Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are jointly responsible for the evolution of rigid poetry of the 19th century into what today is called modern American poetry. While Whitman led a very extroverted life and therefore had a more self-assured writing style, Dickinson was more introverted and a recluse thus turning her poetical gaze inward in an exploration of her own soul. Despite the differences in vantage points between the two famous poets, there is a great number of similarities between two of their more famous works--Whitman's "Song Number 6", taken from Song of Myself, and Dickinson's "This quiet Dust was Gentleman and Ladies." The two poems, though having small differences, utilize many of the same literary devices in conveying a common theme with a similar message, proving that they are more alike than different.

At first glance the two poems may not appear to be related in any literary...