Final answer:
Emily Dickinson's poem 'My Friend Must Be a Bird' does not have a standard number of stanzas as it is not a commonly recognized title; stanza division usually depends on editorial choices. Stanzas in poetry can vary in form and function and are chosen based on personal preference or thematic considerations. Considering Dickinson's unique style, stanza count can differ based on how her works are published.
Step-by-step explanation:
The poem 'My Friend Must Be a Bird' by Emily Dickinson does not appear to be a commonly recognized title which makes it challenging to provide the exact number of stanzas. Literature regarding Emily Dickinson commonly acknowledges her unique approach to poetry, including her use of slant rhyme, unconventional punctuation, and capitalization. The question may be referencing an elegy by Dickinson to Charles Eliot, which contains 47 verses that, when traditionally published, may be divided into stanzas based on printer and editor preferences. Without a standardized stanza division in Dickinson's manuscripts, most assessments of stanza count depend on editorial decisions.
Typically, a stanza is a grouped set of lines within a poem that might be separated by spaces from other stanzas, comparable to a paragraph in prose. A stanza's length and structure can vary from simple four-line quatrains to more sophisticated, variable-length forms. The decisions regarding stanza length and division in poetry are typically based on personal preference or the effectiveness of the poem's delivery. For instance, the reference poem 'The Daffodils' by William Wordsworth is composed of multiple stanzas and typifies Romantic poetry's formality and structure.
When analyzing the stanzas of a poem, it's important to consider the rhyme scheme and its appropriateness to the subject matter. Poems like John Keats's 'The Eve of St. Agnes' employ consistent rhyme patterns throughout their stanzas to enhance the romantic storyline, while others may opt for free verse, where individual stanzas are shaped by the poet's tastes and the poem's thematic and visual presentation on the page.