Week 12: Poetic Innovation
Please READ
- Unit 4, Intro 291-293
- Whitman 294-314, 402-3
- "Reading a Poem" 295
- Dickinson 315-328, 401
- Please see that you have finished Huckleberry Finn by this class.
CONSIDER for discussion:
- Whitman and Dickinson achieve a radically new voice in American poetry that compels us to consider over again just what it is that makes a poem a poem. What is your initial reaction to these poets? How do you find their peculiar blend of music and imagery?
- In light of these things, consider specifically Mark Twain's use of language in Huckleberry Finn. Whitman strives for a more naturalistic use of language; measure his successes (in a different medium) against those of Twain.
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