Whitman and Dickinson aren't really "modern" in the sense they're more than a hundred years old, but they do both break from formal traditions that came before. He responded to Emerson’s call to be more creative by abandoning poetic structure – so he wrote in free verse, with no meter or strict rhyme (Baym 20). In conclusion great minds do not think alike they think for themselves. Using death as a theme is probably the strongest connection that Whitman and Dickinson share. While Whitman’s flowing, carefree, hippie-like poems seem very different from Dickinson’s rigid and sometimes ambiguous work, both poets have two very important things in common. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson’s works have numerous differences. She was sent to a religious boarding school, which she did not complete because she told her teachers that she had “no hope” (Baym 80). New York: Norton, 2012. Both pioneered their own unique style of writing. During his life, Whitman wanted badly to become famous for his writing. Dickinson and Whitman stand on opposite ends of the … Choose one of the two poets. Vol. "236.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature.. Gen. ed. Religion was scrutinized, and often considered outdated and irrelevant. A. Whitman’s poetry about death is reflective of his belief in Transcendentalism while Dickenson’s poetry is more complex and paradoxical by personifying death. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson’s works have numerous differences. Both poets, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, are writers of the same time; the Romantic one. Dickinson, Emily. ReverieMarie (author) from Tuscaloosa, Alabama on February 24, 2016: @Chef-de-jour , thank you for reading and for the comment! Both poets are considered original and unique artists, creating their own style of writing. Nina Baym. Dickinson’s poetry also inspired many women across the country. I keep it staying home. Many of her poems seem to question God’s existence, and the importance of Him if He does exist. Similarities of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, A Quick and Dirty Guide to Movie Theater Etiquette, Female Virginity Tests in Muslim Turkey, a Varied Perspective, Israel Had No Choice but to Go to War with Hezbollah, Just a Contractor – the Temporary Dilemma, MD-Sen: Michael Steele Runs Away from the GOP. Now I can see the difference between those 3 poets. For this reason I choose a passage from her writing to start this paper. Whitman’s legacy is large, containing the likes of Langston Hughes and Allen Ginsberg. × four = 24. Whitman was published by Democrat, while Dickinson was published by Republican. Walt had tendencies to mainly use free-verse. Once again he compares himself to Jesus, inviting “the wicked just the same as the righteous”. They had many things In common from their writings about death and sadness, because of their unfortunate losses in life, to the fact that they were both born in Massachusetts. Although Whitman and Dickinson write about death in different contexts, both seem to feel compelled to tackle the issue repeatedly. 83. As we discussed this companionship in Harding's work during class, we were surprised to learn that it is a unity of two seemingly opposing minds. Andrew Spacey from Near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire,UK on February 24, 2016: Thank you for this insightful essay comparing Whitman and Dickinson. Additionally, both poets submitted some of their pieces to politically-based works. One of the hallmark differences between them is in the length of lines they use in their poems. Angers the speaker of the poem brings with it vibrant activity and vitality hides the world and slows life down to a stop comes and goes without being noticed 8..Some of the greatest American writers of the nineteenth century wrote about a theme of the individual Transcendentalism Based on … While Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson’s works seem to be quite different, they share common themes, namely death and religion. Whitman wrote extensively about nature and the average man. Vol. Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, Compare and Contrast Emily Elizabeth Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe are two of the biggest poets In American Literature from the 1 sass. In contrast, Dickinson's poetry is … 84. Dickinson and Whitman both uniquely and potently changed the definition of the word “poetry” and their work has profoundly impacted modern poetry. Compared to Dickinson’s short and seemingly simple poems, Whitman’s are long and often complex. A. Your email address will not be published. And Whitman liked calling himself Walt Whitman. Whitman does not hold back – in fact, his poems are sometimes too revealing, which garnered criticism, especially when the topic involved sex or the human body (Baym 22). He developed his own rhythmic structure, creating complex lines and stanzas. Nina Baym. A. 3. This can be seen in Whitman’s epic A Song of Myself, which employs the use of free verse; a form not constricted by regular rhyme or meter. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson both have been hailed as original and unique artists. For example, in her poem 236, she basically puts down those who go to church and says that she is better off talking directly to God in her own home (Dickinson 84). The poets come from opposite backgrounds, and while they do write from some shared inspiration sources, they do so in distinctive ways. Dickinson and Walt Whitman who became two of Americas most popular poets. Using death as a theme is probably the strongest connection that Whitman and Dickinson share. In “Song of Myself”, Whitman uses the scientific principle of Thermodynamics to assert that there is life after death, because energy cannot be destroyed; only transformed. Your email address will not be published. Whitman uses extensive nature imagery throughout his works, such as in Song of Myself: “The sniff of green leaves and dry leaves, and of the shore and dark-color’d sea-rocks, and of hay in the barn,” (24). New York: Norton, 2012. Dickinson, on the other hand, is the mother of American free verse, as Dickinson is the father, but that is where their similarities end. Nina Baym. Whitman, Walt. While both are famous trailblazers the two are vastly different. