Sunday, 4 September 2016

Does the poem "I'm nobody! Who are you?" create effective, clever, or memorable images? If so, give one or two examples.

Yes, this little poem by Emily Dickinson does create clever and memorable images. In the first stanza, the narrator creates a conspiratorial feeling by saying, "Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!" You can almost picture the speaker leaning toward you, putting her finger to her lips to shush you, and possibly winking playfully. 


In the second stanza, Dickinson conjures up the image of a Frog. She says that being famous, being "Somebody," is being...

Yes, this little poem by Emily Dickinson does create clever and memorable images. In the first stanza, the narrator creates a conspiratorial feeling by saying, "Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!" You can almost picture the speaker leaning toward you, putting her finger to her lips to shush you, and possibly winking playfully. 


In the second stanza, Dickinson conjures up the image of a Frog. She says that being famous, being "Somebody," is being "public - like a Frog." If you have walked by a swamp in the early summer and heard bullfrogs calling, you know they seem to be trumpeting out their importance. Some bullfrogs' chests puff up into a big bubble as they repeatedly and insistently croak out, "Me-ee! Me-ee! Me-ee!" (You can see an example on the video link below--start watching at 1:14.) Dickinson goes on to give the name of the month--June--which helps you picture the scene, and to speak of the "admiring bog," which helps you visualize the swamp. I think the image of a bullfrog to symbolize self-importance is very clever and effective! 

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