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I'm Nobody! Who Are You?

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With full-colour illustrations on every page, of 19th century New England, this book gives attention to Emily Dickinson's poems for children. It is for ages 3-6.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

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About the author

Emily Dickinson

1,241 books5,410 followers
Emily Dickinson was an American poet who, despite the fact that less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime, is widely considered one of the most original and influential poets of the 19th century.

Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.

Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.

Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.

A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
Profile Image for هدى يحيى.
Author 8 books16k followers
April 24, 2018


I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there's a pair of us?
Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one's name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!

***

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading – treading – till it seemed
That Sense was breaking through –

And when they all were seated,
A Service, like a Drum –
Kept beating – beating – till I thought
My Mind was going numb –

***

Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -




Breathtaking collection of poems !
Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,566 reviews56.6k followers
July 8, 2021
Im Nobody Who Are You, Emily Dickinson, Rex Schneider

I'm Nobody! Who are you? is a short lyric poem by Emily Dickinson first published in 1891.

The poet incorporates the pronouns you, we, us, your into the poem, and in doing so, draws the reader into the piece.

First published version
I'm 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 day
To an admiring bog!


Close transcription
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you - Nobody - too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Dont tell! they'd advertise - you know!

How dreary - to be - Somebody!
How public - like a Frog -
To tell one's name - the livelong June -
To an admiring Bog!


تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز هفتم ماه جولای سال 2017میلادی

عنوان: من هیچکسم تو کیستی؟؛ نویسنده رکس اشنایدر؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م

من هیچکسم! تو کیستی؟
آیا تو نیز هیچکسی؟
پس اینگونه ما دوتاییم، فاش مکن
زیرا تبعیدمان می‌کنند
چقدر ملالت آور است کسی بودن
چقدر مبتذل همانند قورباغه‌ای
تمام روز یک بند اسم خود را برای لجن زاری ستایشگر، تکرار کردن

تاریخ بهنگام رسا��ی 16/04/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Vukasin.
16 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2021
Super je ovo izdanje, zato sto su na kraju tumacenja,bez kojih neke pesme ne bi bile razumljive.
Moja omiljena je :

"Nada" je pernato stvorenje-
Koje u dušu sleće -
I pesmu bez reči peva
I bas nikad-stati nece-

I najsladje se cuje - u oluji -
I ljuta bi nepogoda morala da bude
Koja Ptičicu moze da zbuni
Koja greje tol'ke ljude -

Čuh je na moru najdaljem od svih
I u zemlji gde je najhladnije -
Nikad, i u nevolji krajnjoj
Ni mrvu mi potrazila - nije.

Isto su mi se svidele i: 543 ; 569 ; 897
Profile Image for Miloš.
91 reviews118 followers
June 15, 2021
Emili Dikinson je jedan od onih pesničkih glasova koji se rode u vremenima velikih smutnji, kada čovek više nije vlasnik svog života, već se čini da samo ima pravo da saobraća sa utuljenim, tihim glasom svoje savesti i ličnih nemira.

Prvi put čitam kompletno delo, premda smo se s jednom pesmom susreli na master studijama ( gde se lirski subjekat poredi s puškom); i tekst je gust, neobičan, pun elipsi i oksimorona. Emili često piše u zagonetkama, propituje stavove tadašnjeg establišmenta i vešto skriva nagone strasti u filigranski osenčene stihove pune tihe lascivnosti.

Pored toga što je pisala pod uticajem vremena u kom je živela, malo zasićena puritanskim hrišćanstvom, Dikinsonova je bila i pod uticajem transcendentalizma: nema oslanjanja na empirijsku stvarnost, postoji enormna snaga i naslućenje proviđenja u intuiciji. Prema transcendentalizmu, čiji je predstavnik bio Ralf Valdo Emerson, čovek poseduje inherentnu dobrotu, koju društvo i institucije kvate ( slično Rusoovom shvatanju o izlasku čoveka iz prirodnog stanja).

Njene pesme su često hermetične, višeznačne, prekićene metaforama. Za pažljivog čitaoca, tu se može naći i kritika strogog viktorijanskog društva, pasaži o položaju žene u umetnosti i generalno, svakodnevici, ali i pasusi lični, tegobni, u kojima se čita težina jednog života.

