Final answer:
Emily Dickinson identified poetry through intense physical reactions: chills and feeling as if her head were taken off. The rhythmic qualities of her poems echo nineteenth-century music, making her complex ideas more accessible. Additionally, her poetic form challenges the gender norms of her era.
Step-by-step explanation:
Emily Dickinson's Perception of Poetry
Emily Dickinson famously described her recognition of poetry through physical sensations in one of her letters. She said, "If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." These visceral responses suggest that poetry for Dickinson is a profound, almost spiritual experience, indicating the work's ability to deeply move the reader.
Analysis of Poetry in the Context of Nineteenth-Century Music
Many of Emily Dickinson's poems hold a rhythmic similarity to popular songs of the nineteenth century. This musical aspect can help readers understand her work by providing a familiar structure that resonates with the reader, potentially making her innovative and sometimes complex imagery and ideas more accessible.
Gender Roles and Dickinson's Poetry
Dickinson's poetry often both reflects and challenges the gender roles of the nineteenth century. Her use of unconventional punctuation and slant rhyme, for instance, may be seen as a departure from the norms expected of women in her time, as well as from traditional poetic forms.