Even though both authors are the founders of New American Poetry, a movement which pulled away from the Romantic authors' strict structure, Whitman and Dickinson write very different poetry. While Whitman often writes in free verse with no standard meter or rhyme scheme, Dickinson follows rhyme patterns and usually a very strict meter (almost all of her poems--because of their meter--can be sung to the tune of "Gilligan's Island").
Another difference is that Whitman stresses an undeniable optimism in mankind. He follows Emerson's view that man cAN be self-reliant and find answers within himself. His "I Hear America Singing" praises the common worker. In contrast, Dickson's poetry is often very personal and discusses inner struggles. Her "Heart, we will forget him" demonstrates this theme, and much of her poetry seems unconcerned with one's role in the community (most likely because of her reclusive nature).
A similarity between the two poets is that both veered away from the Romantic poets' traditional view of God or a Higher Being. Whitman stresses an Emersonian Oversoul or a "god within one's self," while Dickinson is more concerned about earthly emotions and relationships. Admittedly, both poets include aspects of spirituality in some of their poetry, but those spiritual elements vary drastically from the Romantic poets' themes.
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