How are the poets Walt Whitman and T.S. Eliot similar and different in their writing style in the poems "One's Self I Sing" by Walt Whitman and...

There are very few similarities between the writing styles of the two poets in these specific poems. Firstly, Whitman's poem is short and essentially to the point, while Eliot's is a lengthy and confusing exposition. One possible similarity lies in the fact that both write from a very personal perspective and share their sentiments in monologue form. One is, however, not quite sure who exactly Eliot's audience is, while Whitman's poem is clearly directed at a general audience. Eliot does make some direct references to a listener, as in the lines

 Let us go then, you and I (line 1)

and

Time for you and time for me (line 31),

although one is not quite sure who the "you" or "me" might be. One may surmise that it could be a possible lover (in relation to the title) that he is addressing, but this is not certain, for he may just be expressing his thoughts to an imagined companion.

Both poems have unusual structures in that they do not maintain a specific, identifiable format and have no regular rhyme pattern. Eliot's poem is broken up into verses of different lengths, while Whitman's poem consists of three brief stanzas, each affirming the speaker's desire to "sing" of man as an individual and, universally, as part of humankind. In Eliot's poem, each stanza relates a very individualized concept and expression not only of the self but also of the conditions and circumstances surrounding that self.

There is also a similarity between what the two poets express in that they both relate a personal sentiment. However, their perspectives are vastly different. Whitman's poem is positive and affirmative, while Eliot's is steeped in cynicism and disillusionment. In this regard then, the two poets adopt a completely different tone--one carefree and happy, the other somber and disparaging.

Whitman's poem also does not feature much imagery and is quite direct. One can say that the entire poem is a metaphor for Whitman's desire and intent to celebrate all mankind and equally eulogize its spiritual and physical attributes. The depressing nature of Eliot's poem, though, makes it clear that he has nothing to celebrate. His writing is an expression of fear, disillusionment, anxiety, disappointment, uncertainty and loneliness.

Furthermore, Whitman's message is quite clear, while one is somewhat confused by what Eliot's speaker is on about. One cannot quite ascertain what he wants to achieve. The poem is steeped in doom and gloom and the poet uses a number of negative images to accentuate this negative mood. The speaker seems to be caught up in a confusing mix of fantasy, reality, and spirituality, for he alludes to either fantastical beings (mermaids), Biblical characters (Lazarus and John the Baptist) and literary fiction (Hamlet). One cannot, therefore, be sure whether these expressions are the musings of a sane intellectual or the rantings of one who is falling apart. In the overall context, though, it would be fair to assume the latter.

The cynicism expressed in Eliot's poem makes the title quite ironic, and perhaps the deliberately unusual name, "Alfred Prufrock," has been intentionally used to remind readers that the poem actually ridicules our humanness. It seems as if Eliot is telling us that we tend to take ourselves too seriously, as the speaker does in the poem, and that our anxiety, fear, and skepticism are all just figments. Whitman, on the other hand, is quite clear in his stance. His poem is a positive affirmation of what he does through his work and is a cheerful celebration of just that.