1. The Romantic Poets WALT WHITMAN AND EMILY DICKINSON

2. WALT WHITMAN 1819-1892

3.  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

4.  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. BACKGROUND

5.  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. POETRY 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.

6.  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) WALT’S STYLE

7.  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

8.  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 STYLE

9. 1830-1886 EMILY DICKINSON 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. Hope is a thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without words And never stops at all.

10.  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. BACKGROUND Beauty is not caused. It is. Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.

11.  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. BACKGROUND

12.  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 ALONE!

13.  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 POETRY

14.  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. EMILY’S STYLE