Too rich a soil - Barren - I bloom/ Awaken! - a voice aren’t Mine -

Too rich a soil - Barren - I bloom

Too rich a soil - Barren - I bloom

On the stalk - leaves - rustic - to be -

Fastidious eye - Stricken - by sickly hue

Blossom - but Not in Vain

Premature birth - frail - I sprout

Flowery diction - Once Taught -

Weak nature - destined Fall from grace -

God ordains; Unargued I obey

One flesh - ought it be - Yet lesser

Mind possesses Eve! - proclaims He who

Plants in snow - a falsehood of graceful ivy

Withers - Clasping frigid oak - til Eternal rest

One flesh - ought it be - Yet lesser

Mind possesses Eve! - proclaims He who

Plants in snow - a falsehood of graceful ivy

Withers - Clasping frigid oak - til Eternal rest

Education - inadequate - fitted to Her narrow

Mind - A fallacy - too rich to bloom -

Impenetrable by mankind - may She

Salt the Earth - And bury it - in its Tomb.

Awaken! - a voice aren’t Mine -

Awaken! - a voice aren’t Mine -

Outstretched throat - I follow -

Bare I feel - Engulfed by sea

Baptized - in Close embrace

Sensuous touch - buried in her

Womb - Tis refuge I seek -

Plunge deep - an abyss of solitude -

Such Freedom - Such Mystique!

Eternal remedy - found - at sea

Relinquished Soul - adore - Mercy above

Outstretched voice - from sycamore tree

Marge barks; Awaken! Awaken My love!

Commentary

For my creative project, I wrote two poems inspired by Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘Vindication of Rights’ and Kate Chopin’s ‘The Awakening’ in the writing style of Emily Dickinson. Besides their positions as female poets both Wollstonecraft and Chopin created a space for women to explore their abilities and to be intellectually enlightened. Empirically, they derive their reasoning through the natural world. From this they were able to produce work that re-educated women on how to explore the identity of self without bearing the patriarchal weight.

I decided to embed Dickinson’s unique form of poetry in order to augment the message both Wollstonecraft and Chopin dispense because her poetic structure alone surpasses the bounds of contemporary poetic standard. Yet Dickinson's reclusive style constantly reminds me that a woman should not be confined to the standard that limits her. The feminine soul triumphs over these and marks her presence in the universe through indifference.

Rewriting in Dickinson’s style offers an abstract perspective to both texts because it violates convention. This ability to rise above cultural norms is a strength that all three poets propel at high intensity. It is through the act of defiance that a woman will discover her true sense of self. Both Wollstonecraft and Chopin emulate female introspection by excluding men and finding sanctuary in the natural world. Dickinson's style of writing exudes mystery, a need to decipher. It is through this framework that made me intertwine all three poets and convey the meaning of open interpretation.

Before writing, I picked out keywords from both texts so I could embed their voice without altering its meaning. From then, it was easy to construct sentences utilizing Dickinson’s distinct style of placing dashes. Employing this technique creates a disjunction in language that allows for multiplicity of ideas. Therefore it allows the reader to express more than one thought. As well as dashes, I decided to implement an inverted syntax like Dickinson to portray meaning. This style of writing is intentional and reflects the drive both Wollstonecraft and Chopin had in fuelling the fight for female independence. The inverted syntax causes disruption in reading and as well as the dashes, they both create rupture to not only poetic standard but ultimately to challenge the principles of the patriarchy.

To convey the importance of her both rhetorics, I implemented Dickinson's infamous use of capitalisation to foster the narrative of their poems. In ‘Too rich a soil - Barren - I bloom’, I capitalize the word ‘Barren’ to emphasize the idea of female liberty being stripped at her expense. By implementing this, I am able to call attention to convention and its capacity to force the feminine mind into subjugation. Furthermore, The use of capitalisation reinforces Wollstonecraft’s idea on repossessing agency and discovering more to self than just solely beauty. Similarly, the capitalisation of ‘Freedom’ in ‘Awaken! - a voice aren’t Mine -’ reinforces Chopin’s idea of Edna rebelling against societal duty not only as a mother but also as a woman confined by patriarchal structure.

Triptych in ideology, all three female poets share the belief that women must be emancipated from the pressures of society and find fulfilment in themselves. I believe that their message to society is reflective of today’s contemporary governance on women. Through Dickinson’s enigmatic style of poetry, I was able to test the flexibility of both texts while encompassing its inherent belief to write poetry authentic to myself as a woman.