We collected different contents about her (for example family, movements, famous works,life stations, her style of writing, historical background etc.). Then we read some of her short poems and we are supposed to choose one and interpret it. My choice is the epigram "This is my letter".
This is my letter to the world, That never wrote to me,-- The simple news that Nature told, With tender majesty. Her message is committed To hands I cannot see; For love of her, sweet countrymen, Judge tenderly of me!
In the first two lines Emily Dickinson expresses the feelings she has towards the world. She claims that nobody gives her attention.(We know from her life that she lived really isolated in her house with nobody else). In the next to lines she describes that the nature tells her simple news from the world around her.
In the second paragraph, Dickinson says that the nature has a message which is not accessible for her.
In the last two lines of the epigram , she begins to talk to "sweet countrymen" she could refer to the lover she had in her life. She tells them to judge tenderly of her; for her (either the natures's or her love).
Although Dickinson is not one of my favorite writers, she does have quite a talent with words. This poem is, as is usual for her work, so far as I am able to see, is dark. Others have received nature's message and have done better with communicating its secrets; Dickinson seems to feel that she has not done so well and so she hopes that the reader will not judge her too harshly. Perhaps I am missing the point, too.
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