Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are two different American poets, Emily Dickinson in the 19 th century and Walt Whitman in the 19 th /20 th centuries. Emily Dickinson wrote in a realistic style while Walt Whitman wrote in free verse . Emily Dickinson’s most famous poem is “Because I could not stop for Death” while Walt Whitman’s most famous poem is “O Captain! My Captain! ” Emily Dickinson only wrote 19 poems while Walt Whitman wrote over a thousand.
Emily Dickinson never married and lived in seclusion all her life, she rarely left her house and died an old maid at the age of 55, Walt Whitman had many lovers throughout his long life; he fathered three children with two different women. Emily Dickinson spent most of her time working as a schoolteacher to earn money for herself living in a family home and writing poems when she could, Walt Whitman traveled down South during the Civil War and worked as a teamster (he transported goods on a wagon).
Emily Dickinson was prim and proper; it is said she wore white dresses all the time and there are no pictures of her without gloves, Walt Whitman was more of a hippie, he wore semi-racs clothing and goatees. Emily Dickinson wrote letters to family and friends all her life, she was very social while Walt Whitman lived in his mother’s house until he died at age 72.
Emily Dickinson hated having people read her poems; she preferred it if they were not published but cherished by the families that owned them, Walt Whitman wanted his poetry to be known and published in newspapers and magazines. Emily Dickinson never really traveled anywhere, she stayed in Amherst and only went out in public when absolutely necessary (she refused to ride in carriages), Walt Whitman travelled around America when he wasn’t working during the Civil War; he even visited the White House when Lincoln declared his famous “Gettysburg Address.
Emily Dickinson was a recluse and never left the house, most of her poems were written in secret by candlelight. She would hide them away in a drawer or on her person then take them out when she had a chance to send them to a particular family member, Walt Whitman surrounded himself with family and friends who loved him very much, he was known among his peers as a friendly guy.
Emily Dickinson wrote letters to publishers asking for money so she could fix up her home and live comfortably, Walt Whitman spent half of his life working as a journalist; he bought cheap cigars because he couldn’t afford expensive ones like other writers. Emily Dickinson would sometimes write about death but not as often as some think (she also had many poems about nature and flowers), Walt Whitman’s poetry was all about death, he wrote “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” which is a poem about Lincoln’s assassination.
Emily Dickinson died of a stroke at age 55, Walt Whitman lived to see his 70 th birthday before dying from a serious stroke at age 72. Emily Dickinson’s writing is often seen as tame or childlike because she used simple language and rhymed words together almost every time, Walt Whitman is viewed as the father of free verse because he wrote without using any meter or rhyme scheme.
Their names aren’t often mentioned in the same sentence, even though Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were both American poets of the 19th century. Emily Dickinson was known for her subtle verses about death, while Walt Whitman wrote about everything from religion to politics. Emily Dickinson only published a few poems during her lifetime; she usually gave them away or anonymously published them in magazines like “The Atlantic Monthly”. She never sought publication for her poems. Walt Whitman’s poems were not only published under his name but also had wide distribution through friends and family.
Although Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman had different styles and voices, they shared some common themes: nature and immortality. Emily Dickinson does mention nature frequently throughout her poetry, but it isn’t always clear what exactly she’s talking about. Walt Whitman’s poems speak on the beauty of nature through the eyes of a dying man looking back at his life. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman both wrote about immortality, Emily Dickinson in her typically vague tone, while Walt Whitman seemed to be more specific with how he felt about death. Emily Dickinson died mid-sentence, writing one last poem before she passed away.
Walt Whitman lived for twenty years after Emily Dickinson’s death but never published another book of poetry during his lifetime. Walt Whitman saw Emily Dickinson once during a dinner party in 1881; Emily was too shy to say hello and hid behind a door until he left. Emily often wondered if any other living poet could write better than herself and Walt Whitman, and Walt Whitman didn’t say much about Emily Dickinson after seeing her. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman never met in person, but Emily Dickinson did leave a poem for Walt Whitman when she died.
Walt Whitman hoped that Emily Dickinson would publish more poems before she died, and Emily Dickinson held out hope that people like Walt Whitman would notice her poetry and make it popular since she didn’t have an audience during her lifetime. Emily’s sister Lavinia found fifty seven handwritten volumes of Emily’s poetry after her death and spent six years trying to figure out which ones should be published. A family friend eventually edited the works and had them published, and Emily Dickinson’s works became popular immediately after she died.
Emily Dickinson was known for her subtle verses about death, while Walt Whitman wrote about everything from religion to politics. Emily Dickinson only published a few poems during her lifetime; she usually gave them away or anonymously published them in magazines like “The Atlantic Monthly” Emily never sought publication for her poems. Walt Whitman’s poems were not only published under his name but also had wide distribution through friends and family. Although Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman had different styles they shared similar themes of nature and immortality which are apparent in Emily’s literature as well as Walt’s.