SSSTeaching | Bloglovin - Free Printable

Let’s go through each question one by one, using the poem “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson.

---

1. How does the 2nd stanza differ from the first? It might be helpful to annotate or shortly summarize each.

- First stanza summary: The speaker says they’re a “Nobody” and asks if the reader is too. If both are Nobodies, they should keep it secret — because if people find out, they’ll get kicked out (banished). This stanza is about being private, quiet, and happy with being unknown.

- Second stanza summary: The speaker says being a “Somebody” is boring and loud — like a frog croaking all summer long just to hear itself. Frogs make noise in public places (like bogs), and everyone hears them. Being famous or important means always having to show off.

→ So the difference:
The first stanza celebrates being unknown and private.
The second stanza makes fun of being famous or public — comparing it to a noisy frog.

---

2. The 2nd stanza (compares, contrasts) the first stanza.

It contrasts the first stanza.

Why? Because the first stanza says being a Nobody is good and quiet.
The second stanza says being a Somebody is bad and loud.
They’re opposites — so it’s a contrast.

---

3. What is the simile in the 2nd stanza?

A simile is when you compare two things using “like” or “as.”

In the second stanza:
> “How public, like a frog”

That’s the simile!
It compares being a “Somebody” to a frog — because frogs are loud and always showing off in public.

---

4. Based just on this poem, what does a frog do? How is it public?

From the poem:

- A frog “tells your name the livelong June” → that means it keeps saying its name (croaking) all summer long.
- It does this “to an admiring bog” → the bog (swamp) is listening, like an audience.

So in the poem, a frog:
→ Makes loud noises (croaks) all day long.
→ Does it in front of others (the bog is “admiring,” meaning it’s watching/listening).
→ That’s why it’s “public” — it’s not hiding; it’s performing for everyone.

---

5. How does the speaker feel in this poem? How do you know? (use evidence)

The speaker feels:
→ Happy to be a “Nobody.”
→ Doesn’t want to be famous or noticed.
→ Thinks being a “Somebody” is annoying and silly.

Evidence from the poem:

- “I’m Nobody! Who are you? / Are you nobody, too?” → She’s excited to meet another Nobody.
- “Then there’s a pair of us—don’t tell! / They’d banish us, you know.” → She wants to stay hidden — she thinks being found out would be bad.
- “How dreary to be somebody!” → “Dreary” means boring or sad — she thinks being famous is awful.
- Compares being somebody to a frog croaking loudly → shows she thinks it’s ridiculous.

So the speaker prefers being unknown and quiet — and pities those who have to be loud and public.

---

Final Answer:

1. First stanza: Celebrates being a private “Nobody.” Second stanza: Mocks being a public “Somebody” by comparing it to a noisy frog.
2. The 2nd stanza contrasts the first.
3. Simile: “How public, like a frog”
4. In the poem, a frog croaks its name all summer to an admiring bog — making it loud and public.
5. The speaker feels proud and happy to be a “Nobody,” and thinks being a “Somebody” is dreary and silly. Evidence: “How dreary to be somebody!” and comparing it to a frog.