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Compare And Contrast Emily Dickinson And Walt Whitman

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The nineteenth century produced many esteemed authors, including Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman who became two of Americas most popular poets. While vastly different in style and personality, both Dickinson and Whitman relate to many people on an emotional level through their poetry, even in the twenty-first century. The works of poetry by Dickinson and Whitman can be compared on levels of style and form and both writers composed beautiful verses of high quality. Through the following comparisons, it will become apparent how Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman influenced American literature and culture both in similar and diverse ways.

Born into an upper-class family in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson was a structured woman and writer. Coming from a prominent family with two siblings, it was unusual that Dickenson didn't want for much in life, not even seeking fame as a poet. Dickinson was known for being private and was even accused of being a recluse. During her lifetime, Dickinson preferred being indoors and was notorious for her isolation from the world. Although she was shy in nature, Dickinson spoke out in her poems and was never afraid to share her thoughts about life and religion. However, it was not until after her …show more content…

Whitman tended to write about nature using a great deal of imagery. Conversely, Dickinson wrote short and powerful verses that stirred deep thinking in her readers. Both authors reached many people with their poems, but the audience was different for Dickinson and Whitman. Dickinson's poems reached women who felt suffocated by the limitations of their gender in the church and in society. Dickenson's innovations and independence in her writing made her one of the first feminist voices in her field. In contrast, Whitman's poems relate to people whose beliefs go against societal norms and are searching for their identity and meaning in the

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