I want to know more opinions on these two poets. Critics say that Dickinson was especially good about writing of human psychology, but to me it seems that she writes in her own little world of her own little psychological affairs of herself. While Whitman is writing more on humans as a whole and how they form their society, I get more of a sense that he is actually a better contributer to the human psychology. Dickinson seems to be looking from the inside out and Whitman from the outside on in. I'm confused about the critics labeling of these two?

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2000

Answers

I agree on the issue of Dickenson being in her own little world. It looks to me like she needed to get out more. As for Whitman, I still think he writes on the big picture. I don't see him getting to the heads of people.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2000

I also agree with you. I think that when Emily Dickinson wrote, she was alone and wrote of what her emotions were of. She wrote as she saw everything, which was from living in an isolated surrounding. She was an interpretor of nature, but also doesn't exaggerate anything either. She is pretty open with topics such as death and dying. Whitman on the other hand, wrote of the world around him. His 'lists' were mostly of the other people and what they were doing. He loved the human body and didn't talk as much on death. To me he was a more positive writer, and that could do to Dickinsons isolation.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2000

I think that Dickinson and Whitman where totally different writers. Dickinson wrote about death and depicted her own feelings on certain issues. Whitman wrote about life situations and didn't dwell on death, although some of his poems did mention it. He wrote his poems as is they were short stories.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2000