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!

Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem I’m Nobody! Who are you?

113 Comments

  1. Carson says:

    ok.
    Emily Dickinson is not talking about not having friends. It is much deeper than that. She comments on being a nobody, and she also comments on being banished. Isnt a nobody already banished from society either by themselves or by society? She didn’t want to have friends… she like many other transcendentalist believed in SELF-RELIANCE. If she is not bringing up the idea that Nobodies are already banished, than surely her stating that she is a nobody is just another way of expressing her and Emerson’s (whom which she was greatly inspired by) views on the poet not being above anybody else.

  2. Jade says:

    Well this comment has alot of meaning to it.
    Seems as if she is trying to tell you to be yourself…

  3. Filona says:

    Emily Dickensen’s poem has been inferenced, analysed and crtisised!
    Wow! I am surprised with the intrinsic interest in this poem.
    I will add my own interpretation; and inference this poem using an old Chinese proverb; source unknown;’…he who has a lot to say; says too much and not enough, he has no depth in the spoken word. He who speaks little has much to say and has depth in what he says…’
    I hope this inferencing is clear and understood.

  4. ghalia says:

    whenever i feeling low, i write this poem out anywher and i read it and read it then i cry, i feel emily write it for me i related to this poem. really it is agood poem

  5. Anna says:

    Yes okay! We all get that being quite and mysterious is great but isn’t this poem telling us to be ourselves have any of you ever considered that maybe the loud people in your class are being themselves. How on earth would you no if you don’t talk to them and label them as something they are not. You never judge someone just because of the way they look, wear etc stop labeling them by societys acceptance of it. maybe the loud people are affraid of being themselves maybe they are being themselves did you ever consider the fact that it might be the quite people that are scared of being themselves. loud and outgoing people are being themselves see you get it they couldn’t give a rats what you people think cause they are enjoying life and expressing their feelings “being themselves”

  6. Layla says:

    To be nobody, that’s Emily ‘s style,and that’s Emily always wanted to be

  7. emy says:

    This poem of Emily Dickinson’s, I’m nobody who are you?, is very comforting. I think the intent of this poem is to cheer you up when you’re feeling down and lonely. It’s supposed to remind you that whatever situation you’re in, whatever your feeling, you’re not alone. Someone else is feeling the same way you are. When Emily mentions nobodies, I think she means a person who is powerless and can’t change what or who they are. Because Emily continued to use I she is considering herself a nobody. This makes sense because she was very isolated her whole life and didn’t feel important while living.

  8. Nelson says:

    The frog reference does make sense. I haven’t read too many previous posts so I don’t know if this is explained or not but the similie that Dickinson uses to compare “somebodies” to frogs is genius. Frogs croak constantly making their existence known to the whole “bog” (swamp). We can also infer from this poem that Dickinson did consider herself a “nobody” because she was not well known while she was alive and only 10 of her poems were published. She does however illustrate a luxury in being a nobody that the dreary somebodies cannot understand.
    xNelson
    (high school senior)

  9. Alan says:

    Is it possible that Emily was actually compltley insane and that we are all over analyzing this. The reason, because the frog refrence makes no sense to the rest of the poem. I think its very possible she was just completley insane

  10. Dora ( from Freedom HIGH) says:

    what Ryan said is so true!!! I’d rather be a Nobody 10 times more than be a somebody. I wouldnt know how to act if i werent being myself! I wouldnt want to be a around a frog, someone thats tryin to hard to fit in when everyones born to stand out in their own way! be happy in your OWN SKIN!!!!

  11. becky! says:

    what`s “hush can nununan casa flinken heish ulgen hoffer bolshi haethen shetr klinken” mean???

    can someone translate for me?

  12. Shiv says:

    I think this poem is really inspiring and I think Emily has a wide range of knowledge. From my perspective, Emily is telling you to be yourself, and being like everyone else is boring.

  13. rike says:

    i like almost all emily’s but i can say this is one of them i like the most. it’s inspiring me to be someone that never cares of what people may think of us before we really do what we intend to do. if one somebody can banish or publish us, what will happen if we can’t manage being with many of them 🙂

    oftentime, a poem is stronger in supporting me than anything can give…

  14. Maura says:

    Actually Renne, the correct quotation is:

    I Am Nobody Who are you?
    Are you nobody, too?
    Then there’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
    They’d banish us, you know.

    How dreary to be somebody!
    How public, like a frog
    To tell your name the livelong day
    To an admiring bog!

    In Her Orginal poem,she did not use a contration.

    I love ALL of Emily’s poems,and the first time i read this one(I think it was 4th grade)I fell in love with it!

  15. Sapphireyes says:

    I like her poem. It’s really good she inspires me to be the best I can. Its a great poem

  16. Emily Miller says:

    Emily Dickinson inspired me in all ways. Shes not only my favorite poet,but I feel as if she wrote this poem to me and I’m not just saying that because we have the same name! She is soo wonderful, more than ever!!!!!!

  17. Ryan says:

    In the poem “I’m nobody! Who are you?” I think that she is not saying that we are nobody. She is saying that it is boring and ordinary to be “somebody.” Being nobody is unique and interesting and that is what she is, and that is how she likes it. To be “somebody” is to be like the frogs in the bog, always trying to convince people that you are “somebody.” Just be yourself.

  18. kat says:

    I would have to agree w/ Renee. please quote it directly. thank you.

  19. jesus says:

    Emily dickinson is a feminist obsessed with death. Why doesn’t she do more womanly things. She mentions bird and bees but she’s a virgin. she should lather the shaft with amneotic fluids

  20. Fallon says:

    Emily realized how many people live their lives for the sake of other people. And how many of them all lead fake lives. She probably knew that they were all really unhappy because they had created an entirely fictional world for the public eye so that they could be the center of attention. I believe that Emily explains that she does not feel that this is much of a life and lives her life away from people and publicity to write poems for herself, not to publish and become famous – I believe this was not her goal – She wrote poetry for her own satisfaction and altering these works and reproducing them is such an insult and disrespectful but hey.. at least somebody made money off them.. I’m sure thats what she would have wanted.

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