Emily Dickinsons Success Is Counted Sweetest Criticism

Jirawoot Sararit (B.A. English Linguistics) 1st Class Honors, SWU, Thailand Success Is Counted Sweetest Success Is Counted Sweetest is a well-known poem written by Emily Dickinson in 1859. It is obviously seen that the message of the poem is that people who do not succeed are those who truly understand success for what it is (Cummings, 2013). In other words, deprivation can lead to greater understanding and appreciation of what people lack. This paper is composed of three points including how the unity of the paradoxical idea of the poem is presented, how the poem can be viewed historically and biographically in feminist aspects, and how the central idea of the poem is responded. The Unity of the Paradoxical Idea in†¦show more content†¦To begin with, the use of the word nectar‟ along with the word sweet‟ in the first stanza implies femininity. It can be assumed that there is a message from a woman‟s point of view. According to history and her biography, Emily Dickinson had modernist ideas that women should have as equal rights as men which they did not have at that time. In fact, women, especially wives, were treated as the slaves of men in the eyes of the law even though women can do several duties that men cannot. Therefore, women started to work and to express their voice. (Leiter, 2007). This background knowledge can be understood to explain when success „to comprehend a nectar‟ changes to „victory‟ in the last two stanzas. The image of a battle which causes physical and mental pain to the defeated soldiers (men) is mentioned as „agonized.‟ It is clear that even though men are strong, they st ill have weaknesses as shown in the image of losing the battle. It is showed that both genders have weaknesses. Therefore, both of them should be equal. This feminist idea is considered to be a dominant one during Emily‟s lifetime. The Response to the Central Idea of the Poem After reading the first stanza, the central idea of the poem seems absolutely right to me. The whole poem captivates my attention to realize the value of what I am deprived. It can beShow MoreRelatedEssay about Emily Dickinsons Use of Humor and Irony1306 Words   |  6 PagesEmily Dickinsons Use of Humor and Irony While much of Emily Dickinsons poetry has been described as sad or morose, the poetess did use humor and irony in many of her poems. This essay will address the humor and/ or irony found in five of Dickinsons poems: Faith is a Fine Invention, Im Nobody! Who are you?, Some keep the Sabbath Going to Church and Success Is Counted Sweetest. The attempt will be made to show how Dickinson used humor and / or irony for the dual purposes of comic reliefRead MoreEmily Dickinson Research Paper1928 Words   |  8 PagesDickinson Research Paper Emily Dickinson is one of the most influential poets of all time, and has a unique way of using literal imagery to paint a picture in the readers mind. The best poets are those that excel at using their words to create clear, concrete images and intrigue their reader. Dickinson began writing poetry around the year 1855, and prospered for another 10 years. Some of her most famous poems include â€Å"I Taste a liquor Never Brewed†, â€Å"Success is Counted Sweetest†, and â€Å"Wild nights – Wild