Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is an outstanding piece of art. The poem’s setting is at the ferry where people cross from one side of the land though water to the other side. In this light, Whitman uses land and water as the main patterns of the poem. Land is used to symbolize the physical while water refers to the spiritual. Therefore, the movement of ferry from land to the water reveals the dual nature of life. In other words, there is good and evil in the universe. As the ferry moves through the water, the narrator shows that he has had dark thoughts such as adulterous and lying. Whitman also touches on the unity of humans concerning experience. “Crowds of men and woman attired in the usual costumes, how curious you are to me…” (Poets.org, 2000). The narrator feels like he has known these people who take the ferry every day to their jobs and back home. He relates with them as they have kept sharing the same experiencing thus showing great unity among humans.
Dickinson’s “I taste a liquor never brewed” is a nature-themed poem. Her poem uses intoxication or rather drunkenness to explain the effect of nature on her. “I tasted a liquor never brewed, from tankards scooped in pearl” (Dickinson & Escher, 1989). She beautifully describes the beauty and awe of nature by using ‘pearl’, an expensive and precious gem. Nature is something that fascinates her including dew, sky and fresh air. The entire poem uses parallelism where she relates drunkenness to how she feels about nature.
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Whitman and Dickinson are considered the pioneers of poem in America. Their pieces of art have been celebrated. However, I would prefer Whitman to Dickinson because he touches on issues affecting life. “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is a perfect example of how Whitman explains important concepts such as dual nature of life, unity among humans and passage of time.
References
Dickinson, E., & Escher. (1989). I taste a liquor never brewed: for chamber choir , 1955. Amsterdam: Donemus.
Poets.org. (2000). A close reading of “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry . Retrieved Online, October 31, 2017, www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/close-reading-crossing-brooklyn-ferry
