Alexandra Wang

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Professor Paul Fess
ENGL 397
April 24, 2016

Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinsons Poems Are Their True Colors
As they say: Dont judge a book by its cover. This statement proves true for Emily
Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe. Both poets are associated with loneliness, because
they often isolated and it was a recurring theme in their poetry. However both poets
reveal another side of themselves in some of their poems. Both poets express regret
and, a desire for companionship. This is evident in Poes poem, Alone, and
Dickinsons poem Wild Nights- Wild Nights. In his poem Alone, Poe directly states
that he always wanted friendship. In Dickinsons poem Wild nights- Wild nights, she
reveals that being with a friend was the happiest time of her life. These poems make
readers wonder, if they were alone by choice.
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe spent most of his life alone. He lost both of his parents when he was
only a few years old. His father left him and his mother shortly after he was born, and
his mother died a few years later. As a result, he was adopted by family friends. He had
a strong relationship with his adoptive mother, but not with his adoptive father. Poe
might have experienced personal rejection. Poes early childhood experiences probably
made him feel something was always in his life.
Later Poe married his cousin, but their marriage didnt last long. He was widowed
shortly after they were married. Poe became very depressed, and tried to start another

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relationship immediately. He was rejected once again. He seems like he was forced to
spend the rest of his days by himself.

Alone
Poe attempts to explain to readers (and possibly himself), why he was always alone. He
knows that he was always different from his peers. Poe sees his difference as the cause
of his suffering. In the end, he wonders if it is even a curse from the devil himself.
The first lines of this poem, are a very sad introduction to his autobiography. Poe
explains that he was alone since he was a child, because he was different. Poe thinks
he was unable to connect to his peers, because something was missing emotionally. He
implies that he made an effort to be like, his peers but couldnt. He says:
From childhoods hour I have not been
As others were- I have not seen
As others saw- I could not bring
My passions from a common spring (1-4.)

In the next four lines, reinforce the fact that he couldnt relate to his peers at all. He
could not express sadness or happiness like everyone else. As a result, his peers
thought he was strange. Poe implies that being alone didnt bother him initially. He
initially thought being his own friend was a solution (He seems upset about it later.) He
says:

1 Introduction. Parini Jay, and April Bernard.The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
Signet Classics, New American Library, New York. 2008. 10-13. Print.

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From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow- I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone
And all I lovd I lovd alone (5-8.)

Then Poe reveals that at the same time, he felt conflicted about being alone since
childhood. He always questioned his place in society. He wonders he had to live in a
separate world from his peers. He thinks that his rejection wasnt just. He implies his
peers and the rest of society are weird, not him. He says:
Then in my childhood- in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From evry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still (9-12.)

In the next four lines, Poe implies that he even turned to nature for hope. He didnt
belong in the man-made world, but could possibly fit in the natural world. He seems to
ask for acceptance, and an answer to his question from nature. He looks at various
things in nature, such as a torrent, fountain, mountain, and sun for approval (13-16.)
In the next couplet, Poe doesnt get an answer for his question about his place in the
world. It disappears before he can find it. This is supposed to be a bad omen. He says:
From the lightning in the sky/ As it passd me flying by (17-18.)
In the end, nature answers Poes question by creating a storm. The clouds take the
shape of demon, and float directly above him, while everyone else is enjoying sunny

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weather. Poe realizes, that nature itself rejected him because he is cursed by a demon.
He says:
From thunder, and the stormAnd the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view (19-22.)

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was born around the same time as Poe. Like Poe, she was very
different from her peers. She almost never left her home, despite the fact that she was
very sociable when she was a child. This is reflected in her poetry. Nobody knows why
she isolated herself, but there could be a direct link an experience she had after she
returned from a trip. Dickinson only limited herself to seeing a few relatives and friends
to the point where she had no contact with the outside world at all. Readers wonder if
she was a recluse by choice or not.
Wild Nights- Wild Nights!
Dickinson wishes to see an old friend. The title implies that Dickinson and her friend did
something rebellious. They were obviously separated, but Dickinson doesnt mention if
it was by choice or not. Either Dickinsons friend didnt stay in touch with her, or they

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were forbidden to see each other because of their wild ways. Perhaps this friend, she
met when she was in Washington or Philadelphia.2
Dickinson reminisces about her time with her friend. We learn that Dickinson wasnt
always a recluse, after the first line. Dickinson had her fun, when she younger. She
implies that she did something against a social norm with her friend, and doesnt feel
guilty about it. If anything, she feels they didnt have enough wild nights. She explains
that wild nights should have endless possibilities, or as she puts it should been a
luxury. Dickinson feels that her life is incomplete without her friend.
She says:
Wild Nights- Wild Nights!
Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury! (1-4.)

Dickinson explains that nothing could prevent them from having a good time. She uses
wind, a compass, and a chart as metaphors for social order. They were doing well, and
didnt need anyone or anything to point them in the right direction. Their hearts were in
the right place. Social order was going to bring them nowhere. She says:
Futile- the WindsTo a Heart in portDone with the Compass2 Johnson, H. Thomas. Biographical Note in Final Harvest Emily Dickinson Poems:
Selections and Introduction by Thomas H. Johnson. Back Bay Books, Little Brown
And Company, New York, 1961. v. Print.

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Done with the Chart! (5-8.)

Dickinson implies that she and her friend werent careful, and got caught for being
rebellious. She makes a reference to Eden, to show that an authority figure punished
them for their wild ways. She explains that she would have stayed with her friend, if
she had a choice. She would have moored in her friend. She says:
Rowing in EdenAh, the sea!
Might I but moor- TonightIn Thee (9-12.)

What links Poe and Dickinson, is their supposed wish to be alone. They seemed like
they wanted be loners, but they show their true colors in their poetry. Readers learn that
isolation wasnt for the ideal life for, Poe or Dickinson. This is evident in Poes poem,
Alone, and Dickinsons poem Wild Nights- Wild Nights. Readers feel sympathetic,
and wonder both poets isolated themselves, or society isolated them.

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Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. Wild Nights- Wild Nights, in Final Harvest Emily Dickinson Poems:
Selections and Introduction by Thomas H. Johnson. Back Bay Books, Little Brown And
Company, New York, 1961. 32. Print.
---. Biographical Note in Final Harvest Emily Dickinson Poems: Selections and
Introduction by Thomas H. Johnson. Back Bay Books, Little Brown And Company, New
York, 1961. v. Print.
Poe, Allan Edgar. Alone in The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, Parini, Jay, and
April Bernard, eds. Signet Classics, New American Library, New York. 2008. 65. Print.
---Introduction. Parini Jay, and April Bernard.The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.
Signet Classics, New American Library, New York. 2008. 10-13. Print.