Emerson and Dickinson

Nature has been a dominant topic in writing for ages. It has influenced humans in almost every aspect of societal behaviour. Emerson one of the more influential writers of American history made a call for a new style of poetry to emerge, he made this declaration as his poetry style began to reach the end of its time. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman respond to emersons dictation for a new kind of poet through their fundamental opinions and writing.

The simplicity Emerson mentions in his call, rings a tone for the writing of Dickinson. The beauty in simplicity can be seen in its purity and consistency. Dickinson often has the tendency to follow a A,B,C,B rhyme scheme giving her poetry a consistent even flow. Each line, concise and definite Dickinson’s poems are simple, eloquent and profound. Whitman has a different style which displays his tone in more emphasis. In O Captain! My Captain! Whitman follows a parallel structure that coincides with the flow of the poem, the tone being grievance in accomplishment, its meaning is altered because the undulation of the rhythm is affected. Tone and rhythm significantly affect the outcome of the readers taking from a poem, Emerson made a distinct mention for these aspects in the poets he hoped would come after him.

Death, as a topic in the writing of Whitman and Dickinson gives much contrast between the poets. Dickinson views death as a relief, a final deposit for life. Whitman has a more Transcendentalist take on death. In Song of Myself Whitman states that the universe is essentially a cycle, the people past death become the living earth (grass) and in this way death is life, another part of the process. These perceptions of Life are extremely different yet similar in the sense that the concept of realism is what is projected to the reader.

Emersons call is answered by Whitman and Dickinson through the style, essonance, and individual apparent opinions of these poets. Whitman highly influenced by the larger