Mark Case

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., not to be confused with his son, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., considered two of the greatest American writers of all time, wrote a multitude of poems. Although they have different writing styles, they both have enjoyed great success in writing. These two authors also were great friends. Their friends circle came to be known as the Fireside Poets, which included, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (Cecil 1964, para 1).

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow became known for his quintessential use of melody and easy flow in his poems. Many of his poems appeal to all kinds of people and his poems are easily understood. In all of his works there is a spirit of optimism and hope that the reader can immediately feel and relate to. Longfellow was also the first, well-known American writer to involve native themes into his poetry, which is one of the four pillars to Romanticism.

In the poem, "Song of Hiawatha" (Hiawatha, 2007, para 4), Longfellow discusses America's history of cruelty to the Native Americans and how the government kicked the Native Americans off their native, holy lands. This poem was the first of its kind. It immediately gained recognition in the literature world as a source of imagination and originality.

The reader can also see a sense of optimism and hope in Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" (Kirk, 2008, para 2). When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem, the United States of America was in a time of great national turmoil, about the time of the Civil War. Although the poem's basic premise maybe historically accurate, Revere's role is outrageously exaggerated. Longfellow did this on purpose. He wanted to give America a hero and an example of the country's noble past, and give America someone to put their hope in. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wants the reader to get a sense of hope and nationalism. Longfellow always tried to encourage the reader and to give them optimism and hope. Using this method, Longfellow stirred the emotions of his audience.

To be one of America's elite writers; a writer must have diversity in his writings. Longfellow can also be sad and somber in his poems as well. In the poem, "The Reaper and the Flowers", Longfellow uses a sad tone, instead of an energetic tone, to capture and move his audience.

Oliver Wendell Holmes takes a different approach to writing than Longfellow. He uses a sad and somber tone to his poetry to connect with his readers (Huff, 2007, para 5). He communicates a sense of warmth that stirs the readers' emotions. Although the difference in writing styles between Holmes and Longfellow, they both accomplished the goal of inspiring the reader.

In the poem, "Old Ironsides" (Blohm, 2012, para 2), he uses this somber tone