Comparing Emily Dickinson And Walt Whitman's Poems

Does all poetry have to rhyme? No, actually, some of the most famous poets do not use rhymes in their poems. For example, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are two of the most famous contributors to American literature and poetry, however neither of them use an exact rhyme scheme. Dickinson uses slant rhyme while Whitman, on the other hand, writes in free verse: no rhyme at all. While these two poets write in completely different styles, they both touch upon the same themes, just in different ways.

Majority of Dickinson’s and Whitman’s poem insinuate that one must express his/herself, although, they both tell different ways to do so. Dickinson includes in her poems that the reader should stand for what they want, but in a subtle, and reasonable

way. One of Dickinson’s poems is titled, “The Soul Selects her own Society”, within the title itself, the reader can interpret that everybody chooses his/her own pathway in life and everyone is given a voice. The poem goes on to say, “Unmoved-- she notes the Chariots-- pausing--” (Dickinson 5). The dashes insinuate pauses on top of the actual word “pausing” which gives off a slow, subtly movement; in a way stating that although she is choosing her own destiny she is doing it carefully, thought out and slowly. Unlike Dickinson, Whitman, although maintaining the same theme, incorporates the fact that one must speak their mind, loudly, and almost instinctively. Whitman is trying to encourage and enforce the reader’s voice by saying, “sound my barbaric yawp over roofs of the world,” (Whitman 3).
While both poets write about the same message, the details within the message are different. The most noticeable difference in the poet’s poems is their punctuation. Dickinson is known for only using dashes with no other punctuation whatsoever, while Whitman writes his poems as if it were a proper essay. Another detail is what each poet sees in life. Dickinson finds sorrow in life, unlike Dickinson who views joy within every aspect of life. Due to their views on life, Dickinson mentions blue in her poems, which relates to sadness and depressing matters, and since Whitman finds joy in life, he refers to green often, relating to nature and the beauty in it.
Although each use different techniques and different perspectives, their message and meaning still remain the same. Even though, they are so different, their biggest similar is their contribution to American Literature today.