A still—Volcano—Life— Summary & Analysis
by Emily Dickinson

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Emily Dickinson wrote "A still—Volcano—Life—" around 1862, but it was first published in the 1929 collection Further Poems of Emily Dickinson. The poem describes a person with a "Still—Volcano—Life" and a "Quiet—Earthquake—Style": in other words, a person whose great power lies dormant, hidden, or simply ignored, like magma deep beneath the earth. Most critics agree that the poem is a self-portrait, juxtaposing Dickinson's quiet public-facing life with the seismic energy of her art.

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