Emily Dickinson: Belonging (One Related

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Viewpoints represented of belonging vary amongst different people, societies and cultures. Achieving a sense of belonging is based upon the conception as to feel accepted based on the perception of self or of others. For each individual a achieving a sense of belonging often arises from their ability to overcome the societal expectations and form their own personal identity. Through the stylistic and linguistic techniques of Emily Dickinson in her poems I gave myself to him¬, I died for beauty but it was scarce, and The saddest noise, the sweetest noise; as well as the techniques of Kate Chopin in her short story The Story of an Hour my understanding of belonging is developed to grasp the idea that people experience a sense of belonging in varied and complex ways. Individuals often establish a connection of belonging through groups and institutions. The poem I gave myself to him refers to the desire of acceptance within society by being part of a marriage institution. The persona conveys the idea that society’s judgement on an individual benefit when an individual is connected within a marriage institution evident by the repetition of words associated with commerce “wealth”; “great purchaser”; “depreciate” and debt” portraying marriage as a commodity. The poem reflects the cultural expectation of marriage however, Dickinson implies that marriage is more of a convenience, for the protagonist’s desire to belong is far greater than their personal feelings and emotions. This is illustrated by the use of imagery created in “solemn contract of a life” producing a serious and harsh tone of connecting people together through the use of the adjective “solemn” portraying marriage as a serious act of joining two people together for eternity. The protagonist also presents the view that their sense of correlation is shaped by the external of the institution of marriage but

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