Ja ću se Emili sigurno vraćati. Ono što je dobro kod ove zbirke, jeste što imate kratka objašnjenja za neke od pesama na kraju zbirke. Svakako, uvek možete i slobodno da tumačite. Ipak, mislim da je užitak mnogo veći ako se čita u originalu, premda mi prevod deluje i zvuči sasvim u redu. :)
Profile Image for Kaylee D.
22 reviews46 followers
December 3, 2018
This book was kind of confusing. I found it hard to follow. But I did enjoy a few of the poems but some were hard to understand. Overall I did not really understand the meaning of the poems. I did though like the poem on page 45. That poem said '' pain has an element of blank''. I found that poem easy to follow and understand. Overall I don't recommend it was boring and hard to understand for me.
29 reviews11 followers
November 29, 2016
I thought this book was ok. I am just now glad I have finished this book. I wish I understand poetry a little better because I did not get most of these poems. If you can understand poetry, and you like poetry books you might like this book. This is what I thought about I'm Nobody! Who Are You?
Profile Image for Amaka.
203 reviews8 followers
March 10, 2021
I'm nobody
Who are you?
Are you nobody too?
32 reviews6 followers
December 1, 2017
I am not usually a fan of poetry, but this book of poems was really good. I had to read poetry for a class, and a friend recommended reading Emily Dickinson. The poems flowed nicely and were different than any other poetry I have ever read. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody looking to read some great poetry.
Profile Image for Natalie.
2,801 reviews136 followers
November 23, 2012
Wild nights! Wild nights!
Were I with thee,
Wild nights should be
Our luxury.

Futile the winds
To a heart in port,-
Done with the compass.
Done with the chart.

Rowing in Eden!
Ah! The sea!
Might I but moor
Tonight in thee!


Love, love, love Emily Dickinson. I didn't realize how much till I started reading this book. I read it once in high school, but I don't think I really understood her at all then. Even still, I don't understand everything she says, but there is such a beautiful cadence to her writing. I feel like she gets right to the heart of things. The whole book is full of all my little notes and underlinings. I feel like her poetry is a beautiful mystery, waiting to be discovered. This is another book that is going to live right by my bed so I can pull it out frequently.
Profile Image for Laura.
352 reviews39 followers
December 5, 2019
This beautiful book made me a fan of Emily Dickinson. I'm glad I picked it up from the library discard shelf. (Poetry is something I'm just coming around to, now in my late thirties.) The illustrations are not amazing but still drew me in more than plain words on a page would have. And the glossary in the back is helpful; without it I never would have taken the time to look up the more archaic words.
Profile Image for holden.
441 reviews10 followers
March 17, 2022
Vodi nas je naučila žeđ,
Zemlji - negdašnji Okeani.
Zanosu - agonije steg -
Miru - opevana bitka -
Ljubavi - humka spomenika -
Pticama, sneg.
Profile Image for Jowayria Rahal.
56 reviews64 followers
January 8, 2013
This book proved that Emily Dickinson being on the top of my 5 favourite poets of All Time was well-deserved ! Though some may consider her style as depressing and cheerless , I find the way she combines her thoughts to be mighty beautiful !

I adore this stanza , I couldn't get it out of my mind for days after reading the book

" I wonder if it hurts to live,
And if They have to try,
And whether, could They choose between,
It would not be, to die. "

<3
15 reviews3 followers
June 2, 2015
I didnt really like this book because I got really bored of reading poetry. Some of the poems were alright but others were hard to understand. If you like poetry then you might like this book and i would recommend it to you.
15 reviews
May 7, 2020
Summary: Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” is written from the perspective of an unknown speaker, who claims that they’re a “Nobody”. In contrast to being a “Nobody”, the speaker mentions why it would be boring to be “Somebody”, questioning individuals' need for attention. Being a “Nobody” is the speaker's desire, because it highlights the benefits of isolation and anonymity.

