In the poem “They Shut Me Down in Prose,” Emily Dickinson expresses that the forces and authorities that press to limit and hold back can bring freedom. The underlying theme is overcoming originality or the concept that creativity will prevail despite the constraints imposed by society, family, or someone else’s expectations. She speaks of the forces that limited her freedom and stifled her ability to express herself, but she was never trapped.
Although this poem mostly comprises simple words, they have a deeper meaning and depict a longer story. ” They ” refers to society and its expectations and social norms. In the first line, “They shut me up in prose,” it is clear that Dickinson is alluding to the forces of society trying to keep her in “Prose.” “Prose” can be a metaphor for doing things or ordinary life. It could mean that “they” are trying to shield her from something. That is something of her self-expression but does not belong or fit into society’s expectations. She compares this experience to the following two lines, “Like when I was a little girl – They put me in a closet” (They Shut Me Up in Prose’ by Emily Dickinson 1). This “little girl” presence she creates seems rooted in her childhood when her parents dominated the inevitable acts of punishment.
The picture of the bird found guilty of high treason in the pound (jail) captures the scenario perfectly. All the bird needs to do is expand its wings and fly away. The single complete rhyme, round/pound, connects the ideas here. Laugh, bird, star, and equipped are human-like personifications. The author flirts with people who want to limit her to writing, and she laughs at them and the scenario they have created. The poem is divided into three brief stanzas, each with Dickinson’s distinctive characteristics: short lines typically split by a dash, no standard punctuation, and a dash at the end of each line. This also emphasizes the author’s aversion to complying with accepted conventions.
As a result, the author makes it apparent throughout the piece that she was subjected to limitation and compulsion. She connects this finding to social customs and, more broadly, to the societal standards of behavior for women throughout that historical period. The author also relates this sense of confinement and limitation to the creation of the language itself, including all of the syntactic and punctuation standards that go with it. The speaker indicates that she can never transcend the confines of ordinary life by writing prose; she can only do so by composing poetry.
In this way, the author creates meaning through the form of the work. It resists the way society is accustomed to perceiving poems. Dickinson does not use punctuation and writes as she wishes. She inspires the reader to resist society’s pressures and act only in the way they want. The author encourages them to reject accepted norms and feel free. Also, the author uses many personifications to enhance the impression of the work and give it deep meaning.
Work Cited
“They Shut Me Up in Prose’ by Emily Dickinson.” Gleeditions, Web.