Comment 110 of 111, added on July 16th, 2009 at 1:24 AM.

I read this poem as a child many moons ago....as I grow (much) older, I
appreciate the significance and depth of the prose. For me, Emily speaks of
being devoid of ego. This is an almost impossible state for most people to
imagine. In the first stanza she greets a likeminded soul who would be
banished from an egotistical society if it were made known they were
'nobodies'!

In the second stanza she questions those who believe in the need to
advertise who they are all the time and clearly shuns fame and infamy.

This piece of writing for me is one of the most assertive pieces ever
written. I think this proves you can be assertive and sure enough in your
inner self to shun 'acceptable' society, be individualistic and not bother
with the trouble of having to maintain ego!

Thanks Emily!!

Marcia from United Kingdom

Comment 108 of 111, added on May 25th, 2009 at 11:44 AM.

Growing up, Dickinson was a very secluded person, like her mother, she did
not go out at all, and the most human interaction she had was through
family visitors, correspondence, and eclectic reading. She was not sad that
she was quiet, she was far too advanced in her knowledge to have a
conversation with a person, she would be overwhelmed if she was around
people too long. In this poem, she recognizes that she is nobody, she is
unlike anyone else she has met. "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" she is looking
for someone who is also a "Nobody"- she does not require someone, but when
she finds someone of equal reclusiveness, she is shocked. "Are
you-Nobody-too?"- wants someone else in her life that is the same as her,
and has the same outstanding intelligence. "Then there's a pair of us?"-
she has never really met anyone that she has been compatible with and she
is finding it hard to believe that there is SOMEONE in the world that is
liek her. "Don't tell! they'd adverise- you know!"- she knows that people
look at her as an outcast, or a nobody, and she does not want to draw
attention to herself
Second Stanza
She continues on to say how dreary it would be to be somebody, and she
makes it seem like somebody's should be pitied, when in society, it is the
opposite and the nobody's are actually pitied. She is very animated in teh
second stanza, shows excitement, she admires that she is a nobody, and is
happy that she does not have to constantly be in the public- Frog- may
relate to beinig poked and prodded like an experiment, she enjoys her time
alone

Elizabeth from United States

Comment 106 of 111, added on December 14th, 2008 at 9:16 AM.

Well, the poem is just simple to the reader
Emily used simple words to tell ppl that being nobody is just fine, she
critisizs Fame and popularity,a person must just be themselves, and i
personally luv this poem. I read it 3 yrs ago, and im simply astonished
since she wrote the poem in the 1930's !!since she wrote the poem in the
1930's !!

Sarah from United Arab Emirates

Comment 104 of 111, added on May 10th, 2008 at 3:38 PM.

i really was inspired by this poem especially this one. wht can i say to
the whole world :

"BE UR SELF YO GUYS"

just fight for ur own rights dnt do wht society thinks is right ,they just
think being like evr1 is da right thing to do ,oh no thy r wrg at tht
point.

noor from Turkey

Comment 102 of 111, added on March 29th, 2008 at 6:38 PM.

this is a very funny poem it epitomizes the poet's humor; it reveals
Dickinson's tendency towards concealment and evasion, it also consolidates
her preference for disguise as she eschews public scrutiny and flees social
exhibition. She is a private poet and she conveys this through this poem

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