There’s a certain Slant of light and This is my letter to the World

Nature has been a popular subject of poems in almost every culture. Some poets, such as the English Romantics of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries celebrated nature’s power and mystery. For others, nature inspires them to analyze or express their own emotions and experiences.

Write a short essay in which you consider how Emily Dickinson uses nature in her poems. Identify images of and references to nature in “There’s a certain Slant of light” and “This is my letter to the World.” Ask yourself questions such as: Is nature a powerful force for her? Does it inspire her? Does it have metaphorical significance for her? As you write, cite specific words and lines from the two poems to support your ideas about what nature means to Dickinson as a poet.