I’m Nobody[M1] - by Emily Dickinson

 

I’m Nobody! Who are you?

Are you Nobody too?

Then there’s a pair of us[M2] !

Don’t tell[M3] ! They’ll banish us, you know!

 

How dreary to be Somebody!

How public – like a Frog –

To tell your name the livelong June

To an admiring bog! 

 

1.     How do you think the speaker feels about fame?

2.     Do you agree with the speaker?

3.     What does “Nobody” mean in this poem?

4.     What does “Somebody” mean?

5.     Who are “they” in line 4?

6.     Why would they banish the speaker?

7.     The simile in the second stanza compares a celebrity to a frog. How could a frog and a public person be similar? Is this a flattering comparison?

8.     In the metaphor in the last line, admirers of famous people are compared to creatures in a bog that admires a croaking frog. How do you think the poet feels about people who idolize celebrities? 

9.     Whom do you think the speaker is speaking to? 

10.  What details in the poet’s biography might explain her feelings about fame?   

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 [M1]The poet is questioning human values – wealth, fame, good looks, intelligence …

 [M2]Tells you how lonely and uncomfortable this person had felt being Nobody surrounded by so many Sombodys

 [M3]Nobody has live hiding her true identity