Walt Whitman Vs. Lord Tennyson

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Recommended: The role of nature in modern literature

Much like in human society, in nature all animals have two different sides to them. Both of the poems are related in that they talk about a similar subject in the eagle, but they have completely different portrayals and views on how they want the reader to view the eagle. In Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Eagle" we are given the description of an eagle that is dangerous and on the prowl, while in Walt Whitman's "The Dalliance of Eagles" we are given the description of a more amorous and tender side of an eagle. By reading the first poem we can see that an eagle can suddenly change its personality without warning. As mentioned in Tennyson's "The Eagle", the bird is sitting atop of a mountain and then suddenly dives towards the water in search of prey. We are given a description of the eagle that allows us to see how calm he is, but at the same time there is a feel to the poem that he is soon going to go for the kill, such as the alliteration used in line one, where "He clasps the crag with crooked hands;" this statement gives us a feeling that not all is calm with the eagle, it seems increasingly more and more climatic. This poem shows us the very violent yet tactical sides of the eagle, we can not make out anything caring or loving about the eagle. In contrast, Whitman's "The Dalliance of Eagles" shows the more loving and flirtatious side of the eagle. Iin Tennyson's "The Eagle", we are given the description of an animal that is alone and searching for a way to survive. But on the other hand Whitman's description of the two eagles gives them a sense of childishness. He describes them as if they were two young children who had a case of "puppy love." Just as young children like to run around and push each other as a sign that says "I like you" these two birds are turning and tossing in a playful way that lead us to believe that theyare in search of mates. Whitman's use of gentler words such as "amorous" allows for us to come to this conclusion. The eagle has always been considered a bird that is fierce in nature and is above all.

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