zoobike 1 / - May 7, 2012 #1I have to write a "compare and contrast" essay :"Examine the views of nature in "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman and "Tithonus" by Tennyson.I'm totally brain farting.So far my thesis is something like this:"The cycle of life and death is the most basic rule of nature"What do you think? Song of myself doesn't talk much about death except a couple of stanzas near the end...I have to write about the speaker's:--Situation--Attitude or emotion towards the situation--Changes in attitude or emotion--Symbols, similies and metaphores if they relate to my thesis.I got nothing :(Is anyone familiar with these poems that can help me out with ideas?Thanks a lot.Lila.
EF_Susan - / 2,364 12 May 10, 2012 #2Well, upon reading these poems, the comparison of being a reflection/evaluation (an autobiography of the soul)...and the major contrast that I find is that Walt Whitman seems to sort of detach, in a positive way, his soul from worldly things, making a distinction between who he is spiritually and who he is in the physical world and how nature and science affect him in only positive ways ?As opposed to Tithonus, which is clearly a more wallowing, completely intertwined with the burdens of life and emotion and the physical world type of statement. That's all I got! Hope it is in some way helpful!! Good luck!