A Discussion of the Breader and the Leaves of Grass At the end of the Romantic period, two of the most profound poets in history, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, emerged, providing a basis for, and a transition to, modern poetry. In their original form, their poems lacked the characteristics commonly attributed to most Romantic poets of the mid-to-late 19th century, who tended to use "highly stylized verse, having formal structures, figurative language, and adorned with symbols » (worksheet). The unique and "eccentric use of punctuation" as well as the "irregular use of meter and rhyme" were the springboards for this new and innovative style of writing (worksheet). Although both of these writers rejected the traditional approach, both remained steadfastly committed to their romantic idealism of the glass of water "half full" as opposed to "half empty." Noted for his frequent practice of cataloging and parallelism, Whitman caused much controversy with his first edition of "Leaves of Grass" in 1855. Many critics reacted negatively to this publication. ...