1. Realism Brilliant Mavericks
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson

2. Monday
Walt Whitman, p.508
Leaves of Grass – controversial content and revolutionary form
Of 800 copies printed – most were thrown away
In a letter to Whitman from Emerson, Emerson said, “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed”

3. The Making of a Poet Born 1819
Grew up in rural Long Island and crowded Brooklyn
Jobs included office boy, typesetter, printer, newspaper editor, school teacher, carpenter, and journalist
1840s published a number of short stories and poems – conventional efforts
Emerson was his inspiration for change

4. An American Bard 1850s quit job to work on book Printed July 4, 1855
9th and final edition of Leaves of Grass was printed in 1892 and had nearly 400 poems
“the proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.”
Leaves of Grass is most influential book of poetry in American Literature

5. Emily Dickinson, p. 524 1830-1886 Always stayed close to home
Restless mind had no creative boundaries
Mediated on life and death and wrote with originality
Considered one of the greatest poets of 19th century

6. Dickinson, Family ties Born into a well-to-do family
Was in awe of her father, estranged from her mother
1847 – Dickinson left home to attend Seminary
Went home after one year – torn between own thoughts and intense religious beliefs of those around her

7. Dickinson, A Writer’s Life
1850’s devoted to writing poetry
Dickinson withdrew from the world
She maintained connection to the world by hosting friends and writing letters

8. Dickinson, Poetic Legacy
1886, “Called back” letter to cousin
Realized she was dying
After death, her sister had her poems published (4 years after her death)
1775 poems in all

9. Tuesday
Free Verse, p.509
Poetry that does not contain regular patterns of rhythm and meter.
Sound more like everyday speech
Uses the following devices to create rhythm:
Cataloging
Repetition
Parallelism

10. Tone, p.509
An expression of a writer’s attitude toward his or her subject
Can be respectful, angry, or amused
Expressed through word choice and details

11. Tone Title Example Tone “I Hear America Singing” “blithe and strong”
Happy, confident
“Song of Myself”
“A Noiseless Patient Spider”
“Beat! Beat! Drums!”

12. “I Hear America Singing” p. 510
Wednesday
“I Hear America Singing” p. 510
What types of workers does Whitman celebrate in this poem?
What do you think singing represents in the poem?
Why do you think Whitman does not mention wealthy entrepreneurs, prominent leaders, or powerful polititions?

13. “Song of Myself” p.512
According to the speaker, in lines 40-43, why is there “really no death”?
To what does the speaker compare himself in section 52?
What do you think grass symbolizes in the poem?

14. Whitman, After Reading, p.519
Answer questions #1-6, 8

15. Dickinson Author’s style, p. 525
Dense quatrains, or four-line stanzas, that echo the simple rhythms of church hymns
Slant rhymes, or words that do not exactly rhyme (“chill”/”Tulle”)
Inventive punctuation and sentence structure
Irregular capitalization and inverted syntax
Surprising unconventional figurative language
Thursday

16. Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death”, p. 526
How is Death personified?
What do you think the house represents in lines 17-20?

17. Dickinson “Success is counted sweetest”, p. 528
Who is the “purple Host” in line 5?
2. Reread lines How would you paraphrase these lines?
3. Do you agree that those who fail are better able to appreciate success than those who win? Explain your answer.

18. Dickinson After Reading, p. 534
Read and respond
Questions #1-7

19. Assessment
Write a comparison between the writings of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
Consider the following:
Tone
Style
Ideas of Realism
Content