I'm Nobody! Who Are You?

Dickinson defines what she does not want to be by defining a frog, saying, “How public – like a Frog” (Line 6). Frogs are generally known for their croaking sounds that carry through the open air. Croaking is usually associated with males calling out for female partners during mating season. Multiple male frogs may croak together or individually. Female frogs may reply as well. Dickinson does not want to perform in a public spectacle, like frogs do when croaking.

The speaker also mentions that the bog is “admiring” (Line 8), which suggests a community of admirers, not just one. This likely includes the admiration of females to male frogs during the mating season but also the admiration of listeners in the swamp area, including other animals and maybe even humans. On one hand, Dickinson could be passing judgment on or condemning the frog as a slimy egomaniac that needs to croak simply to remind potential mates it is worth noticing, or she is speaking of its predisposed biological nature—the frog is really unable to keep to itself. It must share and connect with others in order to keep its species alive.