America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800's. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created similar poetry. Dickinson's "Hope is a Thing with Feathers" and Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" share many qualities. "Hope is a Thing with Feathers" and "O Captain! My Captain!" contain a similar scansion. Both have a...
'Exult, O shores, and ring O bells!' In the second stanza a 'bugle trills' to celebrate the ship's homecoming. The description of sounds in each poem contributes to the overall effectiveness of the extended metaphor and of the poem as a whole.

Two very different poets, through their poems, substantially affected the evolution of American Literature. Analysis of their works should increase the respect for how much goes into a poem. Elizabeth Bishop said, [poetry is] "hundreds of things coming together at the right moment." Dickinson and Whitman shared that ability to combine many elements to create great poetry.