“I Died for beauty but was scarce”
The poem aims to explore the notions of belonging and feelings associated with dignified acceptance through a varied style and form. Dickinson discusses the issue of belonging by commenting on the journey of two individuals who have spent the entirety of their life in search for acceptance and understanding. She uses death as a meeting place for the two as a means of conveying immortality however ironically they are forgotten as “the moss had...covered up our names”. Here she adds a taste of her omnipresent wry humour. Death, being a major issue in her life, allows Dickinson to reflect on personal issues which makes her poetry slightly more intimate. This is engaging as the audience feels a closer connection with the poet and therefore grows a stronger understating with the text.
Her choice of diction in “Adjusting in the tomb,” emphasises ones struggles to continually belong to a particular place or group. The fact that the dead are still trying to figure out a way to fit in to certain areas that they do not belong highlights the strong desire of the individual to belong however also shows that true belonging will never be achieved through compromise. The scarification of one’s values and beliefs does not ensure that that individual will completely belong and by continuing to ‘adjust’ the individual may have lost its own sense of identity.
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