As college students, we are faced with a lot of harsh realities, but we're also still sheltered from a lot. For example, many of us are still reeling from the death of a fellow Penn State student, which has created shockwaves in the community - for both members of the Greek community and those that aren't. Emily Dickinson was reclusive but very intuitive and insightful. Instead of using her reclusiveness to delve deeper into herself, she used her own introspection as a way to extrapolate her knowledge into other situations. She was so smart and her poems show it - nothing is explicit, but her message is so apparent.

One of my favorite poems of hers is "I'm Nobody! Who are you?"

I’m Nobody! Who are you?

Are you – Nobody – too?

Then there’s a pair of us!

Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!

How public – like a Frog – 

To tell one’s name – the livelong June – 

To an admiring Bog!

I think we all have probably read this poem at some point in our lives - either as an assignment in school or when researching for a different assignment in school. A lot of times, we don't go searching for old poems that are overanalyzed and are the favorites of our 65 year old high school English teacher - but I think this one is a classic. We have all, at some point, felt alone. Whether it's in a new situation or holding an unpopular opinion in a crowd of likeminded people, loneliness is an omnipresent emotion. However, when we find someone else who's lonely and in the same situation, we jump at the chance to be their friend - finding a secret solace in this partnership, but still keeping it under wraps to protect from the judging others.

She also uses this poem to discuss how she lives in recluse, and doesn't really enjoy the public life, since she sees this as a form of people living for other people - displaying their life for the public's feedback and opinion. Since many people do base their worth off of the opinions of others, Emily provides a clear commentary about how she feels about people who live really public lives.

Google some of her poems, if you want. I guarantee you'll find some that resonate. If not, you'll have at least read something new, and now that makes you... more well-read? There's no downside to it.