Poems by Walt Whitman and Hanshan feature strong enlightenment ideals and prevalent references to nature as a way to achieve these ideals. Though the two men lived in very different times, their works carry similar messages. Following the path to enlightenment generally refers to the Buddhist Eightfold Path, though it has been adapted over time to refer to the state of understanding a person reaches, both of oneself and his or her surroundings, as well as of that beyond what can be sensed. Relying solely on one’s talents and denying society and worldly possessions are typically seen as characteristics of an enlightened person, as seen in the writings of both Whitman and Hanshan. Enlightenment is illustrated by both poets as something beyond explanation, beyond the normal, physical world. Whitman especially recognizes this. “I know I have the best of time and space, and was never measured and never will be measured” (Whitman 46, 452). The enlightened mind can see beyond what is visible. “High, high from the summit of the peak, / Whatever way I look, no limit in sight!” (Hanshan 986)....
..., while Dickinson fulfilled them. The book says this of Dickinson; “She perceived the relationship between a drop of dew and a flood, between a desert and a grain of sand. These perceptions helped her make metaphors that embraced experiences far beyond the limited compass of Amherst village life” (373). The literature book says this of Whitman, “Suddenly, poetry was no longer a matter of organized word structures that neatly clicked shut at the last line;” (350). Even though these two writers were so different in so many ways, they obtained what the other had not done. Whitman popularized free verse, while Dickinson cherished the use of metaphors and ideas of comparing two like things to make a deeper meaning to everything in life.
America was a newly formed country at the dawn of the nineteenth century, and many social issues would be dealt with during this time period. Walt Whitman and Mark Twain were two authors during this era and both authors challenged the views and cultural upbringings that surrounded the nation at that time.
An influential literary movement in the nineteenth century, transcendentalism placed an emphasis on the wonder of nature and its deep connection to the divine. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience”, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In “Self-Reliance”, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government.
Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, the parties of one of the most famously infamous relationships in literary history met for the first time in late April 1925 at The Dingo Bar, a Paris hangout for the bohemian set. In his novel A Moveable Feast (published posthumously) Hemingway describes his first impressions of Fitzgerald:
The poetry by these two poets creates several different images, both overall, each with a different goal, have achieved their purposes. Though from slightly different times, they can both be recognized and appreciated as poets who did not fear the outside, and were willing to put themselves out there to create both truth and beauty.
This very equality is what keeps all societies affecting each other’s individual freedom. For Wallace Stevens this is a nightmare and wishes he can escape outside the box; whereas for Walt Whitman this is a blessing to be connected in such a spiritual way and know that connection between on another will never fade. Regardless of the difference in views the fact remains that both these poems have given proof that the environment around you will always play a key role in the freedom you experience.
“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere” (Whitman 33) is Walt Whitman’s first and one of his most popular works, Leaves of Grass. It was and still is very inspirational to many people including Ralph Waldo and many others after him. He had a major influence on modern free verse. Following a hard childhood in and around New York, Walter Whitman was well known and received in his time for Leaves of Grass which did not use the universal theme, which he became known for in the eighteenth century as well as his way of seeing the world in a view that very few could comprehend in his time.
He thought he kept the universe alone,” to most people the thoughts of being alone are very frightening. It is human nature to search for companionship. In the poem “The Most of It,” Robert Frost uses a wealth of strong imagery to tell a story of a person who has lost his loved one to death and has to suffer the feeling of loneliness and emptiness created by it. Frost uses the setting of a lake surrounded by a forest to convey a feeling of peace and of being alone to the reader. A man is sitting on the edge of the lake, crying out for someone, his echo being his only company. After time, a buck swam across the lake and appeared on the shore and abruptly runs into the brush, away from sight. Although the man only caught a glimpse of the deer for a short moment, it was long enough for him to feel that he was no longer alone, but had something there, even though it was not tangible. The clues given to the reader that someone has passed on are the words “wake” and three lines down, the word “morning.” A wake can be many things; one is that it is a vigil that is held in honor of a person who has recently died.
Robert Lee Frost was an honored American Poet who received four Pulitzer Prizes for his works. His poetry reflected realistic illustrations about rural life in the twentieth century, while his poetry also tackled social issues. Robert Frost was known for his use of metaphors in his poetry about the landscape, human nature and history. He was greatly inspired by his wife, Elinor. The other two people who had a significant impact on his life were Ezra Pound and Edward Thomas. Edward Thomas inspired one of Frost’s famous poems called, “The Road Not Taken.”
