Harper's 19th century magazine

I was a little surprised to find similarities between today's Haper's magazine and the one in the 19th century.  I had expected to find poems or stories, but I found a few pages that resembled a fashion magazine in some sense.  The pictures are hand drawn, but that's to be expected of the earlier issues.  The descriptions go into great detail about the clothing, and boy did they wear layers back in the day.  I did find other things in the magazine such as poetry, but I found this part interesting.  The way they presented clothes was different.  They gave a lot of attention to one outfit and described it in full.  Mass production would just have been invented during this magazine's first issue. I'm sure that had something to do with it.   
In the same volume, there was an article in the magazine about Longfellow and his influences.  It talked about his love interest and how he wooed her with poems.  I thought this kept in line with the time period and the idea of the Romantics. I doubt it would work today, but this time period had the environment and the natural surroundings necessary for this kind of mood.  Fellows who could write poetry were like rock stars, probably.  Another thing that struck me was how the magazine was arranged.  It wasn't in a big paragraph or essay.  It was broken almost like a newspaper.  I'm not sure if this was easier to read or if it looked better on the page.                                 
The magazines in the old days were much more committed to literature.  In today's magazine it's celebrity gossip or new scientific findings.  There's been a shift in the magazine industry over the last century.  I've never really seen a poem in a magazine.  Most of the pages look like the ones below, except with more pictures and many more accessories.  I realize that images are easier to sell and market, but it seems like we're not exercising our brains.  Newspapers are going out of print. Magazines are full of pictures.
Another thing is that the cover on Harper's was plain.  It had the name of the magazine, volume number, and issue.  People didn't need to be flashed with airbrushed covers to want to buy the magazine.  It really shows how our culture has changed. 

Emily Dickinson

Before I took a poetry class, I had little understanding of the complexity of poems.  I always thought that if it sounded pretty enough then it was considered a good poem.  Now, I see that there are many components that go into writing just one poem.  Because poems are so compact and dense, each line can carry as much weight as a whole essay.  The process of writing a poem is meticulous and difficult at times, so it amazes me how Dickinson wrote so well.  Her poems have the lyrical quality to them but they also have deeper meanings.

  Most of Dickinson's poems seem to be about death.  "Because I Could not Stop for Death" is a poem about dying and death. The first two lines of the poem are my favorite. It reads, "Because I could not stop for Death / He kindly stopped for me."  I think these lines have a powerful message in them.  Death, who is personified, not only waits for her (most likely Dickinson) but he stops.  It's as though even Death could not keep Dickinson dead.  In a way, she has lived on , as many writers do, because of her writing.  I thought it was perceptive of her to think Death could not stop her.  I think she knew, in some way, that her writing would live past her.  The way she personifies Death is also interesting.  Death seems to be kind and civil.  This differs from the usual depiction of black hooded figure with a scythe. Perhaps Dickinson was saying that Death is not something to fear.  Many have portrayed Death as something fearsome and scary, but Dickinson has decided that Death is kind. It seems true that authors and poets do not become immortal until they die.  There's this irony of being alive after death.

"I heard a Fly Buzz" is also another one of her famous poems. It's also about death surprise!  Anyways, it goes through the thoughts of someone who's about to die.  In their last moments, all they focus on is this one insignificant fly.  Flies have been a source of nuisance for me.  When they buzz at night when I'm trying to sleep, I make it my mission to whack it with my shoe.  In any case, the narrator says that everyone has cried and he has given away his property, but at the absolute last moment, there's this fly.  This fly is the last thing the narrator sees before he/she closes their eyes.  It becomes a symbol of life and death.  On one hand, it makes noises and it's something that has life inside of it.  On the other hand, it comes in between the narrator and the light.  It is also a reminder of what will be there after the narrator dies.
What impressed me most about this poem was it's rhythm and structure. It changes between 6 and 8 syllables in each line mimicking a pattern, in this case, life and death.  Dickinson's use of structure to make the poem resonate more is impressive.  Her use of form is fantastic.

I had one question that I noticed when reading the poems.  I always thought the first lines of these poems were the official titles of the poem, but it seems not the case.  I wonder why Dickinson did not title her work because titles are important and they can be used to enhance the poem.
Overall, Dickinson is one of my favorite poets in terms of structure and rhythm.