I’m Nobody! Who are you? Summary & Analysis
by Emily Dickinson

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"I'm Nobody! Who are you?" is a short poem by American poet, Emily Dickinson, who wrote during the mid-19th century (though most of her poems were not published until the 1890s, after Dickinson had died). In the poem, a speaker introduces themselves—perhaps to the reader—as "Nobody," before excitedly realizing that the addressee is "Nobody" too. Paradoxically, this hints at a community of "Nobodies" out there. These people just don't make as much noise as all the "Somebodies," who crave attention and admiration. The poem, then, calls out to its readers to say that being humble, withdrawn, shy, or private is just fine. In fact, such a way of life has many virtues of its own. The poem is one of a number of Dickinson poems that questions the value of public admiration—something which eluded Dickinson in her own lifetime.

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