They shut me up in Prose

We turn not older with years, but newer every day.

-Emily Dickinson, Letter to Frances and Louise Norcross, late 1872.

Introduction

The United States has reached a societal milestone where individuals are largely liberated to express themselves authentically, pursue diverse vocations, and challenge conventional norms. However, the journey to this era of personal autonomy was long in the making. Only two centuries ago, American society was rigidly structured, with distinct gender roles and expectations. While these constraints were pervasive, they did not stifle rebellion entirely. Emily Dickinson, the 19th-century poet, defied societal expectations with unconventional audacity. Her poetry serves as a poignant reflection of the frustration and confinement experienced by women of her era. In "They Shut Me Up in Prose" (1862), Dickinson encapsulates her liberation through solitude.

The text

Recreation of Emily Dickinson writing a poem.

They shut me up in Prose –

As when a little Girl

They put me in the Closet –

Because they liked me “still”  –

Still! Could themself have peeped –

And seen my Brain – go round –

They might as wise have lodged a Bird

For Treason – in the Pound –

Himself has but to will

And easy as a Star

Look down opon Captivity –

And laugh – No more have I –

Glossary

The American vocabulary in the 19th Century was very different from what it is now. Dickinson’s poetry is also notorious for the use of a variety of connotations, so understanding the definitions of certain words gives new meaning to her writing. The Emily Dickinson Lexicon (https://edl.byu.edu/) was created to help define these words to allow the reader a clearer understanding of her poetry. Here are some definitions of words used in this poem:

Bird, n.

1. Mortal being; transitory creature; [fig.] angel; spirit; essence of a dead loved one.
2. Fowl; winged creature; warm-blooded vertebrate with feathers; member of the class Aves.
3. Quick-moving creature; [fig.] feeling; emotion; sentiment; affection.
4. Nestling; hatchling; chick; baby fowl; [fig.] child; offspring.
5. Whistler; [fig.] informer; reporter; gossiper; messenger; secret-bearer; tattle-tale.
6. Nesting creature; [metonymy] melody; song; tune; [fig.] happiness; hope; joy; good tidings.
7. Far-flying creature; [fig.] explorer; navigator; sailor; mariner.
8. Creature used in sacrifices and offerings; [fig.] Savior; Christ; (see Leviticus 12:8).
9. Communicative creature; [fig.] thought; idea; intelligence.
10. Singing creature; [metaphor] poet; minstrel; author of lyric verse.
11. Phrase. “Patriarch's bird”: Noah's dove; the dove that Noah sent forth from the Ark to look for land after the flood (see Genesis 8:8-12).
12. Phrase. “Blue Bird”
13. Phrase. “Humming Bird”

Brain, n.

1. Imagination; cognition; sensory perception; cognition; center of emotion.
2. Cerebrum and cerebellum; master organ of the body; terminus of the central nervous system; soft viscus mass within the skull; center that enables various human functions, abilities, capacities, connections, and sensations.
3. Memory; mind; remembrance; recollection; mental awareness.
4. Intelligence; understanding; consciousness; center of thought; seat of the soul.
5. Intellect; reason; logical capacity.
6. Nucleus; core; kernel.

Captivity, n.

1. Bondage; slavery; thralldom; imprisonment; servitude; subjection; state of being controlled; [fig.] embodiment; incarnation; mortality; (see Ephesians 4:8).

Closet, n.

1. Chamber; cupboard; wine cabinet.
2. Small room; storage place; [fig.] body; mind.
3. Compartment; [fig.] area of the brain.

Laugh, v.

1. Bubble; gurgle; chuckle; chortle; chirp; guffaw; giggle; make mirthful noises.
2. Express joy; project gaiety; be cheerful, pleasant, or lively.
3. Phrase. “laugh at”: mock; scorn; deride; ridicule; treat with some degree of contempt.

Lodge, v.

1. Enclose; confine; detain; imprison; incarcerate.
2. Place; plant; set to grow.
3. House; host; board.
4. Stay; rest; abide; find a place in.

Might, n.

1. Bodily strength; physical power.
2. Strong force.
3. Ability.
4. Strength in mind and body.
5. Supernatural power.
6. Strength of affection.

Upon (opon), prep.

1. On; using; standing upward with.
2. On; in contact with; at the point of.
3. Affecting; opposing; up against; grating on.
4. During.

Peep, v.

1. Arise; awake; begin to appear; emerge from concealment.
2. Watch carefully; observe secretly; look through a small opening.

