“I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” by Emily Dickinson
Vocabulary
bog – a wet, spongy area of ground, where one is likely to sink, and where frogs live.
Questions and Answers
1. Describe the over-all tone of this poem.
Answers may vary. Example: The tone is both intimate, drawing the reader into a circle with the speaker, and perhaps also a bit superior by scoffing.
2. What does fame seem to consist of to the speaker?
Fame seems mainly to consist of telling one’s name over and over all “the livelong day.”
3. By comparing the announcement or telling of her name to the calls of a frog, what does the speaker infer is the value of it?
The comparison of her name to a frog’s call suggests that she views her name with little value, lowering it to a mere noise or croak rather than something worthy of admiration.