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Emmitt Luna
Professor Gordon
English 2328 - CRN 87774
10 Feb. 2016
Essay Exam 1: Literature's Point of View
During the 19th century, Nina Baym states, in "The Norton Anthology of American
Literature," how "non-fiction prose described, analyzed, and critiqued the social . . . and political
institutions,"(14 Baym) thus the reader has Walt Whitman address issues related to the social
climate, and Emily Dickinson address issues related to the political climate. Social and political
institutions might seem as if they are changing throughout time, but there is still a lot in common
nowadays as in the past.
One aspect of the social climate during the 19th century, which still happens, are the
people that have and go through depression. Depression is a product of many factors, and these
factors were mainly issues from low-wages to not being able to start a business because of
monopolies. These factors and more were considered to be part of Social Darwinism(7 Baym).
Now from experience, depression does kill and make people question life, but Walt Whitman, in
"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," brings up issues like questioning life and life after death into his
poem. The political issues, similar to social issues, play a huge part in the 19th century.
The political climate back in the 19th century had to do mostly with inequality, and one
aspect of that was women rights. Nowadays the reader can still see the inequality there is
between men and women, and in the 19th century, the inequality was higher. Women had to deal
with men having a higher seat in everything. Therefore there were women that wanted to have
their voices heard. Some women writers used writing as a tool, mostly in magazines, to get their

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voices heard(8 Baym). Emily Dickinson did not use magazines, but poems that were not in the
traditional style to address these political issues. Walt Whitman, in the other hand, address the
social issues in the 19th century.
Many people have issues with the meaning of life and how lonely it can be, but Walt
Whitman uses his story to give a different perspective. The meaning of is a problem that many
people face throughout centuries, but the way a person perceives life is what gives the meaning a
positive or negative connotation. Questioning the meaning of life can be seen in Crossing
Brooklyn Ferry, by Walt Whitman, where he turns an everyday event into having a good
connotation. As Walt Whitman addresses in the scene about the crowd of men and women, On
the ferry-boats the hundreds and hundreds that cross, returning home, are more curious to me
than you suppose,(Whitman 67) which in a way summarizes what the poem is going to be
about. Whitman appeals to the readers emotions since some might feel alienated and question
life. The people who feel alienated might wonder and have the same questions as Whitman does
in his poem, but unlike Whitman they might not feel as if they are curious to anyone. Whitman
counters this feeling by telling the reader that they, the men and women who travel in the ferry,
are more connected than what it seems. The people that question existing need to see the good in
every scene similar to how Whitman uses his character in "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry."
Depression can also be caused by a person feeling lonely, and Walt Whitman uses his
character to show how life can also be seen as people united as time passes by. In Crossing
Brooklyn Ferry, Whitman's character views the environment and questions if people throughout
decades will be able to watch the same scene. The question might seem vague, but a reader can
actually relate to it and have the same question to the environment they are witnessing. They can
also have the same question when they are reading the poem, and wonder if other readers

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throughout decades will be able to witness the poem. This brings unity with the people since if
somebody is enjoying a specific scene then that means there will be other people that are
enjoying the scene as well, and this links them together. Unity like this is helpful in fighting
depression since it gives the reader the sense that they are not alone in this world.
Getting in other people's shoes is a way to understand what they are going through, being
able to see their point of view. Poetry is important since it puts elegance and rhythm to a certain
situation, thus it makes it more comfortable and enjoyable to read. Whitman and Dickinson's
poems show this elegance and class that was different from the mainstream poems at the time.
Whitman and Dickinson's poems tell issues that are as valid as important figures in the social
construct of contemporary college academia because these issues are still happening around the
world. This is the same reason why poems from people like Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
are still read nowadays, so we can see their point of view.

Works Cited
Baym, Nina, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A.
New York: Norton, 2012. Print.
Whitman, Walt. Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Gen

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ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2012. 67. Print.