Did Emily Dickinson ask her family to burn all of poems?

While Emily Dickinson did leave a large collection of poems after her death, there is no evidence she asked her family to burn them. In fact, her sister Lavinia Dickinson meticulously preserved her work, and it was Lavinia who later shared those poems with the world.

There are a few things to note:

* Dickinson's poems were not always private: While she was notoriously reclusive and only published a handful of poems during her lifetime, she did share many with family and friends.

* Dickinson's own words: There are letters from Dickinson where she discusses the fate of her poetry, but she expresses a desire for them to be published, not destroyed.

* The role of Lavinia: Lavinia Dickinson played a vital role in preserving her sister's work. She likely understood the importance of Emily's poems and worked tirelessly to ensure their survival.

While the exact circumstances surrounding Dickinson's desire for her poems' publication are unclear, it's certain that she did not ask for them to be burned.