The internalization of civil war became one of the primary concerns for Emily Dickinson, who was alive at that time and whose poetry eventually outlived the Civil War. Eight poems were assigned for reading and reacting to explore the works of Dickinson and her unique style of poetry. Dickinson implied a very covert way to imply the theme of war in her works. In fact, in one of her works, I’m Nobody! Who are you? Dickinson expressed the idea that it is better to stay out of public rather than be pretentious and seek for public’s admiration. Moreover, she proposed that telling the truth gradually is better in her poem Tell all the truth but tell it to slant — (1263). In both poems, the author expressed an opinion and spoke to the reader in a short poem in a concise yet mysterious way, a signature of Dickinson’s poetry.
Dickinson’s works frequently speak to the readers’ feelings and emotions through nature, the poem There’s a certain Slant of light (258) pictures afternoon sunlight in winter that makes the author long for spring. In A Bird, came down the Walk – (359), the author proves that poetry does not necessarily require heroic acts as it could be found in anything around us through simple observation. The long dashes used by the author for rhythmical breaks emphasize the beauty of the poem and the bird’s flight. In her other works, such as I started Early – Took my Dog – (656), A narrow Fellow in the Grass (1096), Dickinson also uses nature’s sightseeing to express deeper meaning through symbolism. The poems Because I could not stop for Death (479) and When I was small, a Woman died to explain the author’s views on death and life. Unlike Walt Whitman, who faced death every time in his work as a nurse during the Civil war, Dickinson provides a distant yet poetic insight on death.