“I’m Nobody! Who are you? ”“I’m Nobody! Who are you? ”by Emily Dickinsonby Emily Dickinson

Prepared by:Dahlia Syahrani Md. YusofGS 18383

“I’m Nobody! Who are you?”“I’m Nobody! Who are you?”by Emily Dickinsonby Emily Dickinson

I am nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?

Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

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•1830 - born in Amherst, Massachusettes

•by 1860’s – lived in isolation but maintained correspondence

•After age 40, never left her home

•Spent almost her entire 56 years in hometown

•1886 – died in Amherst

About the author

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Denotative meaning

•“nobody”- no importance

- someone unnoticed

- insignificant

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•“a pair of us” – being together

Denotative meaning

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•“banish”- make something disappear

Denotative meaning

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•“somebody” – popular person, known to many

Denotative meaning

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Denotative meaning•“a frog” – an amphibian which

makes loud croaking sound

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Denotative meaning•“a bog” – wet, soft ground formed of decaying

ground

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•“dreary” - depressing•“public” - concerning people•“name” - reputation, a good one•“livelong day” - the whole length of a day

Denotative meaning

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“I’m Nobody! Who are you?”by Emily Dickinson

I am nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?

Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

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Connotative meaning“I’m nobody” – writer admits to being a nobody,

loner, unpopular

“Are you nobody, too?” – tries to find an ally

I am nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?

Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!They’d banish us, you know

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“There’s a pair of us” - a friend to enjoy each other’s company and share anonymity

“banish us” - you’re not a nobody anymore when you have a friend; disappear and

becomebeco become somebody

Connotative meaning

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• “dreary to be somebody” – writer denotes to like being a nobody; awful to be famous

•How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

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“a frog” – noisy animal, usually heard but little attention is paid to it

“name” - good image and reputation

“livelong day” - all the time

“a bog” - the environment, usually

insignificant

Connotative meaning

•How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

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FIRST STANZA

-loneliness

-companionship

SECOND STANZA

-more confident tone

-in a crowd

GENERAL ANALYSIS

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••Being an outsiderBeing an outsider

••Be herself and feel comfortable about itBe herself and feel comfortable about it

••As a nobody As a nobody -- not forced to be under publi c not forced to be under publi c scrutiny or forced to put on an actscrutiny or forced to put on an act

••As a nobody As a nobody –– we have our own individuality, we have our own individuality, uniquenessuniqueness

••Ordinary people are aplenty, we are not aloneOrdinary people are aplenty, we are not alone

GENERAL ANALYSIS

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•“Nobodies” need to keep a low profile or risk becoming somebody

•“Being a pair” – having a friend is much better than having a crowd of admirers

GENERAL ANALYSIS

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•“like a frog” with an “admiring bog”

-you’re popular but your relationships are impersonal or distanced

-people may not take you seriously despite all the publicity you have

- the bog is only the environment not a friend

GENERAL ANALYSIS

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THEMES

• being proud of who you are• popularity may be destructive

• companionship is a remedy to loneliness20

SIMILESIMILE“How public, like a frog”•comparison to a trifling creature

PERSONIFICATIONPERSONIFICATION“Admiring bog”• useless admirers

RHYMESRHYMES“frog” – “bog”•Emphasis, connect similarity

POETIC DEVICES

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PERSONAL RESPONSEPERSONAL RESPONSE

••Companionship is a remedyCompanionship is a remedy

NOBODY NOBODY –– lonerloner

••Unimportant yet InvisibleUnimportant yet Invisible

••Uniqueness of selfUniqueness of self

••Lets you be proud of yourselfLets you be proud of yourself

••There are benefitsThere are benefits 22

POPULARITYPOPULARITY

••stressful stressful

••need to live up to people’s expectationneed to live up to people’s expectation

••Live under microscope Live under microscope –– under scrutinyunder scrutiny

••True friends?True friends?

PERSONAL RESPONSEPERSONAL RESPONSE

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“I’m Nobody! Who are you?”by Emily Dickinson

I am nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?

Then there’s a pair of us – don’t tell!They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

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Being a LONER is not being a LOSER…

Thank you

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