Connection: Similar to the connection made to identity with Julio Noboa’s poem, this short poem by Emily Dickinson approaches the concept in a similar fashion. This poem takes a creative approach to addressing the incessant need for people to be noticed, liked and desired by the people around them. This poem argues that it’s much better to be a “Nobody” than a “Somebody” because there is far more benefit in being anonymous and isolated as opposed to being the center of attention. When you’re a “Nobody”, you’re free to be who you’re truly meant to be without the constraints of societal expectations. In regards to MS students, this would have an immense impact on their experiences as they transition towards high school. Student’s will oftentimes place their own value into the hands of their peers, which inevitably results in people consistently tweaking their actions and beliefs to fit in as best they can. Teacher’s can address this by asking students if they want to be sheep for the rest of their lives, because if they don’t realize that being a “Nobody” is the key to unlocking their true identity, they’ll continue to live their lives in hopes of being a “Somebody” and will never be who they’re truly meant to be.

This very short poem manages to say so much with such little space, and that being said is often used to help students improve their comprehension and interpretation skills. Although, this could easily be applied to student writing using the “My Favorite Words” activity from chapter three of Gallagher’s Write Like This. In this particular case, I wouldn’t use this activity the same way Gallagher does; I would instruct students to create a list of words that describes an aspect or their identity as a whole. Once this list has been created, have students write a sentence next to each word explaining why it describes their identity. This would be useful to spark student-writing, especially since most people enjoy writing about themselves and it will provide a purpose for thinking introspectively about yourself.
13 reviews
Read
May 7, 2020
I’m Nobody! Who are you? is one of Dickinson’s most famous poems, which in two stanzas she explores the nature of public versus private identity and how she distinguishes herself as a "nobody" among the “croaking” of “somebodies”.

I’m Nobody! Who are you? would be a great poem to analyze in a middle school classroom because even though given its brief and abrupt nature, Dickinson’s short stanzas hold immense depth and meaning to them and can be explored in a number of ways that gives middle school students a lot of freedom and creativity when working with this text. Middle school students can also relate to Dickinson’s mentions of the hierarchical systems of “nobodies” and “somebodies”, a social classification order dictates a lot of how adolescents portray themselves and their identities to their peers and the world around them. Adolescents can also relate to the exhaustion of keeping up appearances to try and be “somebodies”, and hopefully will take away from this text that being true to oneself and metaphorically being “nobody” is better than trying to be someone they are not.

For instructional use, I would pair this text with an expressive and reflective writing activity where students have the opportunity to gain insight into their own identities and how they want to reflect themselves to the world. Gallagher’s chapter two outlines the “Forgive My Guilt” writing prompt, in which students are asked to reflect on a regretful memory and respond as to how it made them feel about themselves and what they wish they would have done differently. For this writing activity, I would ask students to reflect on a time when they pretended to be someone they weren’t, why they did it, how it made them feel, and what they would have done differently if given the chance. Reflective writing like such where students can connect to the bigger ideas of a text but apply the knowledge to their own lives, to grow into more caring, meaningful, compassionate humans who aren’t afraid to express their true identities is a great way to promote self-acceptance in a middle school classroom.
9 reviews
April 12, 2022
I like Emily Dickinson's writing style. The poems follow a case-by-case structure: instead of drawing out an idea for too long or desaturating a concept, the poems are set to a length that matches the material. I like poets who do this, along with experimenting with different structures and word patterns. I also like how the poems don't have a title. Complementing their abstract nature, I find the imagery of the poems is more vivid because I don't create a staple concept before even reading the poem. This edition has an introduction, which was pretty much just some writer's interpretations of Emily Dickinson. I did not read it for very long before skipping to the poems because it was pretty awkward; it does not affect my review because it is just irrelevant extra. I suggest this anthology to people who like poetry, specifically Dickinson's poetry. I particularly like the poem with the first line "No rack can torture me," as it exposes an interesting concept.
May 18, 2017
Brigitte Lizarraga
Book review #8
English 9, B1
05/17/17

