Dickinson and Whitman Stations
Station 1. Dickinson Biography
Each group member is responsible for reading one of the following sources.
Writers for Young Adults Volume I REF.820.9 WRI
Emily Dickinson BIO.DIC
Lives of the Writers by Kathleen Krull COLL.BIO.KRU
http://emilydickinsonmuseum.org/ed/node/64
http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/later_years
Share what you read with the group and discuss what you learned in order to answer the
following questions:
1. When and where was Dickinson born?
2. What was unusual about Emily’s choice of clothing?
3. What was her view towards religion?
4. Give three examples of Dickinson’s shy and/or strange behavior
5. Name three schools attended by Emily.
6. How did she continue her education after leaving school?
7. How many poems did she write in her lifetime?
8. What did Dickinson do with her poems?
9. How did Emily describe poetry?
10. Did she ever marry or have a romance? Explain.
Station 2. Dickinson and War
Watch the two animated poems below and discuss the questions that follow as a group. Answer
each question in a thoughtful 3 -5 sentence paragraph.
1. http://movingpoems.com/2011/08/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-by-emily-dickinson/
Question: Dickinson wrote over half of her poetry during the Civil War. Although there is no
proof that any of Dickinson’s poems were written about the war, the creator of the video saw
a connection. How can you connect what Dickinson writes about “hope” to what you know
about the Civil War?
2. http://movingpoems.com/2010/06/i-reason-earth-is-short-by-emily-dickinson/
Emily Dickinson could never have imagined what would happen on September, 11th 2001,
but the creator of this video saw something in her poem that related to the emotions people
have about 911. How could something written so long ago echo emotions felt over 100 years
later? What about this poem do you think relates to the event of September 11th ?
Station 3. Create your own poetry
Go to PicLit: http://www.piclits.com/compose_dragdrop.aspx and create two poems of your
own. Create one using the drag and drop words and a second using the freestyle option and your
own words. Use the sniping tool to take a screenshot of each of your poems and insert them
below.
Station 4. Whitman Biography
Each group member is responsible for reading one of the following sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/walt-whitman-9530126?page=1
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASwhitman.htm
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126
http://www.notablebiographies.com/We-Z/Whitman-Walt.html
http://www.biographyonline.net/poets/walt-whitman.html
Share what you read with the group and discuss what you learned in order to answer the
following questions:
1. When and where was Whitman born?
2. Why did Whitman leave school early?
3. What is the name of his first volume of poetry?
4. What famous American writer encouraged Whitman?
5. What effect did the Civil War have on Whitman’s poetry?
6. What was unique and/or new about Whitman’s poetry and writing style?
7. What were Whitman’s feelings towards slavery?
8. How did Whitman support himself when his poetry wasn’t bringing in enough money?
9. What did Whitman do during the Civil War?
10. When and where did Whitman die?
Station 5. Whitman and the Civil War
BEFORE THE WAR: Walt Whitman was a strong supporter of the Union and keeping the
United States intact. In one of his poems, “Beat! Beat! Drums!” he shows his enthusiasm.
Follow the directions below to give your own analysis of the poem.
Directions: Click on the following link. Then, click on the “Multimedia” link in the left-hand
tool bar. Then, scroll down and click on the downloadable song “Street Beat number 8”. Listen
to the song, and answer the questions below.
http://www.originalyanks.com/
1.
As you listen to the drums, give three words that describe how they make you feel.
2. Before you even read the poem, why do you think Walt Whitman would use drums to
show his support of the war?
3. If you were at home and this music played down your street, would you stop what
you are doing? What would be your reaction?
Directions: Go into Virtual Share, find Mrs. Smart’s folder (HBSMART) and view the
video entitled “Walt Whitman Beat! Beat! Drums!” Also, use the copies of the poem on
the table to help you answer the questions below.
1.
Give three adjectives that describe the feeling of this poem.
2. What is he asking the drums to do in this poem? Why do you think he wants them to
do these things?
3. How does this poem show his enthusiasm in the war? Use at least one line in the
poem to explain your perspective.
Station 6. Transcendentalism
Critics debate whether Dickinson and Whitman were transcendentalists or not. Watch the
following video to learn about American Transcendentalism. You only need to view the first
2.25 minutes of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6UvQ4x9T6Q
Name three things you learned about Transcendentalism from the video:
1.
2.
3.
Follow the links to read poems by Dickinson and Whitman that could be examples of
Transcendentalism. Discuss what you read as a group and answer the questions below.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182809
http://poetry.about.com/od/poems/l/blwhitmansong.htm <- first stanza only
1. What about Dickinson’s poem makes it seem like an example of Transcendentalism?
2. What about Whitman’s poem makes it seem like an example of Transcendentalism?
3. Which poem do you think is the better example of Transcendentalism and why?