On the surface Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman may seem to be polar opposites, and in many regards that is true; however they bear many similarities as poets. Both Dickinson and Whitman are considered to both be poets that paved the way for what is known today as modern American poetry. One might find seemingly different accounts of the same subject matter in their poetry given their different lifestyles in the same time period . Both found that the natural world (including death) contained much subject matter that they could draw from for their poetry. Another major similarity between the two poets is that they both known for their unorthodox writing styles. Differences between the poets include their different views of themselves; the best example of this is found in two well known poems: Walt Whitman wrote, “Song of Myself” whereas Emily Dickinson wrote a poem titled, “I Am Nobody.” Some of the most obvious differences between the two poets is the link of their poems as well as the punctuation. Walt Whitman’s poems were lengthy and complex as well as continuously revised e.g. “Leaves of Grass,” which had multiple revisions. Dickinson, in turn, wrote much shorter poems, with the complexity lying within the many paradoxes of her …show more content…
Each following their own set of rules in effect; from Whitman's lack of structure in way of meter and rhyme to Dickinson’s hymnal structure and lack of proper punctuation. They both live in the late 20th century, writing on a similar subjects as a result, however both with such different experiences and accounts. Emily Dickinson was a regular churchgoer often calling on God in her poetry whereas Whitman was a patriot who was more concerned with how man interacted with nature (somewhat void of God). Both were excellent writers, well before their time, who helped shape modern american poetry as it is