I'm Nobody! Who are you? by Emily Dickinson

I'm Nobody! Who are you? by Emily Dickinson

I'm Nobody! Who are you?

Are you – Nobody – too?

Then there's a pair of us!

Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!

How public – like a Frog –

To tell one's name – the livelong June –

To an admiring Bog!

INTRODUCTION -

I'm Nobody! Who are you? is a short poem by American poet Emily Dickinson. Though written in the mid-nineteenth century, it was published in 1891 in her collection Poems, Series 2. The poem consists of 8 lines, which are divide into two quatrains. The poem contains different devices like alliteration, simile, and satire, but it does not have its definite rhyme scheme. The poem starts with the speaker saying that she is a nobody but soon gets excited about the fact that the addressee to whom she speaks is a Nobody himself. A person who is unknown to others lives a better life than a famous one.

POET -

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (10 December 1830 – 15 May 1886) was an American poet. She challenged the existing definitions of poetry and the poet’s work. Her poems mostly deal with themes of death and immortality. During her lifetime, she wrote 1775 poems but didn't provide them with a title. Hence, all her works are known by their first line. Also only 10 of her works were published during her lifetime. Her most famous works include "Hope" Is The Thing With Feathers, Success Is Counted Sweetest, There Is Another Sky, etc.

SUMMARY -

LINES 1 TO 4 -

In the first line, the speaker of the poem addresses herself as a "Nobody," i.e., someone not known by others. She asks the addressee or the reader if he is a Nobody too? After learning that the reader also is a nobody, she gets excited, saying that they are now a pair of nobody. But, she tells the reader not to tells others about this, which she is sure the reader already knows. Being someone who is not popular among others give them something in common. The poet also feels that they should treasure this quality as it is rare and peaceful.

LINES 5 TO 8 -

In the next quatrain, she says how boring it is to be somebody, i.e., someone known by others. Everything in their life is public; nothing is private. Wherever they go people recognize them and come forward to meet them. Being Somebody is similar to being a frog! Just as frogs croak their time in a bog or a swamp, similarly, somebody spends their time talking to those who know and admire them. It is a boring life. They cannot a moment of peace. Their life is spent entertaining and pleasing others. The poet feels disgusted with such a life.

THEMES - 

• Solitude - The speaker here describes the problems of public life or being a known person. A famous person cannot enjoy a moment of peace. His life is spent in making an image and pleasing others. Wherever he goes, people swarm around him. The poet, however prefers being an unknown person. She admires being a nobody as it gives her a life of solitude, and she is free to work according to her choice.

END -

The poem is one of Emily Dickinson's poetry that questions the value of public admiration — something which she avoided her whole life. Such a way of life has many virtues of its own. Though many people consider it to be an extreme and hard idea, she rightly proved herself as a thoughtful writer. The poem overall is a masterpiece of its own.