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. hadil nabil says:

    It is a wonderful poem.Small in content but at the same time rich in meaning.It is also applicable to all times & places around the world 🙂

  2. Ava Gilheart says:

    I love this poem! It would have to be my favorite one written by her! She is an amazing poet, that I feel I can really relate to.

  3. Renee says:

    Please quote the poem correctly!
    Thank you.

    I’m 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!

  4. pnemlx says:

    it is a great poem indeed

  5. Mary-Celeste says:

    This poem has to be one of my all-time childhood favorites. I mean, it’s right up there with Jabberwocky and the tale of custard the dragon. 🙂 This poem isn’t deep or macabre or depressing in any respect. It’s philosophical in a whimsical sort of way. Like she’s poking fun at all previous ideas of ‘serious’. She’s completely awesome. This is probably the one poem I randomly quote when I’m feeling invisible or philosophical. I’m doing a report on her and I couldn’t love her more! :)Hurrah for Emily Dickinson!

  6. Andrew Dickinson says:

    You all missed one of her truly intentional points that was obscured for good reasons, for she was a sort of a mystery writer, that she wrote this for you…can you guess? She wanted you all to F@%* YOURSELVES!!! She counted success the SWEETEST, oh yes, she knew that after she died, that things would change, that her writing would be known, oh yes, and that being nobody would matter–IN DEATH! And now she is a ghost, yes, and being a ghost she saw that success that was the sweetest of any poet EVER to achieve, for life didn’t matter to be in that bog, to be admired, she knew that in life, only death mattered, that as life never would, for she was a women–that death would, THAT WOULD MATTER THE MOST!!!!!!

    Boys and girls, she pulled off the greatest success that those in fame would never see and that death would curse, and now there is me, the next for reconciliation of her fierce anger, to be known this time, for the time has come of all poets from ever to ever, that I am the coming of the Light!

  7. alyssa lucido says:

    it was a funni poem, she must really have a sence of humor and peoms can really tell u alot obout who ever wrote them.

  8. Gary Shmellypants says:

    I love you all butt not really.

  9. JACKIE says:

    IM NOT TO GOOD WITH THE WHOLE POEM THING THE ONLY REASON IM HERE IS BECAUSE IM DOING A REPORT BUT TO ME SHE IS SAYING THAT SOMETIMES ITS BETTER TO KEEP TO YOURSELF AND NOT TELL EVERYTHING TO JUST ANYONE YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THE PERSON YOU ARE TELLINGS ISNT GOING TO EVERYONE ELSE. IN OUR WORLD TODAY PEOPLE DONT LIKE THINGS THEY CANT UNDERSTAND.

  10. Reader says:

    Where can I find a poem this great? This website is very helpful. Is there anywhere I can get essays on this?

  11. Jessica says:

    well this poem is very moving:) i like it alot

  12. CHRIS WEBB says:

    ” I’m Nobody, Who Are You?” is a great poem. Emily Dickinson is trying to say that she just wants to be herself instead of being watched through a microscope as today’s celebrities are.

  13. Zach Nightenhelser says:

    I like this poem a lot. To me it means that Emily Dickinson was a nobody and became a somebody.

  14. A Reader says:

    It is a common mistake of people to say Emily Dickinson was secluded from the world and reflected this through her poetry. On the contrary, Dickinson tried very hard to publish her work but never succeeded. Not to say she was a social person, or “somebody,” as she referred to people thought to be important in this poem, but she did ask many newspaper people and other companies to inform the world of her magnifacent and deep poetry, but never had her poetry published. Her poetry is very misleading in this area. Emily wrote poems that expressed feelings of loneliness or seclusion. So, many concluded that because her work was never published, and because most of her poems are of sadness, she must be lonely and never tried to do anything to enlighten the world of her poetry. This common misconception had led many to believe “facts” in documentaries on her which, in fact, are just inferences.

    I thought this poem was very good.

  15. Kristin says:

    Min Yee–

    There are various versions of Emily’s poetry because she did not submit them for publishing herself. Her brother and sister-in-law reworded some of her poetry after her death to make it more understandable. I can only imagine that the poem was reworded at this time.

  16. Schneiderman says:

    In this poem, the speaker introduce herself as unimportant. Here she mocks the pretension of the public world by imaging public figure as bull frogs. The speaker also describes public opinion as a swamp, something one sinks into, not some thing you would respect. She also implies that any other person of modesty would be hiding out with her free from the bog. She rhymes “Frog” and “Bog” to describe the somebody which she is making fun of.

  17. Personal says:

    That is one of my favorite poems;my favorite poem by Emilie!

  18. Emily says:

    I like this poem a lot. I think what she might’ve been trying to say is that its better to be nobody-as long as you’re happy-than to be a somebody just to please others. Don’t get me wrong-I don’t think its all about pleasing yourself, but if you’re just putting on a show, that’s not cool.

  19. Muffin Man says:

    hello i am the muffin man and i liked the poem im depressed so i can relate to the poem and if u want some muffins call 1-800-muf-fins.

  20. Jazmin says:

    I really liked it. she put her feeling into the poem you can really tell were she is coming from. It is like she is asking sombody who do they think they are or who there pretendind to be. She makes me want to be a poem writer

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