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are strikingly different but alike(p) in well-nigh aspects. "122.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature.. Gen. ed. Good luck with Leaves of Grass! Ralph Waldo Emerson famously called for a “metre-making argument,” which spurred a pursuit of ingenuity within Whitman and Dickinson (Baym 20). Whitman wrote in epic like proportions, a very unepic-like manner. Required fields are marked *, Prove You\'re Human * Both utilize unique and unexpected techniques and elements of poetry. Compare And Contrast Of Dickinson And Whitman. While the former rose to literary significance on the strength of Ralph Waldo Emerson's encouragement and the massive "Song of Myself" of Leaves of Grass, the latter maintained a diminutive stature, wrote her … Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are universally regarded by scholars and readers alike as the greatest poets of the nineteenth-century United States. He was a straight forward writer whom wrote lengthy pieces that revolved around the individual. While Whitman tends to leave little to the imagination, Dickinson uses very few, carefully selected words, forcing the reader contemplate the meaning of the poem and create his own image of the scene being described. This, however, is where the similarities between the two run short, as they are more opposite than they are alike. Whitman and Dickinson Dickinson and Whitman: The Greater and the Lesser Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are two very different 19th century American poets. As a result, they both experiment with the overall presentation of a poem. Emily Dickinson was hugely influenced by her gender difference and her rebelliousness to society’s thoughts on how she should be while writing poetry. Dickinson wrote in a very strict fourteener meter that is commonly seen in nursery rhymes and church hymns. For example— Whitman: Dickinson: The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Dickinson writes mostly in ballad meter but comes up with lots of ways to screw around with it. Dickinson’s writings on death are more complex and paradoxical. Both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson were influenced by the Romantics. Emily Dickinson was a brilliant writer and is often considered the "mother" of poetry. Whitman formalizes his free verse into long, densely detailed sentences that often called Americans to action, and gave them a voice in times of hardship and the fear of potential turmoil that plagued the nation after President Abraham … They also seem very personal, as if Whitman is telling you everything he has ever thought within his poems. A. Overall, Dickinson’s style is rigid but defies expectations in both style and content. This allowed the two poets to push through the standard mold of poems to invent their own styles. Dickinson too is special. 91. Both Whitman … Both Whitman and Dickinson use nature as a metaphor for human life. Both poets will be remembered as innovators who changed the landscape of American poetry by thinking outside of the box. In stanza three, he directly associates himself with Jesus Christ by writing “I am with you”, an echo from the Bible. Print. His preoccupation with sex, the human body, and numerous other “taboo” subjects, changed the American publics view of poetry. The poems she wrote indicate that she was fascinated with the concepts of death, love, and religion. Whitman may have changed the course of poetry more than any other single person. Dickinson answered Emerson’s call in a way that some would argue is even more creative than Whitman’s style. It is also apparent that neither felt intimidated about death. The 1800s was a time of new and exciting change in literary culture in America. Walt Whitman seems carefree and easy going, both in his life and his poems. Though their approaches differ, they often deal with … Whitman frequently uses this echo technique, not only in “Crossing”, but also in “Song of Myself”. Whitman’s influential writing stems from his positive and uplifting messages. Some keep the Sabbath going to church. Whitman grew up in the working class in a family of Quakers (Baym 20). Emily Dickinson: it is hard to call her by her last name. I can just see her composing inwardly in her quiet room, daring to pen such deep emotive words. Provide at least three ways that he or she reflects Romantic thinking in his or … Dickinson’s writing style is somewhat similar to that of Whitman, in the sense of their personal experiences of being an outcast and having different views from that of society. Here, we will focus on the similarities in their lives in order to bring to attention a correlation between Whitman's poem I Saw in Louisiana a Live-oak Growing and Dickinson's poem # 1510. This would have been a fairly scandalous idea for the devoutly religious, even though the poem is presented in a simple, almost sing-song fashion that is enhanced by her ABCB rhyme scheme, which is consistent throughout all of her works. 8th ed. Cummings. Yet, even when they lived during the same era, the natures, as well as the looks of their poems are very much different. And as you seek paper writing at special job in my. Nina Baym. Whitman and Dickinson share a lot of things in common, such as both supporting transcendentalism, although they share a lot of differences not just through their writing, but also the way they grew up. In one of her more popular poems, “Because I could not stop for Death”, death is like a kindly courter.