In the English language, there is such a thing as a homonym, that is the instance when words both look and sound alike but have different meanings. This is the case for the poems "Dream-Land" and "Dream Land," written by Edgar Allen Poe and Christina Rossetti respectively, in regards to the title; both of these poems use this term to refer to a certain life after death, although each interpretation is influenced by entirely different mythologies. The similarities of the poems extend to the use of the imagery, metaphors, the repetition of specific lines, and symbolism. Despite these commonalities, there still remain differences between the two poems in the overall atmosphere produced by the literary techniques, the ending of the poems, and which religion influenced the work. While Poe's approach appears to create a negative atmosphere of confusion and darkness with an equally described ending, heavily based on Greek mythology, Rossetti's poem produces a lighter atmosphere with a more peaceful ending and a Christian influence.
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Poe does not ease the reader into the darkness of death, instead he immediately presents us with "bottomless vales and boundless floods" (57). These images portray a world of eternity, where the worst of disasters are never-ending. Poe continues with this depressing imagery with the "lolling lilies" and "grey woods", the lilies bending their stems as they wilt and the trees growing sick (57-58). This scene suggests that even the plants that attempt to grow in this afterlife merely suffer and die. Another interesting technique utilized by Poe is repetition. This tool assists in highlighting the differences between his and Rossetti's poems. Poe's repetition reinforces the idea of chaos or "obscurity," by repeating the first stanza at the beginning and the end of the
Poe does not ease the reader into the darkness of death, instead he immediately presents us with "bottomless vales and boundless floods" (57). These images portray a world of eternity, where the worst of disasters are never-ending. Poe continues with this depressing imagery with the "lolling lilies" and "grey woods", the lilies bending their stems as they wilt and the trees growing sick (57-58). This scene suggests that even the plants that attempt to grow in this afterlife merely suffer and die. Another interesting technique utilized by Poe is repetition. This tool assists in highlighting the differences between his and Rossetti's poems. Poe's repetition reinforces the idea of chaos or "obscurity," by repeating the first stanza at the beginning and the end of the