Poets are born not made

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             Early in the American Civil War Whitman learned that his brother, George, was wounded and in a hospital in Washington, D.C. He found George nearly recovered but saw other soldiers badly in need of care. He stayed in Washington as a government clerk and also served as a hospital volunteer. Inspired by the suffering he saw, he wrote the volume of poetry called Drum-Taps', published in 1865 {Benet, 187}.
             After the war Whitman's books began to sell well, and he contributed several articles to magazines. In 1873, he fell ill, suffering the first of several paralytic attacks. He remained an invalid for the rest of his life. Choosing Camden, NJ, as his last home, he lived modestly, enjoying the visits of those who came to honor him. He died on March 26, 1892.
             Robert Frost was born on March 26 1874, in San Francisco. His father, a newspaper editor, died when Robert was 10. The boy and his mother went to live with his grandfather in Lawrence, Mass. In high school, he decided to become a serious student. He later became editor of the school newspaper and was elected class poet. Young Frost was co-valedictorian with Elinor White, whom he married in 1895 {Cox, iiv}.
             Although Frost sold his first poem in 1894, he was not able to earn a living as a poet until more than 20 years later. He attended Dartmouth College for a few months in 1892, then tried teaching, reporting, and other work. After he married he studied at Harvard University for two years. In 1900, his grandfather gave him a small farm near Derry, NH. He worked the land unsuccessfully for 11 years, supplementing his income by teaching. The walks that he took on his farm allowed him to discover the beginnings of new poems. From 1912 to1915, the Frosts lived in England. There were published the two collections that at .
             last brought Frost recognition: A Boy's Will', published in 1913, and North of Boston'(1914).
             Honors followed over the years, including Pulitzer prizes in 1924 for New Hampshire', in 1931 for Collected Poems', in 1937 for A Further Range', and in 1943 for A Witness Tree'.