I think Whitman makes a good case for the connection between individual and the masses of commuters. Throughout the poem. Walt Whitman shows how commuters share emotions, creating a strong connection among them. For example, when he says, “Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt,” he points out that they all have similar feelings. This makes it easier for readers to relate to their own experiences during the commute. By talking about things like nature that everyone can appreciate, Whitman encourages people to feel compassion for one another. He turns the everyday act of commuting into something special, reminding us that we’re…

One big idea that both Dickinson and Poe’s poem is that they raise questions about how we choose our companions. Dickinson emphasizes in choosing who to let in and limiting the power of choice while Poe’s reflects on emotional turmoil tied to memory and loss. These poems shaped my thinking by focusing on while connections can be deeply enriching, they can also come in sorrow.