Topic: Dickinson and Whitman
Dickinson and Whitman are two important poets from the antebellum period. They are very different, both in terms of form and content.
Write a comparison, using poems from the assigned reading, that includes at least three terms defined in the Poetry Lecture in Week 1, as well as the poets' purpose in writing.
What messages are they trying to convey in their poetry? Are they successful? Of the two poets, which one do you prefer and why?
Assigned readings are, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" (Vol 1, pp.1135-1139) by Whitman and "These are the days when Birds come back" (Vol 1. p1251) by Dickinson
Defined terms : Ode, Sonnet, Elegy, Lyric, haiku, free verse, limerick, imagery, literal imagery, symbolic imagery, allusion, alliteration, personification, simile, metaphor, stanza, rhyme, couplet, tercet, rhyme scheme.