Emily Dickinson was not a regular church goer, nor was she directly associated with a particular Christian denomination. However, there is definitely a sense of spirituality in her poetry. One could also say that she lived a life similar to that of a hermit, although one could speculate as to whether that was self-imposed or due to the circumstances of her life. Amazingly, Dickinson was unrecognized as a writer and poet in her lifetime. Her family was not even aware of the poetry that she wrote. She lived a reclusive life in her family’s home. She filled notebooks with dozens of short poems and wrote hundreds of letters. She is considered one of the great figures of American literature and one of the greatest poets the world has ever seen, so striking and bold in its creativity, imagination, and experimentation. Her poetry is considered original and unique in form and in syntax. Her poetry help set the stage for the creative and innovative American poetry that was to come in the 20th century.
Although Emily Dickinson spent a great deal of time caring for her invalid mother, scholars speculate as to whether her exile or reclusiveness was due to agoraphobia or anxiety or depression. As we struggle through our own demons and challenges in life, the journey of Emily Dickinson and her beautiful words of poetry speak to us, giving us encouragement and hope.
Hope - a poem by Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
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