Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were two highly influential poets from America during the 1800’s; critics as being radical as it rejected the traditional conventions of death in a dominantly Puritan state describe their poetry. Both poets were fascinated by the theme death throughout their poetry, although their depictions of death were different, both poets shared the similar concept that death leads to immortality and therefore should be embraced. However, despite sharing similarities in their overall message, both Whitman and Dickinson possessed unique writing styles different from the other. 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. Dickinson’s
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In A Song of Myself, Whitman writes that “there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life ,” which conveys his opinion that death shouldn’t be regarded negatively as it is essential to allow new life. Perhaps Whitman’s use of free verse helps to convey his positive and fearless attitude towards death as it allows his poem flow freely without being constricted by regular meter, which could translate to the idea that life is isn’t constricted by eternal death. The use of free verse therefore, gives Whitman’s poem the characteristic of being organic and ongoing which corresponds to the idea that death is similarly part of the ongoing process of life. It is important to question Whitman’s positive views on death considering his numerous encounters with people dying throughout his life such as family members and soldiers her tended as a nurse in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. William J. Scheick describes how Whitman’s poetry “ not only reflects his century 's awareness of death and his own negotiation of apprehensions relating to mortality, they also reveal the poet 's deliberate effort to revise his culture 's attitude toward dying .” This statement is significant as explains why claims such as “I have died myself ten …show more content…
For example, when describing death Dickinson writes, “ He kindly stopped for me ,” which personifies death as being chivalrous, this is significant as shows how Dickinson uses the character of death as a conceit to describe the process of dying. Edgar Allen Poe’s view that every component of poetry should contribute towards a “Unity of effect ,” is relevant in The Chariot as arguably the poems structure reflects Dickinson’s depictions of a calm death. For instance death is personified as being patient and as seen with “We slowly drove, he knew no haste,” which is perhaps reflected through the poems slow chronological progression. Moreover each line repetitively alternates between eight and six syllables, which has a soothing effect and therefore contributes to the idea that the narrator’s death was a peaceful process. Further evidence of death being peaceful can be interpreted from the locations the narrator passes such as the “ school were the children played,” which has positive connotations of innocence. It can be interpreted that Dickinson’s The Chariot and Whitman’s A Song of Myself, both aimed to settle the anxieties of death in society during the 1800’s. Roger Lunin’s stated that Dickinson’s poetry provided “Standard images of the literature of consolation and domesticated death
In A Song of Myself, Whitman writes that “there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life ,” which conveys his opinion that death shouldn’t be regarded negatively as it is essential to allow new life. Perhaps Whitman’s use of free verse helps to convey his positive and fearless attitude towards death as it allows his poem flow freely without being constricted by regular meter, which could translate to the idea that life is isn’t constricted by eternal death. The use of free verse therefore, gives Whitman’s poem the characteristic of being organic and ongoing which corresponds to the idea that death is similarly part of the ongoing process of life. It is important to question Whitman’s positive views on death considering his numerous encounters with people dying throughout his life such as family members and soldiers her tended as a nurse in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. William J. Scheick describes how Whitman’s poetry “ not only reflects his century 's awareness of death and his own negotiation of apprehensions relating to mortality, they also reveal the poet 's deliberate effort to revise his culture 's attitude toward dying .” This statement is significant as explains why claims such as “I have died myself ten …show more content…
For example, when describing death Dickinson writes, “ He kindly stopped for me ,” which personifies death as being chivalrous, this is significant as shows how Dickinson uses the character of death as a conceit to describe the process of dying. Edgar Allen Poe’s view that every component of poetry should contribute towards a “Unity of effect ,” is relevant in The Chariot as arguably the poems structure reflects Dickinson’s depictions of a calm death. For instance death is personified as being patient and as seen with “We slowly drove, he knew no haste,” which is perhaps reflected through the poems slow chronological progression. Moreover each line repetitively alternates between eight and six syllables, which has a soothing effect and therefore contributes to the idea that the narrator’s death was a peaceful process. Further evidence of death being peaceful can be interpreted from the locations the narrator passes such as the “ school were the children played,” which has positive connotations of innocence. It can be interpreted that Dickinson’s The Chariot and Whitman’s A Song of Myself, both aimed to settle the anxieties of death in society during the 1800’s. Roger Lunin’s stated that Dickinson’s poetry provided “Standard images of the literature of consolation and domesticated death