Pound, n.

1. Prison; jail; detention facility; holding place for impounded animals; enclosure for confinement of stray creatures.

Prose, n.

1. Ordinary language; uninspired expression; unimaginative discourse; dull, commonplace words.

Star, n.

1. Heavenly body; shining points of light in the night sky; [plural] Milky Way; stellar display.
2. Celebrity; genius; great one; special person; selected individual.
3. A general term for a point of light in a constellation.
4. Wish; miracle; special phenomenon; beautiful thing; signal of hope; dream to come true.
5. Small meteorite; shooting star.
6. Lesser light; smaller celestial being; less prominent but nevertheless worthy of heaven.
7. Sparkling entity; glittering orb.
8. Reflection; glimmer.
9. Lofty goal; unreachable object.
10. Director; guide; heavenly map; divine guidance.
11. Polar center; central point in the heavens around which other heavenly bodies move.
12. The United States flag; the red, white, and blue emblem of the independent government in North America.
13. Six-pointed symbol [*]; pointed punctuation mark in a text; [fig.] heavenly being; splendid multi-faceted person who has left mortality but leaves a hint of eternal life.
14. Saint; righteous person; being of great renown.
15. Bright orb; glowing point of light; distant object in the night sky.
16. Phrase. “border star”: evening planet on faintly visible on the horizon at sunset; [metaphor] frontier newspaper in Missouri in the mid-1800's.
17. Phrase. “Morning Stars”: pre-mortal choir; female singers who rejoiced when the Lord laid the earth's foundations; daughters of God who sang for joy when the world was created (see Job 38:4-7).
18. Phrase. “the Morning Star”: Venus; the second planet from the sun in Earth's solar system; the star-like planet that appears in the east just before dawn; [fig.] the Lord; the resurrection of the dead (see Revelation 2:28, 22:16).
19. Phrase. “Star of Bethleem/Bethlehem”: astrological phenomenon; extremely bright body of light that appeared in the sky at the birth of Jesus (see Matthew 2:1-10).
20. Phrase. “the northern star”: polar center; Arctic view of the sky; compass point in the heavens around which other heavenly bodies move.

Still, v.

1. Appease; assuage; placate; satiate; silence.
2. Occupy; engage; busy; captivate; engross.
3. Suspend; efface; disperse; dissolve; evanesce; cause to disappear; make to vanish.

Treason, n.

1. Perfidy; act of betraying; attempt to overthrow the authority; subversion against one to whom allegiance is owed.
2. Disloyalty; infidelity.
3. Disclosure; revelation that betrays identity.
4. Treachery; deception.

Wise, n.

1. Seer; most intelligent person; one who usually possesses great discernment.

Analysis

Dickinson found in poetry a means to cultivate a distinctive voice through which to articulate her perceptions of the world. However, the prevailing societal expectations of womanhood curtailed female artistic expression. Enforced domesticity and economic dependence on a husband constituted the prescribed role for women of the era. As Coleworth Pinckney's The Lady’s Token: or Gift of Friendship (1848) suggests, women were at their best when mild, affable, modest, and silent until spoken to: "Occupy yourself only with household affairs — wait till your husband confides to you those of a high importance — and do not give your advice till he asks it." The opening lines of "They Shut Me Up in Prose" suggest a speaker subjected to such constraints:

They shut me up in Prose –

As when a little Girl

They put me in the Closet –

Because they liked me “still”   –

In the opening line of the first stanza, the speaker emphasizes her confinement by an impersonal force represented by "They," a force that seeks to restrict her creativity by imposing on her the conventions of prose. The dullness of prose stands in stark contrast to the vibrancy and liberation that poetry offers, a medium that celebrates originality, freedom, and individuality. The second line introduces a flashback, as the speaker recalls a moment of epiphany from when she was "a little girl" that illuminates her current situation. The third and fourth lines depict the speaker's confinement at the hands of this authority figure ("They") who enforces silence and conformity through a cruel punishment: being locked away "in the closet" for refusing to be "still." This act of imprisonment serves as a metaphor for the societal constraints placed upon Dickinson, who, like the speaker, dares to defy expectations by pursuing a path as a poet, a profession largely deemed unsuitable for women during her era.

