I. Big themes in Whitman and Dickinson?
- Death:
Whitman sees it as a continuation of life, not too scary. But Dickinson is dreary, gloomy,
etcÉ
- Arrogance,
pride: the poetsÕ stances.
Outlook.
- Cycles,
rebirth, circle of life
- Views
on America and American society
- Whitman:
radical sense of democracy
- E.D.:
bad view of America, sense of discrimination against people, ????
- Inclusion/exclusion
- Sex
and sensuality
- Optimism
and energy v. ambivalence and gloom
- WhitmanÕs
praise v. DickensonÕs somber meditation
- Riddles
and contradictions: ambiguity
- The
self and society
- The
role of the poet
- Vision
of America
- Relation
to the natural world
- Relation
to the spiritual world: the potential of the soul
- Idiosyncrasy
- Structure
- Tensions
within the poetry. (Whitman
as prophet and comrade, Dickenson as morbid and sensual) WhatÕs the point of the contrast?
- What
do they teach us about what it means to live fully/wholly/sincerely, etcÉ?
II. Questions to ponder as you develop your paper:
- How do
you connect with either of the poets?
- Which
poems do you connect with?
- How
does their work fit into all of the work weÕve read this semester?
- Do you
have a theory/interpretive angle?
- Will
you be able to ground your argument in logic and evidence (text)?
With this in mind, it might be easier to start with the
evidence. Think inductively.