Walt Whitman and Emily
Dickinson
The Romantic Poets
They are considered to be the two
greatest poets of the nineteenth
century!
Be curious, not judgmental. Whitman
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain: Dickinson
Walt Whitman
1819-1892
Background
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He came from a large family (seven
brothers and sisters)
Had the opportunity to live in both a
country setting and the city of New York
(Brooklyn)
He attended school until he was eleven,
then worked as a printer’s assistant and a
teacher
Background
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Worked in journalism until the age of thirty
Moved to New Orleans to continue
journalism
Eventually returned to New York as a
journalist and part-time
carpenter/contractor.
He kept journals and diaries that became
the basis for much of his literary work.
Poetry
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Based on cadence, which is the long, easy
sweep of sound that echoes the Bible and
the speeches or orators and preachers.
Cadence was the base for free verse, which
is poetry without rhyme or meter.
In 1855, he published his most important
collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. He
revised it nine times before his death in
1892.
O captain! my captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the stead keel, the vessel grim and daring.
Walt’s Style
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Frequently uses catalogs– the piling up of
images or concrete details
Example from “Song of Myself”
“My tongue, every atom of my blood,
formed from this soil, this air/Born here of
parents born here from parents the same,
and their parents the same” (lines 6-7)
Style
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His catalogs here represent the spiritual unity
among all forms of being.
He frequently uses parallelism—the repeated
use of phrases, clauses, or sentences that
are similar in structure or meaning.
Use of parallelism helps to create a sense of
unity within his poetry and it also provides a
structure, creates a rhythm, and emphasizes
important ideas.
Style
Uses free verse– verse that has
irregular meter and line length
 Whitman was the first American poet to
use free verse.
 His use of free verse allowed him to
express himself without restraint
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We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies.
Emily Dickinson
1830-1886
Hope is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without words
And never stops at all.
Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or
believes.
Background
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Born into a wealthy New England family and
had a happy childhood. Everyone assumed
she would grow up to marry and have a
family.
At 24, her father took her on a business trip
to separate Emily from a drastic
situation…she had fallen in love with a
married man she could never marry.
Beauty is not caused. It is.
Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.
Background
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Ironically, while on the trip, she fell in love
with another married man, Charles
Wadsworth, a Presbyterian minister. She
was once again separated from the man she
loved.
She then withdrew from all social life except
involving her family.
Emily alone!
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Within a few years, Emily was dressing in all
white and lived in total seclusion.
Her only activities included writing her poems
and household chores.
Emily’s Poetry
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She only printed a handful of her poems
during her lifetime.
However, she made sure that she left
bundles of her poems to be found after her
death.
Family and friends edited her poems and
published them in numerous installments.
Her poems were brief and contained brilliant
metaphors.
Emily’s Style
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Uses unconventional punctuation and
capitalization
Most of her lines and stanzas are very brief
Most of her poetry is writing in quatrains
Usually, only the second and fourth lines in
her quatrains rhyme.
She often uses slant or partial rhymes.
She has a tendency to use figurative
language to convey her ideas.