There is contrast in Whitman's view, which embraces all society, and that which surrounds him. He views all mankind and nature as intertwined in the past, present and future in one perpetual cycle of life and death. He speaks of the sameness of man and se...
Walt Whitman is arguably America’s most influential poet in history. Born Walter Whitman in May 31st, 1819 to Walter Whitman and Louisa van Velsor, he was immediately nicknamed ‘Walt’ to distinguish him from his father. He came to life in West Hills on the famous Long Island, the second of nine children that grew up in Brooklyn. He came to be fondly known as ‘the Bard of Democracy’, mainly because that was a main message in his work. He is also celebrated as ‘the father of the free verse’. He was a liberal thinker and was vehemently against slavery, although later on he was against the abolitionists because, according to him, they were anti-democracy. He managed to marry transcendentalism with realism in his works. His occupation was a printer school teacher and editor.
"look in vain for the poet whom I describe. We do not, with sufficient plainness, or sufficient profoundness, address ourselves to life, nor dare we chaunt our own times and social circumstances. If we filled the day with bravery, we should not shrink from celebrating it. Time and nature yield us many gifts, but not yet the timely man, the new religion, the reconciler, whom all things await" (Emerson 1653). Emerson is stating how everything can be a poem and a poet can reflect on valuable resources like nature to draw on and write. Whitman clearly uses this guide in order to write his poetry. He agrees that nature is a valuable tool.
One of the similarity within transcendentalism between Whitman and Dickinson is the nonconformity in their poems. Ralph Waldo Emerson, central figure of the transcendentalism, stated in one of his works, “Self-Reliance,” “what I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think” (Emerson). Emerson stated that each individuals should do what they desired to do, not what society wants them to. With this perspective, Whitman and Dickinson both created their own poetic style that differs from the traditional stanzas and rhyme scheme. Whitman was known as one of the first poet to break away from the traditional poem form and replaced with free verse form. "Leaves of Grass was criticized because of Whitman's exaltation of the
Robert Frost is one of the few twentieth century poets to receive critical acclaim and popular acceptance (Magill 728). His simplistic style appeals to the novice and expert poetry reader alike. Robert Frost's understated emotional appeal attracts readers of all literary levels. Frost develops subtly stated emotions and a clever use of imagery in his poetry. Influences on his poetry include his family, work, and other life experiences (Oxford 267). Frost also works to develop iambic pentameter using simple language, in an attempt to effectively portray the New England lifestyle (Magill 723). Frost successfully blends classic poetry and a modern simplicity to create a new generation of poetry lovers.
Robert Forst was perhaps one of the most popular and beloved of twentieth century American poets. In many ways his work is related to nature and his New England surroundings. To Frost, Nature is a source of wisdom as well as a source of joy. He was born in San Fransisco, and moved to massachusetts at age 11. He later attended Dartmouth, and Harvard, both of which he dropped out of. Once he married, he lived on a thirty-acre farm with orchards, fields, pastured, woodlands, and springs. Farming always produced enough food for his family but they never had enough money. Robert lived here for around twelve years. At age 39 he moved to England where he published a collection of his poems for the first time. THese poemswere essentially based on his surroundings. He had written these poems in rural isolation on his farm in Massachusetts, and until published, were only read by his wife. For frost, nature is the source of all values. Nearly every poem he wrote is filled with a sense of nature's reality: her beauty, her threat, and the meaning she has to man. You can almost definitely find a refrence to nature in anyone of Frost's poems. Frost did it all, poems about snowy evenings, beautiful springs days, and even the relationship between a tree and a man in his poem, "Tree at My Window". Robert Frost had decided on a life of poetry early in his life. His mother had introduced him to it at a young age and he had loved it ever since. Poetry was his passion. Although his ambitions were strong, he did not recieve fame or an adequate amount of criticism after his first book was published. It took Frost longer to be recognized for his poetry than it did for him to publish a book. Frost was popular among readers but not with critics. In many of his poems, Frost used the poetic device of personification. This is a technique of humanizing inanimate objects. Personification gave Frost the ability to be more free with what he wrote. It made his poetry more effective and more enjoyable to read. Another technique Frost used was the dramatic technique of dialouge. This also improves the effectiveness of his poems, since people come to life when they speak their own words.