Emily Dickinson

1830
-
1886
A presentation by
Bailey
&
Margot
Dickinson Family Photo Gallery
 Overview
• Emily Dickinson was born
in Amherst, Massachusetts
to a wealthy and
prominent family
• She died of Bright’s
Disease at the age of 56.
Bright’s causes the victim
to look fleshy and
bloodless and is related to
kidney failure.
School Life
• Emily’s first schooling
was at Amherst Academy
where she attended from
the ages of 10 to 17 years
old.
• After graduating from
Amherst, she attended Mt.
Holyoke Seminary, but
left after seven months,
complaining of
homesickness and “ never
fitting in.”
 Social Life
• In her teenage years,
Emily was known as
the “Belle of Amherst”
and had many friends.
• Many speculate that
the reason for her
reclusive ness in later
life stemmed from the
deaths of many of her
closest friends.
 Emily Shuts Down
• Emily Dickinson first • At times she would sit by
went into reclusive her window watching the
ness in 1853 and was graveyard behind her
known as the “Woman home and handing down
in White” to the sweets to the children.
children of Amherst, When this occurred, she
because whenever she was always careful to
appeared she was never let her face show.
always dressed in
white.
 Poetry Unmasked!!
• When Emily Dickinson
died on December 16,
1886, she had not been
outside in 33 years and her
only human contact had
been with her sister
Lavinia.
• While searching through
one of her sister’s
drawers, Lavinia found an
amazing collection of
letters and around 1800
poems that Emily had
hidden from her. Needless
to say, if Lavinia had not
discovered these poems,
Emily would be a virtually
unknown poet, instead of
the legend that she is
today.
 Come Slowly, Eden!

• Come, Slowly, Reaching late his

Eden! flower,
lips unused to thee, Round her chamber
Bashful, sip thy hums,
jasmines,
Counts his nectars–
As the fainting bee, enters,
And is lost in balms!
 I Went To Heaven
I went to Heaven,- Beautiful as pictures
‘Twas a small town, No man drew.
People like the moth,
Lit with a ruby.
Of mechlin, frames,
Lathed with down.
Duties of gossamer,
Stiller than the fields
And eider names.
At the full dew, Almost contented
I could be
‘Mong such unique
Society.
 I’m Nobody! Who are You?
I’m nobody! Who are How dreary to be
you? somebody!
Are you nobody, too? How public, like a
Then there’s a pair of frog
us –don’t tell! To tell your name the
They’d banish us, you livelong day
know. To an admiring bog!
I Felt a Funeral In My Brain
I felt a funeral in my And when they all
brain, were seated,
And mourners, to and A service like a drum
fro, Kept beating, beating,
Kept treading, till I thought
treading, till it seemed My mind was going
That sense was numb.
breaking through.
I Felt a Funeral In My Brain
continued
And then I heard them As all the heavens
lift a box, were a bell,
And creak across my And Being but an ear.
soul And I and silence
With those same boots some strange race,
of lead, again. Wrecked, solitary,
Then space began to here.
toll
Bipolar Disorder?
• Many scientists have
recently come up with the
idea that Emily Dickinson
might have had Bipolar
Disorder.
• This disease causes the
person to have personality
changes and morbid
thoughts, like the ones
Emily showed in her
poems.
 Romance?
• Emily has been linked • Other sources have
to two men said that Dickinson
romantically, the had a crush on her
Reverand Charles sister in law, Susan
Wadsworth, with
whom she Gilbert, who was
corresponded and scorned when Austin
Samuel Bowles, editor had an affair with a
of the Springfield family friend’s wife.
Republican
 Fun Facts!
• Emily Dickinson has two schools named
after her; one in Redmond, Washington and
one in Bozeman, Montana.
• Her grandfather founded Amherst College
• Even though, Dickinson saw no one but her
sister for more than 30 years, she still wrote
letters, hundreds in fact!
The End of Emily Dickinson
• Emily Dickinson
died on December
16, 1886 leaving a
legacy of poems
and many questions
as to her life and
psychological
problems.
Hope You Enjoined Our Slide
Show!