Further Analysis of Emily Dickinson

The word that stood out the most to me in Poem 613 was "captivity". Dickinson uses this word to show how powerless and confined she is in a conservative 19th century world. This word really holds the whole meaning of the poem, because the speaker is unable to express herself wholly and naturally and is forced to hide away. Locked up, she reflects on her restricted state and knows the only way to break free from oppression of expression is to use her mind to be set free. In several works written by women in the 19th century (The Awakening, The Yellow Wallpaper) I notice that there is often a battle between women’s internal and external situations that collide and explore the paradox of one coming to a greater understanding of inner reality while losing touch with the outside world, realizing that they are prisoners in their own skin. These other works can bring a greater understanding and overall context to why Dickinson writes about the subjects she chooses to.