IHE GA-DI MMA: MESSAGE OF HOPE IN THE POEMS OF WALT WHITMAN, EMILY DICKINSON, AND ROBERT FROST TO GEN Z

Iloanwusi, Vitalis Chinemerem and Obasikene, John Ikechukwu (2026) IHE GA-DI MMA: MESSAGE OF HOPE IN THE POEMS OF WALT WHITMAN, EMILY DICKINSON, AND ROBERT FROST TO GEN Z. GOUNI INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND PEDAGOGY (GIJELP), 1 (1). pp. 195-206.

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Abstract

This study examines how selected poems from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, The Grass by Emily Dickinson, and Mowing by Robert Frost can be referenced to teach Generation Z that life would be better. Grounded in Reader-Response Theory, the research adopts a transactional framework that positions meaning as co-created between text and reader. Through close textual analysis, the study explores how literary devices such as imagery, symbolism, repetition, metaphor, and personification construct themes of resilience, renewal, dignity, and purposeful labor. Whitman’s democratic celebration of the self affirms shared human worth; Dickinson’s portrayal of humble grass redefines simplicity and mortality as graceful continuity; and Frost’s meditation on labor dignifies effort as authentic fulfillment. By drawing substantial excerpts from the poems, the analysis demonstrates how definitions of hope and human growth understood as resilience, continuity of life, and meaningful self development emerge organically from the texts themselves. The findings suggest that when Generation Z readers engage aesthetically rather than merely efferently, poetry becomes a transformative medium that reshapes perception, strengthens moral consciousness, and fosters existential reassurance. The study concludes that transactional engagement with poetic symbols of grass as representations of renewal, persistence, and purposeful growth offers a powerful pedagogical strategy for cultivating optimism, resilience, and ethical reflection in contemporary learners navigating uncertainty.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Arts > Faculty of Law > Faculty of Management and Social Sciences > Faculty of Education
Depositing User: Uchenna Eneogwe
Date Deposited: 01 Jun 2026 14:09
Last Modified: 01 Jun 2026 14:09
URI: http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/5707

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