When reading Emily Dickinson's poetry, many people ask themselves the same question: Was Emily Dickinson a lesbian (or at least bisexual)? The answer isn't definitive, but there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that she might have been interested in women. His poetry is often analyzed from a queer perspective due to its many affectionate references to specific women in his life. In the two poems we read in class, many lines lead the reader to believe that Dickinson is talking about her relationships with other women in a romantic way. Based on the evidence in her own writings, Emily Dickinson was most likely gay or bisexual. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Emily Dickinson's poetry is often untitled, so it is sometimes referenced based on the first line of the poem. That being said, the poem “Tell Him – The Page I Never Wrote!” » has many lines that are inherently strange in nature. In the poem she says "she", and the poem itself is undoubtedly a love poem. When she says that she "left out the verb and the pronoun", she seems to be talking about the fact that she can't really find the right words for what she feels. The pronoun in this case would probably be "she" or "she" and the verb would probably be "love" or even "lust." However, in his time, there was no word to describe the feeling of love towards a person of the same sex. It wasn't even something that had been considered. It would make sense that she was confused and didn't understand what she was feeling, and didn't know how to express those feelings. The poem “Her breast was worthy of pearls” is even more obvious in nature. She says, “Her bosom was worthy of pearls, but I was not a 'diver'…” The sentiment expressed here is that she is not able to give this woman everything she deserves. Since women could not intermarry, they could not marry her or actually maintain a relationship with her (at least not one recognized by others as legitimate). She seems to think this woman deserves the world, but she knows she can't give her everything since she's not a man. She also refers to the woman's heart as her "eternal nest", suggesting that it is a place she returns to again and again. When one states “one's heart is good for the house,” it can either be a metaphor or a literal statement. Either she feels at home with the woman because she is so close to her, or she wishes she could live with her so she could be with her all the time. “Seeing Her is a Picture” has many strange elements. Also. “To know her is intemperance / As innocent as June…” is an interesting line. Intemperance is defined as indulgence or lack of control. However, she then associates the word with innocence. This seems contradictory, but it makes sense in a certain context. She feels a lack of restraint and believes that if she really wants to “know” her, it would be intemperate. However, she is either incapable of acting on her feelings, or (if she is capable of acting on them) she views her actions as innocent. Romantic or sexual interactions were only observed between men and women, so if she were to be physical with her, it would likely be seen as just a very intimate friendship, even by her. If she admired him from afar, she would control her immoderate thoughts. Regardless, it is possible for innocence and intemperance to exist simultaneously. ThesePoems are so similar in nature that if put together they could form a single poem with the same recurring theme. Throughout these three poems, Emily seems to feel a sense of nostalgia for the woman she is writing about. Towards the end of the third poem she says "who never receive, / mocks the melody / That could have been living". This sentence hits the reader hard, because it says that if she can't have it, living seems to have no meaning. If she were a man, she would be with her and life would be like a song, beautiful and pleasant. However, making fun of the melody would seem to mean that this potential love was seen as something that could never happen, so if she ever tried to do what would make her happiest, she would be laughed at, because she wouldn't is not a man therefore could not love a woman. The poems are for anyone who has ever felt any type of “forbidden love” as she feels, as evidenced in her writing. Although there were rumors that Emily Dickinson was romantically involved with a few different women, the only person she constantly wrote about (or to) was her sister-in-law, Susan. It is now known in most academic circles that she desired to become closer to Susan and wanted to have a romantic relationship with her. A poem, "What Mystery Permeates a Well!", was written about nature, describing how nature is a mystery to her and she wonders how some people find it so easy to get close to nature. However, there are earlier versions of this poem in which the word "nature" was replaced with "Susan". This is a very clear sign that she was in love with her. She wishes she could be close to Susan, but can't because it's forbidden. The poem then begins to take on a new meaning, speaking of his love for this woman. Another example of her proclaiming her desire for Susan is in the poem "To Own My Own Susan". This poem is extremely short and it reads: “To possess my own Susan / Is in itself a happiness —/ Whatever kingdom I renounce, Lord, / Continue me in this! The interpretation of the poem is more obvious, as she openly states that she wishes she could "have her own Susan", or have a version of Susan that is only hers and does not belong to a man. The third line of the poem is interesting because it recalls the idea that people believed that a man and a woman were destined to be together, "as the Lord intended." She's basically saying in this line that she doesn't care about losing her right to the Kingdom of Heaven, or maybe even the Kingdom of morality, love or acceptance of God, etc. The poem explains how it is worth betraying God. if she has the happiness of being with Susan. According to Lillian Faderman in the text Letters from Emily Dickinson to Sue Gilbert, there are approximately forty poems by Emily Dickinson that appear to be about being in love with a woman or are love poems written to certain women. With a close reading of these poems, it immediately becomes clear to the reader that she feels a deep sense of love for Susan Gilbert, as well as probably other women throughout her life. It's unclear whether she actually acted on that love, and she probably didn't, given the times she lived in, but there's no doubt about her feelings, and feelings are as valid as actions when it comes to love. For her, this love was different, taboo and secret, but her poetry shows that her love was no different from that of others. Her romantic notions towards women were as intimate and loving as those she wrote about men,..