I’m Nobody! Who are you? StudySync Past and Present

1. I’m Nobody! Who are you? StudySync Past and Present

2. Introduction Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), who barely left her family’s house and never married, published only a handful of poems during her lifetime. After her death, hundreds more were found stacked under her bed. Today they are considered to be among the best and most influential poems ever written. In this poem, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” Dickenson explains in a few short phrases the difference between an identity lived privately and one lived true to oneself – and the circus of life in the public eye.

3. The PBS NewsHour: Finding Emily Dickinson in the Power of Her Poetry 5:24 Video: https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/d5dfa9da-c2bf-4474-b157-ebd57ff2852f/ 7:58 Brainpop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7l4h1QhSbY

4. More Info on Emily Dickinson https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinson

5. 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! Skill: Poetic Elements and Structure Lines one and two rhyme, and the fourth line almost rhymes with them. For meter, the first line has 7 syllables, the next two lines have 6, the last one 8. This stanza has irregular rhyme and meter. It begins with a rhyme scheme and then breaks out of it.

6. What is the Again and Again strategy? When a word, person, or thing is repeated again and again in a text, we should stop and pay attention. Is the author trying to tell us something about the theme, characters, or conflict? Ex. In the text “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the narrator repeatedly says that he is NOT crazy, but is clearly not reliable and is crazy.

7. What do you see Again and Again in the poem? What words, phrases, and punctuation did you notice were repeated in the poem?

8. Let’s focus on the repetition of the word Nobody. Why do you think Nobody is capitalized? How do you think the author feels about being Nobody?

9. Let’s focus on the repetition of the word Nobody. What word is being used to contrast the word Nobody? How do you think the author feels about being Somebody?

10. Why do you see Nobody Again and Again in the poem? How does the repetition of the word Nobody add to the meaning of the poem?

11. Analyzing The Poem The poem may be summarised very simply as being about how it is actually quite nice to be a Nobody rather than a Somebody – that anonymity is preferable to fame or public recognition. Nobodies can stick together and revel in their anonymity, but it’s more difficult to find companionship and an equal when you’re in the public eye. As the old line has it, it’s lonely at the top. Rather than buy the other old line – that fame and distinction are unequivocally desirable – Dickinson sees anonymity as an advantage. The poet proudly declares her ordinariness, her likeness to everyone else rather than her uniqueness.

12. 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! The use of the longer word ‘advertise’ among shorter, simpler words draws our attention to that word, and this is deliberate. Nobody draws attention to Nobodies; but to do so would be to attempt to make them conspicuous, to advertise them, and the word advertise (easily the longest word in the stanza) is itself conspicuous in the poem. How dreary – to be – Somebody! How public – like a Frog – To tell one’s name – the livelong June – To an admiring Bog! Why is a ‘Somebody’ like a frog? Because it croaks its (self-)importance constantly, to remind its surroundings that it is – indeed – Somebody? Or because there is something slimy and distasteful about people who possess smug self-importance because they are ‘Somebodies’.

13. Dashes Analysis Dashes - punctuation marks consisting of a long horizontal line. Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: “Help! This horse is going too fast,” the actor yelled. “I think I am fall—.” • Why did the author include dashes? To create a sense of hesitation • What is the effect of dashes on the poem? To show her identity as a nobody. • How would the poem be different if another form of punctuation was used in place of the dashes? (commas, periods, etc.) The word nobody would not stand out as much. • How would the poem be different if no punctuation was used in place of the dashes? It would not let the important word before the dash stand out. • Select a line from the poem that contains a dash. Read it aloud as if the dash was not there. Read it again with the dash. How does it sound different?

14. Dashes—create a sense of hesitation. This is important, because the poem overall is implying that most people are not willingly "Nobodies," but rather prefer to be "Somebodies." The speaker is so amazed to find another "Nobody" that the basic question ("Are you nobody too?") doesn't come easily—it's almost like the speaker is checking that this other "Nobody" is real. The speaker is clearly surprised to stumble across another "Nobody," and the exclamation marks and dashes create a sense of hushed excitement around this discovery. Excitement because of the new discovery, and hushedness because to make too much noise about it would let the secret out. It seems, then, that this poem is taking place in a society where "Somebodies" are the norm; it's as if the world of the poem is one that's generally not welcoming to "Nobodies" who aren't interested in talking about themselves.

17. To whom is the speaker speaking in the first stanza? In other words, who is “you” and who are “they”? Cite textual evidence from the selection to support your answer. The speaker doesn’t want to be a “Somebody.” Explain why she believes that being a “Somebody” is overrated. Cite specific lines in your answer. In line 6, Dickinson uses a rather unusual figure of speech, or comparison, to describe what being public is like. Explain this comparison in line 6 in your own words. What do you think the speaker means in this line? Which context clues helped you figure out the meaning of the word advertise in line 4? Write your own definition of advertise and explain how you figured out the meaning of the word. Based on context clues, can you guess the definition of the word bog in line 8? Write your own definition of bog here, identify any clues that helped you define it. Once you have written your own definition, check a print or dictionary to verify its meaning. Think Questions

18. In order to determine how to analyze the ways in which the structure of a text contributes to its meaning, look for the following: The organization of words and lines The relationships between words, lines, or stanzas The rhyme, rhythm, and meter, if present Ways the poet uses punctuation or capitalization and how it affects the rhythm or meaning of the poem Ways that the poem’s structure connects to the poem’s meaning To analyze how poetic elements and structure contribute to a poem’s meaning and style, consider the following questions: Do any of the words, lines, or stanzas have important similarities? Do any of the words, lines, or stanzas have important differences? Does this poem’s structure relate to any of its themes? Does this poem’s structure affect the overall meaning of the poem? Checklist For Poetic Elements And Structure

19. Reread lines 5-8 of “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” Then, using the Checklist on the previous page, answer the questions. The word Somebody is capitalized the poem because – It is a proper pronoun It is the proper name of a character in the poem. It conveys an idea of being well known. The poet does not know how to capitalize properly 2. The dashes mainly affect the poem by – Acting like periods to indicate the end of a though. Breaking the flow of language so the poem is easier to read. Dividing the lines into sections that have the same meter. Emphasizing the humorous connections Dickinson makes. Skill: Poetic Elements and Structure

20. Compare the line structure and rhyme scheme in the first stanza (lines 1-4) to the second stanza (lines 5-8) Choose a line from the poem that shows the theme. Explain how or why this line is the best choice for the theme you are discussing. Choose specific words from the poem that mention characters. Also be sure to state what these characters do and how they are referenced in the poem. What is something unique about this poem? Identify specific words and phrases that make this poem stand out. Also discuss what the speaker does to make her perspective different form others’. Skills Focus

21. POETRY: Write a poem in which the speaker declares who he or she is: “I’m ___.” Structure your poem to include rhyme, rhythm, meter, and at least two stanzas. The poetic elements and structure should help show the speaker’s attitude toward the topic and convey a theme that is important to you. Write