Creating Uniquely American Poetry

WALT WHITMAN AND EMILY DICKINSON

Walt Whitman•Born May 31st, 1819 on Long Island, NY•Attended grammar school but left at age 12 to work as an apprentice at a newspaper•Largely self taught; well read in the classics•Worked in journalism and education•Held a variety of positions

Leaves of Grass•Volume of poetry published in 1855•First edition did not sell well but was praised by Ralph Waldo Emerson and other progressive thinkers of the time•Most famous poem in collection is “Song of Myself”•Whitman published several editions during his lifetime, making alterations each time

Early edition of Leaves of Grass

The Civil War•Brother was wounded during war•Whitman went to visit brother and was outraged by death and injury•Secured a civil service job which enabled him to travel between military hospitals

•Lived in Washington D.C.•Later worked in Attorney General’s office• Interviewing former confederate soldiers•Had a stroke in 1873 and moved in with his brother in New Jersey

Civil War hospital

Later Years•Later publications of Leaves of Grass sold well which helped Whitman accumulate some wealth•Purchased house in New Jersey•Grew in popularity; lauded as important American poet•Corresponded with writers around the world•Lord Tennyson•Bram Stoker•Oscar Wilde

•Died in 1892

Whitman’s Legacy•Free verse poetry•No rhythm and no rhyme•Unique Voice•Style seems to combine elements from the Bible, journalism, and speech/oratory techniques

•Writing about American democracy•Building the importance of America as a nation•Writing about American ideals•American political and social climate

Emily Dickinson•Born in Amherst, MA in 1830•Raised in Calvinist household•Did not join the church, but was religious•Well educated•Amherst Academy•Mount Holyoke Female Seminary•Moved back home•Dickinson’s brother married and built home next door•Very popular for gatherings and parties

One of the few images of Dickinson

Poetry•Wrote a majority of her poems in her 20s and 30s •At least 1100 poems total•800 of them in small booklets that she kept private

•Dickinson shared some of her poems with her family•Regular correspondence with:•Sister-in-law- Susan Dickinson•Thomas Wentworth Higginson

•A handful published during her lifetime, but most were not discovered until after her death

Copy of handwritten poem

Later Life•Led reclusive lifestyle but was not completely anti-social•Spent time with siblings•Had visitors at the house•Had health problems•Eye condition•Blackouts, headache and anxiety•Died May 15, 1886

Dickinson Family Home

Dickinson’s Legacy• Prolific female poet•Used a variety of rhythms• Commonly used alternating iambic tetrameter/ trimeter (known as common meter)

• Sometimes used:• slant rhyme (inexact rhyme)• no rhyme•No titles on her poems•Given numbers later and titled by first line•Unique punctuation•Dashes • Interior capitalization

Dickinson remains popular today