Spider Poems

Paper Summary:

This paper explains how these poems present us with images about spiders that work against the common perceptions of spiders. It shows that while spiders are creatures that are associated with fear, Whitman and Dickinson present us with different images of them that are filled with awe and respect. Whitman watches a spider spinning his web and is filled with such a sense of respect that he relates the spinning of a web to his own act of reaching out in the world. Dickinson, too, sees an aspect of her life in the spider's action of spinning a web. The paper explains that through different elements of language and grammar, each poet is able to establish a certain and very different mood about spiders, which is directly related to the feeling each poet experiences.

From the Paper:

"In his poem, "A Noiseless Spider," Whitman uses many words to establish a mood of tranquillity. For example, we are told that the spider is "noiseless" (Whitman 1), and it stands "isolated" (2). In addition, it is marking out how to explore a "vacant, vast surrounding" (3). These words convey a sense of serenity when the poet looks at the spider as it begins its daunting task. The speaker also presents us with an image of a spider that is very deserving of respect. For instance, the words "vast" (3) and "measureless" represent the endless the cycle of life. We also know that the spider approaches his task "tirelessly" (5) and "ceaselessly" (8). With this poem, we can see how Whitman is commenting on how nature is akin to the human spirit. He begins the poem with a general observation of the spider and then relates what he sees to what he has experienced within in his spirit, or soul. We know that the spider is long-suffering in that he launches "forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself" (4) all in an attempt to make his way across "measureless oceans of space" (7). The poet is drawing a parallel between the spider's attempt to reach across the vast space and his own attempt to reach out. Here we see how the poet is apostrophizing his soul."

More papers on Spider Poems:

• Comparison Essay # 4461 : "The Spider"
• Analytical Essay # 139047 : "A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman"
• Analytical Essay # 28324 : "Walt Whitman's "A Noiseless Patient Spider"

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