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POEM

Im Nobody! Who are you? by Emily Dickinson


Participants: Torres, Mariani, Pasetto and Bozzola.
Level: Intermediate

"I'm Nobody! Who are you?" is a short lyric poem by Emily Dickinson first published in 1891.
The poem is composed of two quatrains, and, with an exception of the first line, the rhythm
alternates between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. The poem
employs alliteration, anaphora, simile, satire, and internal rhyme but no regular end
rhyme scheme. However, lines 1 and 2 and lines 6 and 8 end with masculine rhymes. The
poet incorporates the pronouns you, we, us, your into the poem, and in doing so, draws the
reader into the piece. The poem suggests anonymity is preferable to fame.
The following lesson plan might be of use while focusing on the indefinite pronouns. As to
the selected poem, Emily Dickensons "Im Nobody", it gives the opportunity to see another
way of perceiving ones identity. This might lead to the students reconsideration of their own
identity. The students will also learn some basic information about the author of the poem,
about her values and ideas.
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!


How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
Pre-reading:
1. The teacher plays one part from the song Somebody that I used to know by Gotye to
students: Now you are just somebody that I used to knowsomebody, I used to
know.. . She asks:
What song is this?
Who is the singer? Is he somebody or nobody?
What is this line about?
Who are you? Are you somebody or nobody? Why?
Theres one word in this part of the song that is in this poem...which one?

2. The teacher distributes scrambled lines of the poem to the students.


Then there's a pair of us don't tell! To tell your name the livelong day

Are you nobody, too? How dreary to be somebody!

I'm nobody! Who are you? They'd banish us, you know.

To an admiring bog! How public, like a frog


3. The teacher asks the students what the poem may be about. There is a glossary
attached to the poem with the definitions of the words: bog, to banish, dreary and
livelong.
4. She asks one student from each pair to write what they think on the board in one word.

While reading:
1. The teacher asks the groups to unscramble the lines and form their own versions.
2. The teacher gives them the original version.
3. The teacher asks each group to choose one way to read one line of the poem each
(serious, careless, scornful, funny, etc). Each group reads one line in that tone and
then students along with the teacher decide which is the best one to read it.
4. Th teacher asks students individually to read a short text and replace the words in
italics with their antonyms. Then, she asks, Is the character 'nobody' or 'somebody?

The Story of Nobody

Once upon a time, there lived an old girl in Amherst, Massachusetts. She came from
an unknown family, who had been uninvolved in the political life of the country. She chose
the role of a recluse, basically always leaving her hometown. Her public life still remains
a solved mystery. That is why so many assertions about her personality have appeared ever
since.

She is thought to have been desperately in love with the unhappily married Reverend
Charles Wadsworth. This love inspired her to stop writing poetry, though most of her
poems were published posthumously. Understood by others, she was thought an eccentric
for talking to other people through notes and letters and accepting to see everybody. Her
predilection to dress in black was also believed an oddity.

Her unprolific work generated a lot of controversies at the beginning. The last publication
underwent minor changes. It was criticized a lot. In 1955 her changed poems were
published. Then she was recognized as Americas most unoriginal poet, the one who
heralded modernism. And her memory remained alive ever after.

1. Students look up these characteristics on the internet to try to find who the author
is.
2. Student add a new feature from her biography by writing it on the board. What
themes does she talk about in her works?
Post-reading

1. The teacher shows two pictures, one of a famous youtuber and another of a
housemaid. She asks Is he somebody? Is she nobody? What makes you somebody
and what makes you nobody? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being
Somebody and then of being Nobody on the board on a comparing chart. Use
key words.
2. Organize a mini-debate. Divide the class in two. One of the groups will have to find
arguments to the statement: One should always aspire to be Somebody whereas
the other to the affirmation: Sometimes it is good to be Nobody. Then, students
give their opinions.
3. Then, in groups students choose one person who strived to be somebody and say
what his/her accomplishments are in an online poster.

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