8th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 1:30
Room: 303
Presenter(s): Andrew Impeduglia
Title: Existentialism in the Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman
Developed under the guidance of Prof. Shirley Jefferds , English

This paper explores the work and lives of American poets Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman in light of existentialist philosophy. The resounding ideas of Dickinson and Whitman on topics such as death, free will, and authenticity demonstrate the poets’ striving towards living fulfilling lives during their finite time on Earth and their dedication to living creative, independent, and therefore existentially driven, lives.