Read the following poem by Emily Dickinson (published in 1891) carefully:
(1) I’m Nobody! Who are you?
(2) Are you – Nobody – too?
(3) Then there’s a pair of us!
(4) Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!
(5) How dreary – to be – Somebody!
(6) How public – like a Frog –
(7) To tell one’s name – the livelong June –
(8) To an admiring Bog!
Which of the following best describes the speaker's perspective on public recognition and social status?
- AThe speaker expresses the poet's own historical frustration with nineteenth-century publishing houses.
- BThe speaker provides a literal description of amphibians communicating in a wetland environment.
- The speaker views public recognition as tedious and values the intimacy of private anonymity.Answer
- DThe speaker experiences a dramatic shift from desiring fame in the first stanza to fearing it in the second.
- EThe speaker employs a simile comparing public figures to frogs solely to showcase standard poetic terminology.
Answer
The speaker views public recognition as tedious and values the intimacy of private anonymity.
The correct option is correct because the speaker contrasts the quiet, shared identity of being 'Nobody' with the dreary, public nature of being 'Somebody.' The speaker's tone is playful yet protective of privacy, depicting public recognition as exposure similar to a frog croaking to a swamp (an 'admiring Bog').
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Analyzing how a speaker's attitude and choice of persona convey a perspective on privacy versus public life.
Estimated Time:1m 30s