To A Lap-The Winter Comparison

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On the surface, both To a Locomotive in the Winter written by Walt Whitman and I like to see it lap the Miles by Emily Dickinson are poems about one of the newest technological advances of their time— the locomotive. However, in each piece of writing, the subject is treated very differently. In To a Locomotive in the Winter, the machine is described in a passionate way, celebrating it as a magnificent symbol of progress. In this poem, it is clear that the speaker is both fascinated and supportive of the technologically advanced machine. Whitman describes the locomotive with words of reverence and awe, calling it an “emblem of motion and power.” In contrast, in Emily Dickinson’s I like to see it lap the Miles, the speaker is much less passionate about the …show more content…
Although both of these 19th century poems have the same subject and theme, they each use rich imagery and a decidedly different tone to convey their contrasting messages about the modern technological marvel. Both To a Locomotive in the Winter and I like to see it lap the Miles are about locomotives and share a similar theme. It becomes clear that two of the most prevalent themes found within each poem is technology and modernization. Undoubtedly a reflection of both author’s feelings about the upcoming advances in the world that they live in, each poem deals with this theme in a very different way. A patriotic supporter of technology, Whitman describes the modern machine in a respectful way, exhibiting joy and wonderment in reference to this creation. He revers the locomotive as a symbol of technological progress in America. Dickinson, on the other hand, describes the machine as capable of inspiriting awe, but also capable of inspiring fear. To the speaker in I like to see it lap the Miles, while the impressive machine represents the advances in modern technology, it also represents the change that will come with it; the
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