If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
- "If I Can Stop One Heart
from Breaking,"
Emily Dickinson
Combine the subject of the poem with relevant details
to determine the poem's central idea.
What is the purpose of the speaker's life?
The speaker's life cannot be fulfilled, which
saddens her.
The speaker wants to spend her life helping others
with their pain.
The speaker feels that life can be figured out,
although incompletely.