Dove freeing itself from imprisonment

The second and third stanzas then introduce an interesting shift:

Still! Could themself have peeped –

And seen my Brain – go round –

They might as wise have lodged a Bird

For Treason – in the Pound –

Himself has but to will

And easy as a Star

Look down upon Captivity –

And laugh – No more have I –

The second stanza opens with a powerful exclamation, "Still!", that oozes sarcasm, immediately exposing the absurdity of the constraints placed upon the speaker. The speaker defies the futility of such limitations, acknowledging the physical confinement while asserting the boundless freedom of her mind. The lines that follow employ a witty bird metaphor to highlight how ludicrous is to attempt to silence a poet. The image of a bird being imprisoned for treason exposes the comicality of trying to suppress the very essence of artistic expression.

The final stanza extends the metaphor of the bird, emphasizing the ease with which the creative spirit transcends confinement. The bird, soaring above its would-be captors, regards them with amusement from its privileged perspective. This elevated vantage point symbolically mirrors the speaker's own position. Her intellect and imagination soar beyond the narrow constraints imposed by "They," granting her the freedom she craves. In effect, she has already achieved liberation, much like the bird that has effortlessly escaped its cage.

The poem explores the tension between the desire for individual expression and the constraints imposed by a homogenous society. Individuality, the philosophy of self-reliance and uniqueness, thrives on the very aspects that distinguish us—our varied needs, rights, goals, and moral compasses. However, when societal expectations attempt to erase these distinctions, as in the case of the rigid gender roles prescribed for women in Dickinson's era, the sense of self is inevitably lost. The group, in this case, women, is pressured to conform to a singular identity. Those who dare to deviate from the established norms risk being ostracized and labeled as outrageous, deviant, or even insane. What is fascinating about Dickinson is that she turned this secluded domestic space into a creative space. As Medhkour explains,

At first glance, the way Dickinson shut herself up in her bedroom seemingly contradicts this poem’s message. She chose four walls over the usual concept of freedom. Nonetheless, this poem exemplifies Dickinson’s choice. The prison was outside of her room—her walls kept things out, not her in. Her room was where her mind could “go round” and be free of captivity, because that is where she wrote poetry. It is the place where “I” finds precedence over “They.” She chose to not publish traditionally because “They” would “shut [her] up in Prose” or force her to write poetry that was an “acceptable” subject for women or more regular in syntax, stanza, and rhyme as was the style of the time.

In brief, the poem “They Shut Me Up in Prose” honors the liberty Emily Dickinson achieved from society. Even though Dickinson lacked social contact, she remained true to herself, exploring her individuality and passionately writing poems—over 1,800 in her lifetime. Her mind and ideas were always free, unaffected by restrictive social conventions, highlighting the power of one's mind over external limitations. Emily Dickinson exemplifies a feminist poet who was revolutionary in a patriarchal society.

Transforming your feelings into verse

Let's write a poem! Just take a piece of paper and a pencil and start writing about any moment in your life. Think about how you felt, where you were, and what it smelled like. It doesn’t have to be perfect! After you have your first draft, let's shorten it and try to think of different words to express the same or deeper feelings. Instead of "love," you can use colors like "red," and instead of "passion," you can use objects like "fire." You can also use metaphors and compare emotions, like "Love is like a rollercoaster" or "This passion is like a burning sun."

You can also go to the website Poem Generator and create your own poem with your own specifications: https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/

Other poems by Emily Dickinson

• “I’m nobody! Who are you?” This poem contrasts the quiet value of anonymity with the noisy, public nature of fame. https://poets.org/poem/im-nobody-who-are-you-260
• “I dwell in possibility.” This poem highlights how poetry offers boundless possibilities, transcending ordinary constraints to reach imaginative heights.https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52197/i-dwell-in-possibility-466
• “The Soul selects her own Society.” This poem emphasizes the soul’s autonomy in choosing its own company, rejecting societal expectations. https://poets.org/poem/soul-selects-her-own-society-303
• “'Hope' is the thing with feathers.” This poem compares hope to a resilient bird that endures through the challenges of life. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42889/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-314

• “I felt a funeral, in my Brain." This poem depicts a mental breakdown, likened to a funeral, symbolizing the loss of sanity. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45706/i-felt-a-funeral-in-my-brain-340
• “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died.” This poem describes the speaker’s final moments, disrupted by the mundane buzz of a fly. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45703/i-heard-a-fly-buzz-when-i-died-591
• “I died for Beauty – but was scarce.” This poem depicts a conversation between Beauty and Truth after death. https://allpoetry.com/I-died-for-Beauty--but-was-scarce

For even more poems and Dickinson's letters, see the transcription projects at Wikisource:https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Emily_Dickinson