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How Is Walt Whitman's Influence On American Poetry

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Two of the most famous American Poets include both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Both Whitman and Dickinson revolutionized subject and style for the future of poetry. Together both of these poets have helped to shape American poetry, and their influences in literature can be seen today in the modern age of poetry. Walt Whitman as well as Emily Dickinson are both early American poets who wrote literature throughout the nineteenth century. This time period was considered the “Romantic Era” in American Literature, because of this both poets write about the importance of individualism in society in their poems. Whitman and Dickinson both wrote many poems based on the themes of nature as an important connection to god, death and immortality. Both Whitman and Dickinson had their own unique …show more content…

“The sniff of green leaves and dry leaves, and of the shore and dark-color’d sea-rocks, and of hay in the barn,” (22-23). This quote reveals how Whitman paints a picture in his audiences head. It makes you feel as if you are truly in a barn with the smell of the change in seasons surrounding you. Similar to Whitman, Emily Dickinson also uses imagery in her works of literature. For example in 409, “The soul selects her own society, then shuts the door,” (1-2). This quote is showing how Dickinson also uses imagery in her poems. She puts the image of a self reflection shutting the door right in front of you. Another similarity between Whitman and Dickinson is that fact that both poets submitted some politically based poems. Dickinson and Whitman wrote about death in a lot of her poems, specifically the themes including recourse of the soul and the dark mysteries of death. For example in 479, “Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me” (Dickinson 1-2). This quote is showing how she is obsessed with death, the feeling of not being able to stop for death, as if death is knocking on her doorstep and she has no choice but to comply.

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Whitman's autobiographical writing style was well-known, and many of his poems are inspired by his personal life. Similar

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In the poems “324,” by Emily Dickinson and “Song of Myself,” by Walt Whitman, we can see their views of nature. Emily Dickinson views nature as heavenly and is deeply connected to it. Walt Whitman Feels like he doesn’t belong in it. Their views on nature are vastly different.

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Poetry, perhaps more than other genre of writing, often sparks controversy and discussion. Authors Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes are two authors in American Literature whose poetry is both debated and praised by critics. "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes have sparked many discussions on their controversial content. Walt Whitman was the first of the two authors to write, followed by Langston Hughes who was influenced by Whitman's work. While Whitman's poem, "I Hear America Singing" reflects the happiness of the American people, the poem written by Hughes takes a different approach.

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Whitman and Dickinson share the theme of death in their work, while Whitman decides to speak of death in a more realistic point of view, Dickinson speaks of the theme in a more conceptual one. In Whitman’s poems, he likes to have a more empathic view of individuals and their ways of living. For example, in Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, the poet talks about not just of himself, but all human beings, and of how mankind works into the world and the life of it. Even though the poem mostly talks about life and the happiness of it, Whitman describes also that life itself has its ending, and that is the theme of death. For Dickinson, she is the complete opposite of happiness.

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Walt Whitman writes a poem about life in America, and what is done to survive and prosper. Literary devices are shown by Whitman when he uses figurative language like metaphors and personification in the poem. Personification is being utilized when the author compares America to the workers singing while they work. The metaphors mentioned in the poem are of the workers singing, but being happy that they have a job and are working. There are other ways the author particularly places certain elements in the poem that give bigger meaning.

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This writing expresses such a dramatic and romantic view. The background of Dickinson is much more rich and privileged. She was able to get a proper education at Harvard and lived a very realism kind of life. Her background effects her writing differently and makes her poetry sound much more proper, formal and depressing compared to Whitman’s brighter and more informal poetry. The Themes in these authors writings are also different.

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Walt Whitman as a Romantic When one thinks of American Romantics often the name Walt Whitman comes to mind. Walt Whitman almost created the Romanticism movement. With his writing using personal opinions that perfectly mirrored ideals of the Romantics, such as patriotism, personal voice, and nature themes throughout his pieces. These beliefs are depicted in Whitman's poems such as “Song of Myself XXVI”, and or “A Boston Ballad”. Whitman’s ideas seemed to be a nudge in the right direction, spiraling literature into new uncharted waters that is Romanticism in America.

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Walt Whitman is an American poet. Being one of America’s greatest, most decorated poets, Whitman is considered America’s Poet. Whitman was born May 31, 1819. Whitman moves fairly constantly. Whitman being the iconic poet he is, Whitman also faced the struggles of America.

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Walt Whitman, perhaps the most influential American poet of his time and in some ways of ours still. Considered the “father of free-verse” and in some areas the “father of modern poetry. Walt Whitman changed the entire face of poetry. At first poetry rhymed, that was it, period, end of story. Walt Whitman changed that and in a way created free verse and took it from a sentimental idea to that of a very common and popular type of poetry.

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Walt Whitman is regarded as one of America’s most significant 19th century poets. He was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist whose works, described as a “rude shock,” have been translated into more than 25 languages. Whitman is considered one of the most influential and controversial poets in the American canon. His literary style was a free verse, described as “irregular but beautifully rhythmic" in celebration of nature and self. It represented his philosophical view that America was the world’s emancipator and liberator of the human spirit, and the symbolic identification of regeneration in nature.

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Author Walt Whitman, who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the romanticism period. Particularly, in his work(s) titled The Leaves of Grass, written in 1855 we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the romanticism movement which was extant in American letters between 1800 to 1850. As a representative of such a movement, Walt Whitman then remains one of the most identifiable and iconic writers of his time. He was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, NY and died March 26, 1892 Camden, NJ.

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Walt Whitman Walt Whitman was a transcendentalist poet who contributed to America’s history of literature through his poetry and literature (“Walt Whitman”, 2017). Whitman’s poetry often commemorated democracy, love and friendship (“Walt Whitman”, 2018). This can be seen in his most popular piece of poetry, “Leaves of Grass” (“Walt Whitman”, 2018). Whitman is considered one of America’s greatest poets of the 19th century as had large influences on the literature of that era, and influence on other poets to come (“Walt Whitman”, 2018). Walt Whitman was born on May 31st, 1819 in Long Island, New York (“Walt Whitman”, 2017).

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His works are full of realistic qualities. Moreover, they are long with deep messages, as well as well-structured and detailed. Furthermore, his poems are democratic both subject and the language which shows how intellectual was his imaginary and visual style of writing. To both Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, the individualism in society has a huge importance which, at the same time, inspired their style of writing. Also, they accept the importance of God in connection with nature and immortality.

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Dickinson uses her poem “My life Closed Twice Before its Close” to express her emotions and question toward the taking of her parents. She

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An iconic figure in the history of American literature, Walt Whitman was born on the 31st May 1819. Today his contribution and works in the poetic world have come to define sentimentalism, ambitions and some key experiences that Americans underwent in the 19th century. Even though he may have been politically inactive, his work had the will to display political views. Having survived through the civil war, he grew much affectionate perception on the nature and complexity of American polity. Whitman’s view of America was that of a culturally diverse society that we currently witness as such this vision was mainly expressed in his poetic works.

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