In considering Emily Dickinson
for The Big Read, I believe that we should not only review why we believe she
is relevant, but also how her words are still relevant in today’s society and,
particularly, to the young adults who will be subsequently studying her work in
a classroom setting. Dickson’s poetry is powerful and related to inspiring
people to reflect upon what they are capable of completing in this existence.
In our own classroom discussions, we worried that perhaps poetry is less
accessible to students or people whom are not as interested in poetry. To help
transcend this barrier, I created a Twitter account for Emily Dickson and brief
snips of her poetry in 140 characters or less.
This
approach to Dickinson not only adds to her relevance in today’s society, but
also makes her work more accessible and less intimidating to young adults.
Young adults today are born into a technological era, making them increasingly
more savvy with various forms of technology, but also becoming accustomed to
briefer forms of writing as well as instant communication. By shortening Dickson’s
poetry, but including powerful pieces of her words, I believe that students can
find a connection to her words better. The shortness of the text and informal,
but comfortable, mode of communication could be just what we need to entice
young adults to research and read Dickinson’s work on their own.
How
then is a Twitter site relevant to Dickinson herself? Dickinson may have only
published a brief amount of her work while she was alive, but I think that a
Twitter account may have appealed to her. While the instant publication of her
words could be scary at first, many of her poems were simply brief lines scribbled
on random pieces of paper, such as grocery lists or napkins, etc. Twitter would
have provided her with a digitalized archive of these smaller forms of writing,
and an outlet to share her words with the world, while still being able to
remain physically removed from people.
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