I'm Nobody! Who Are You? is a short lyric poem by Emily Dickinson first published in 1991. It was one of Emily's popular poems. This poem opens with a literally impossible declaration that the speaker is “Nobody.” My first literary element is the narrator of the book. The narrator directly reflects the beliefs and feelings of the author herself. She knew how to turn little things into a big deal. She sounds like she passed through being a nobody.
My second literary element is protagonist. The claim that one is nobody may suggest that one is disregarded by others, but it may also be a way of asserting one’s humility or self-centeredness. The way she says "i'm nobody" I think is more because others ignore her, is a way of making sure that she is indeed noticed. She calls herself as nobody, because she wants us to relay to her. I recommend this book if you feel sometimes alone or invisible. When I was reading this book I felt like it was me, but sometimes I couldn't understanted.
Profile Image for Kori ☾.
1,021 reviews20 followers
December 9, 2021
I read this book and also bought 2 more Emily Dickinson poetry books for the wrong reason. The tv show.

The poetry itself? Kinda boring.

description
Profile Image for Mohammad Heydari.
Author 17 books1 follower
February 20, 2019
I'm 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 day
To an admiring bog!
Profile Image for Natasha.
615 reviews31 followers
Read
February 26, 2021
I’m really not a poetry fan - didn’t like it in University- and unfortunately still don’t like it now. But at least I tried.
Profile Image for Anne Bennett.
1,223 reviews
September 25, 2022
My first Emily Dickinson volume ever read. I found the forward helpful, written by Virginia Euwer Wolff but by in large I wasn't inspired by many of Dickinson's poems entire. Parts, not whole, caught my attention. The other thing I noticed, obviously I need to read more about the port's style, is that most poems were very, very similar in style. Unfortunately the volume I read had not returned to the style Dickinson preferred with lots of dashes and odd capitalization.
Profile Image for Barbara Lovejoy.
2,077 reviews25 followers
September 19, 2020
I LOVE this book! Each time I read it, it delights me more. I used many of the poems from this book to my goal to memorize 52 poems. Memorizing them made them even more delightful. Really love the illustrations. Excited to find more books that uses this illustrator, Rex Schneider.

December 9, 2019: So many poems that touch my heart! I never tire of reading this book again and again.

June 29, 2019 LOVE this book!--More each time I read it!

February 13, 2019 Each time I read this book, I love it more. Excited to read it again.

December 27, 2018 This book continues to delight me!!! I plan to start reading it again.


February 23, 2018: DELIGHTFUL poems and the illustrations are beautiful and unique.
Profile Image for Rahil.
166 reviews186 followers
Read
October 27, 2015
Brillant ! Brillant ! Brillant!
It helped me with my Feelings-collapsing-period .. Deep poems where one's can feel Home .. her poetry is a Refuge ! it's a great special feeling to find out that someone experieced similar feelings as yours Years and years ago, it's like you've a friend from the past, i've always loved Emily and her poetry, and Virginia's Introduction was PERFECT ! <3
Profile Image for Riana.
17 reviews
April 29, 2023
I did not love all her poems but these were my favorite:
--
A Door just opened on a street -
I - lost - was passing by -
An instant's Width of Warmth disclosed -
And Wealth - and Company.

The Door as sudden shut - And I -
I - lost - was passing by -
Lost doubly - but by contrast - most -
Informing - Misery.
--
How happy is the little stone
That rambles in the road alone,
And doesn't care about careers,
And exigencies never fears;
Whose coat of elemental brown
A passing universe put on;
And independent as the sun,
Associates or glows alone,
Fulfilling absolute decree
In casual simplicity.
--
A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
--
I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly why I failed?
“For beauty,” I replied.”
And I for truth – the two are one;
We brethren are,” he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.
--
My river runs to thee:
Blue sea, wilt welcome me?

My river waits reply.
Oh sea, look graciously!

I'll fetch thee brooks
From spotted nooks,—

Say, sea,
Take me!
--
A precious mouldering pleasure ’tis
To meet an Antique Book
In just the Dress his Century wore
A privilege I think

His venerable Hand to take
And warming in our own
A passage back or two to make
To Times when he was young

His quaint opinions to inspect
His thought to ascertain
On Themes concern our mutual mind
The Literature of Man

What interested Scholars most
What Competitions ran
When Plato was a Certainty
And Sophocles a Man

When Sappho was a living Girl
And Beatrice wore
The Gown that Dante deified
Facts Centuries before

He traverses familiar
As One should come to Town
And tell you all your Dreams were true
He lived where Dreams were born

His presence is Enchantment
You beg him not to go
Old Volume shake their Vellum Heads
And tantalize just so
--
That Love is all there is,
Is all we know of Love;
It is enough, the freight should be
Proportioned to the groove.
--
I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.

