Emily Dickinson is an important poet principally because of the distinctiveness of her writing. Though only 7 out of her 1,200 poems were published critics still classify her as one of the principle poets of her time. In Dickinson's life the most important things to her were love, religion, individuality and nature. While writting about these themes she followed her lifestyle by braking away from the traditional forms of writing and wrote with an intense energy and complexity never seen before and rarely seen today. Her poems are written expressions of personal experiences throughout her life. It would be hard to classify her as a certain type of writter because of the diversity of her poems, but they can be broken down individualy into four main themes: Romanticism, Realism, Individuality, and Depression.

             Romanticism emphasized passion rather than reason, imagination and intuition rather than logic and full expression of the emotions. Which is exatly what Dickinson wrote about in many of her poems. Poem 214 is a prime example of this. .

             "I taste a liquor never brewed-.

             From Tankards scooped in Pearl-.

             Not all the Frankfort Berries.

             Yield such and Alcohol!".

             "Inebriate of Air-am I-.

             And Debauchee of Dew-.

             Reeling-thro endless summer days-.

             From inns of Molten Blue-".

             "When "Landlords" turn the drunken Bee.

             Out of the Foxglove's door-.

             When Butterflies-renounce their "drams"-.

             I shall but drink the more!" -214.

             This Poem by Dickinson demonstrates her universal spirit and beleif that nature is not only a source of comfort but also Gods greatest reflection. Beleifs that are identical to those exhibited by many Romanticists. She speaks of being high on nature, a feeling of intoxication that not even the "Frankfort berries" could provide, and every bee, butterfly or parcil of Gods creation only makes her higher.

             Another example of the diversity in Dickinson's poems is her existential view of life on earth in poem 301.