Advancing in Poetry Advancing in Poetry    

Lesson 1: I'm Nobody! Who are you?

by Emily Dickinson

Performer: Librivox - Leara Morris-Clark

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

• Read or listen to the poem.
• Review the synopsis.
• Read about the poet.
• Complete the enrichment activities.

Synopsis

Emily Dickinson's 'I'm Nobody! Who are you?' presents a fun conundrum. How can 'Nobody' narrate a poem and ask the reader questions? 'Nobody' may refer to what others think of the narrator rather than a state of being. Perhaps a hidden word follows, such as 'Nobody Important' or 'Nobody Famous' or 'Nobody Notorious.' The narrator claims to favor their anonymity, comparing 'Somebodies' to a bunch of frogs ceaselessly croaking to their star-struck, marsh-inhabiting followers.

Concepts

1. Emily Dickinson was born in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Study her portrait.

2. Zoom in and find Dickinson's state of birth, Massachusetts (MA), on the map of the United States.

3. Dickinson was solitary and reclusive throughout her life.
4. Dickinson never married and retreated from the rest of the world to regularly stay in her bedroom.
5. Dickinson did not achieve acclaim for her poetry during her life, publishing less than a dozen poems.
6. Dickinson's younger sister found hundreds of previously unknown poems after her death, which were eventually published to great acclaim.
7. Dickinson died of Bright's disease in Amherst, Massachusetts at the age of 55.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite Poem Information

Recite the title of the poem and the name of the poet.

Activity 2: Study the Poem Picture

Study the poem picture and describe how it relates to the poem.

Activity 3: Recite the Poem

Practice reciting the poem aloud.

Activity 4: Complete Book Activities   

• Click the crayon above, and complete pages 1-7 of 'Elementary Poetry 4: Advancing in Poetry.'

References

'Emily Dickinson.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.