Dillon Meldrim

Mrs. Summers

3rd period American Lit

5/1/12

Whitman and Dickenson compare and contrast

It seems like a lot of people think that Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson are some of

the best poets of all time. Emily Dickenson was born in 1830 , and Walt Whitman was

On 1819. These were the two greatest poets of the civil war time period. I will be

Comparing two of there best known and greatest poems.

Both of them are very short, that is one of the biggest things I like about them

Is that you don’t get so bored reading them and there not a “book” long. A lot of

People don’t like reading a poem for a long time. That is also just my opinion

The poem “I hear America sing” is only 16 lines , that is very short . Whitman

Uses great personification in this poem. “If you were coming in the fall” is only 20 lines,

That is a little big longer but sill pretty short. Dickenson uses great growing suspense in

This poem. “If only centuries delayed, id count them on my own hand” shows great uses

of building suspense because of how long she has been waiting. But most importantly

Both poems uses a great calm flow of words. Whitman shows he’s proud of America

He says in the poem “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear” in a calm tone

It is good because he is not yelling about his love of America. Emily Dickenson is very

Calm as she is waiting for something, “but now, all ignorant of the length , of time

Uncertain wing, it goads me, like the goblin bee, that will not state its sting” she

Shows no anger or signs of anger. Only a disappointing and sad mood as she is loosing

Hope. The Difference is that Whitman uses Personification to describe America ,

And Emily Dickenson uses metaphors. “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear”

This line is saying America is singing,