Dickinson, Emily. "This is my letter to the World".

Summary and Analysis

The speaker writes a letter to the world which never wrote to her. She lacked the information which "Nature" would tell her, which probably may be interpreted as a lack of knowledge of natural laws and also valid values, which would help her understand how to treat not only the world, but also fellow human beings.

Her tone is rather that of apology than that of complaint. She only asks for love of nature that she should be judged "tenderly". Because the message of the Nature is delivered to Hands which she cannot see, it might be that these hands are those of a supreme being who will judge her actions after death. Despite the fact that she asks her "countrymen" to judge tenderly, this plead may be applied to both people and God.