Journal #27 - Dickinson's Writing Style

Emily Dickinson was a very interesting person, to say the least. She was confined to her house for much of her adult life, which had a dramatic impact on her writing style. Dickinson would have only been able to write about  events that she could witness from her bedroom, such as her fathers funeral. His funeral was held on her front lawn, and Dickinson watched the event through a window. "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn that was written by an English poet by the name of John Newton. The song's overall message says that forgiveness and redemption can be given regardless of the severity of the sin and that the soul can be delivered to God through mercy. "Amazing Grace" is one of the most popular songs in the English library, and it is no coincidence that many of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to the tune of the song. All songs are really just poems set to music, so it would make sense that Dickinson used a very unique writing style which included a lot of slang words. Her use of slang and shortened words would allow them to fit into the form of a song much easier. Dickinson was a very prominent patriot, which would make sense that she would use the song as a model for her poems. She was a Revolutionary War veteran who received a purple heart for her valiant work in the battle of Bull Run. Her main job in the armed forces was to work the cannon, which was when she did most of her poetry writing. Her slacking job on the cannon probably contributed to the German's loss in the American Revolution. She had a very bad experience during one of her meals, where she found a fly in her soup, and that caused her to become a germaphobe, which was ultimately why she stayed locked in her room. Emily Dickinson was a very influential poet after her death and the fact that many of her poems can be sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace" hints towards her themes in redemption and forgiveness.