I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.
--
Profile Image for Micah Schmitz.
21 reviews2 followers
April 22, 2019
This is honestly not an easy book of poems to follow. The book contains the poems of Emily Dickinson, an 1800s poet. The poems in the book mostly convey a sense of mournfulness or longing, yet it's hard to define them, as many make little sense. While they may not all make sense to me, they are all certainly beautiful, conveying a gorgeously beautiful sense of melancholy, that slowly leads into what might have been intended to be interpreted as a sense of slow self realization.
So, as it is a book of poetry, it likely incorporates figurative devices right? That prior statement was indeed correct, as the book uses many a figurative device. While it's not the sort of writing that rhymes at the end of each line, the book uses many metaphors and similes, which greatly helped the poems (which overall seemed to have a consistent though hard to interpret theme) feel varied and different. The flow of the poems is excellent, i got through the book quickly without even realizing i had read the whole thing.
Im honestly not really a fan of this book. The poetry is good, it all emotes excellently, it's just not my cup of tea. I just find it slow, occasionally boring, and sometimes (at least in my eyes) repetitive. It may be just because I don't think i fully understood it, but that's just how i feel. If you like poetry, id advise you read this, if you don't, id advise you don't.
20 reviews
April 18, 2019
The book of poetry, I’m Nobody! Who are you? by Emily Dickinson, is a collection of poems surrounding the topic of loneliness, sadness, and similar topics. All the poems were short; one page or less each. All the poems spoke of the feelings of not knowing who you are. The title, I’m Nobody! Who are you?, sums up the collection of stories very well. A summary of the book would be how once you did not understand who you were and then finding who you are.
Emily Dickinson used poetry devices to add to her theme of loneliness and finding who you are. Rhyming was not always used in the poems, but when it was, it did not make the poem cringy. Many metaphors and similes were used to expand on the feeling the poem wanted to portray. It helped the reader understand and relate to her theme. Many times, she related nature to her theme of being alone.
I enjoyed reading these poems. It felt like they were authentic and real. My perception of poetry tends to be about how poems are fake because they must have a certain syllable structure and rhyming pattern. These poems did not have to follow a pattern. They portrayed a meaningful message instead. I enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Diana.
506 reviews20 followers
June 1, 2020
This is an extraordinarily beautiful book. I am such an Emily Dickinson fan, and I have three different collections of her poetry and two biographies, including Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson's Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which is truly a revelation of her life that belies some of the commonly held "myths" about her.

This collection, primarily intended for younger readers, is an absolute joy. Rex Schneider's illustrations capture the unique styling and word play of Dickinson, adding to the often startling imagery already present in the poems. There is, frankly, NO ONE quite like Emily Dickinson - she was ahead of her time, anticipating the laser-focused detail of the Imagist movement a decade or two after her death in 1889. While this collection is targeted at "young people," readers of all ages will enjoy the collection, and experience Emily's unique vision and style in a truly beautiful new way. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Melissa.
7 reviews
December 16, 2016
Book review #4
Author : Emily Dickinson
105 Pages
English 2 period
Mel

This wonderful book of poems has taken me by storm. She shows much struggle and love in all the poems. In many of the poems she explains a lot about the shore or ocean, I think it may be one of her settings. As she says here,”So I the ships may see. That touch how seldomly Thy shore?” In many of them she says a lot about a shore I think she’s around the Sea or the Ocean.

Emily also talks about a boy i didn’t here his name all she refers him as is “he” or “him”. “He glanced with rapid eyes”. She talks about his presence a lot. “ The rat is the concisest tenant. He pays no rent”. The main person that i see is talking about love she needs it. I liked the book Dickinson writes very beautifully. I would rate this 3 stars.




Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews

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