Walt Whitman And Emily Dickinson

The 1800s saw a rise in popularity of poetry. From this time period rose two standout poets, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. They each wrote with their own style, Whitman being more direct and overt, Dickinson being more subtle when it came to discussing more mature subjects. Although their styles and approach were different, both poets often focused on human relationships in their work.

Whitman and Dickinson wrote about human relationships in their poetry. They often wrote as an unknown speaker in their poetry, whether it be themselves, a hypothetical person, or a person of another gender. Dickinson wrote from a man’s perspective in her poem “Wild Nights-Wild Nights!” saying, “Might I but moor - tonight - In thee!” (Dickinson 269) You can

Whitman was more straightforward in his writings, using fewer metaphors and and dealing with his subject matter in a more direct way. “For the one I love most lay sleeping by me under the same cover in the cool night, In the stillness, in the autumn moonbeams, his face was inclined toward me, And his arm lay lightly around my breast and that night I was happy.” (Whitman 155) Whitman speaks of a literal scenario, with him and his lover laying side by side, under the cover of night, together. He doesn’t use a metaphor or liken his experience to something else, he simply writes what is happening. Dickinson was far more metaphorical in her writing making subtle references to more complicated topics. “But, now, uncertain of the length Of this, that is between, It goads me, like the Goblin Bee That will not state its sting” (Dickinson 356) Emily fears that she may never see the one she loves in this lifetime or the next and she likens this uncertainty to the sting of a bee. There are some other possible contributing factors in their lives that may have led to further differences in their poetry. Whitman’s poetry was published during his lifetime which may have changed his writings. Having a publisher giving revisions may change the entire poem into something completely different from the original. Whitman was also in the public eye because of his fame which could have caused him to write in a manner that was pleasing to others but not himself. “Hours of my torment--I wonder if other men ever have the like, out of the like feelings? Is there even one other like me--distracted--his friend, his lover, lost to him?” (Whitman 609) Whitman removed “Hours Continuing Long” poem from Leaves of Grass after only one edition because he was not satisfied with it. This may have been a result of how people liked it. Dickinson’s poetry, on the other hand, was not