Ch 6 Poetry

The Apology

I picked this poem because I am most familiar with the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I like the title because I found it ironic. The poem is not an apology for the speaker being the way he is; it's more an announcement to deal with who he is and that he's proud of his identity. We get the feeling that the speaker is different than other people because his request to "think me not unkind and rude that I walk alone in grove and glen". Though he is different, the speaker is just trying to explain this is who he is and he is content with it.

I'm Nobody! Who are you?

I picked this poem because I am most familiar with Emily Dickinson, and I have heard this poem before. The theme of identity is clear and she proudly states "I'm Nobody!". Dickinson goes on to talk about how people think you're really weird if you're a "Nobody" and different like her, by saying, "Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!". But she also goes on the prove she doesn't want to be like everyone else and is content with herself, by saying "How dreary - to be - Somebody!"


These poems are written very differently but essentially send the same message. The speaker is sort of an oddity but wants everyone else to know that he/she is okay with who he/she is. Though Emerson's is more timid and Dickinson's is more ecstatic, both poems portray a speaker who is proud of his/her identity and culture, though it may be different from others'.