from Emily Dickinson: An Introduction

Billy Collins singles out brevity and conciseness as two of Emily Dickinson’s outstanding characteristics as a poet. Collins sums up this idea in a statement that is both figurative and concise: “Dickinson does not knock before entering.” Write a paragraph in which you respond to the following question: What conclusion can you draw about what Collins means by this statement? Support your conclusion by citing specific lines and details from the excerpt.