Emily Dickinson’s Nature Poems: Expression of Anti-anthropocentrism
Abstract
Recently, people gradually tend to treat nature with an arrogant attitude due to their increasing self-centeredness. But in the nineteenth century, Emily Dickinson has a passionate, abject love for nature and is committed to encapsulating it in her poetry. This article explores her way of treating nature from the perspective of anti-anthropocentrism and tries to find inspiration for humans on how to deal with their relationship with nature. On the one hand, it is essential for humans to appreciate the beauty of nature by observing and feeling it. If one looks closely at some creatures in nature like caterpillars and immerses oneself in nature as Dickinson did, one too can achieve pure joy. On the other hand, too much interference can destroy beauty when science turns everything into precise data. And given the Transcendental thoughts and natural facts, inherent rules of nature determine that inherent rules can not and should not be changed. Dickinson’s love and respect for nature are worthy of human reflection.
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