Whitman and Dickinson are considered late Romantic figures who bridge the gap be

Whitman and Dickinson are considered late Romantic figures who bridge the gap between the periods of Romanticism and Realism. Both poets are innovative and imaginative, revealing Transcendentalist influences focusing on idealistic and spiritual themes, but they also ground their poems in images from real life. Dickinson explores natural and domestic imagery and invests it with deep metaphysical power in her meditations on faith and death. Whitman celebrates the people and places that for him embody American democracy and national identity. How does Whitman attempt to unify future generations in “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” into his sense of American democracy? What statement do you think he is making? For Dickinson, how do her personal observations make universal points? What do they say about death, spirituality, and the experience of life?