When we were discussing Dickinson’s death/marriage poem on Thursday, something that came up was the fact that Dickinson didn’t really seem to be scared of death, so her writing about being scared of death, either in itself, through the metaphor of marriage, or as a metaphor for marriage, didn’t seem to make sense. Yet, does it matter if Dickinson can personally relate to the poetry she is writing? Or is poetry, in general, more about creating spaces for individuals to relate to one another, regardless of how the poet themselves relates? This question interests me specifically when thinking about Dickinson because she did not seem to have any interest in publishing her works. The only way that her work was spread was directly to another person by herself in her letters, which seems like it would take away the possibility for relatability between people beyond Dickinson. Does this mean that we shouldn’t view Dickinson’s work as possibly being relatable in ways beyond her own experiences, or could her poetry still be viewed that way even if it wasn’t her intention?