Question

Which of the following statements best describes the influence of Dickinson and Whitman on later poets?

A. They had no influence on later poets
B. They inspired many later poets to experiment with form and content
C. Later poets were more open to experimentation.
D. They rejected poetry as an art form

Answer 1

Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman greatly influenced later poets by inspiring them to experiment with new forms and content, paving the way for modernist poets and changing the American literary landscape.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that best describes the influence of Dickinson and Whitman on later poets is: They inspired many later poets to experiment with form and content. Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, as prominent Late Romantics, broke away from earlier American literary traditions by introducing innovative verse forms and content that expressed individuality and a departure from the constraints of previous poetic standards. They encouraged subsequent generations of poets, including Modernists like T. S. Eliot and Marianne Moore, to find new means of self-expression and to embrace the evolving American landscape and dialects in their poetry. Whitman's use of free verse and Dickinson's unconventional syntax and slant rhyme were particularly influential. Both poets took part in this spirit of artistic innovation that matched the rapid social and industrial changes in America.