The Intriguing World of Emily Dickinson's Poetry
I am nobody, who are you?
Are you nobody too? Then, there’s two of us,
Don’t tell, they would banish us, you know?
How dreary to be somebody.
How public like a frog,
To tell one’s name the life long June.
To an admiring bog.
1-Why would someone ask you to be nobody?
The speaker is not actually being asked to be nobody. The poem is a series of rhetorical questions that are meant to explore the idea of being nobody. The first line "I'm Nobody, who are you?" is a way of inviting the reader to identify with the speaker and explore the idea of being nobody.
2-What does it mean to be nobody?
To be nobody in this poem means to be unknown, unimportant, or unrecognized. It is a rejection of the idea of fame or celebrity and the pressure that comes with being in the public eye.
3-What does it mean to be public?
To be public means to be known or recognized by others. It is the opposite of being private or unknown.
4-Why would they banish those who are « nobody »?
The poem suggests that being nobody is preferable to being somebody because it allows one to avoid the pressure and scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye. The line "Don't tell, they would banish us, you know?" suggests that those who are in the public eye are often subjected to criticism and scrutiny by others. The poem implies that those who are nobody can avoid this kind of negative attention and live a more peaceful life.
1. Why would someone ask you to be nobody? 2. What does it mean to be nobody? 3. What does it mean to be public? 4. Why would they banish those who are « nobody »?
1. The speaker is not actually being asked to be nobody. The poem is a series of rhetorical questions that are meant to explore the idea of being nobody. 2. To be nobody in this poem means to be unknown, unimportant, or unrecognized. It is a rejection of the idea of fame or celebrity and the pressure that comes with being in the public eye. 3. To be public means to be known or recognized by others. It is the opposite of being private or unknown. 4. The poem suggests that being nobody is preferable to being somebody because it allows one to avoid the pressure and scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye. The line "Don't tell, they would banish us, you know?" suggests that those who are in the public eye are often subjected to criticism and scrutiny by others.