"William Cullen Bryant was the first poet of note in this country and is often called the `Father of American Poetry'," said biographer Laura Benet (9). William Cullen Bryant was born on November 3, 1794 in the modest town of Cummington, Massachusetts. His father was a doctor by the name of Peter Bryant and his mother, Miss Sarah Snell, was a descendant of John Alden, a passenger on the Mayflower. ("Bryant, William Cullen") At nine years old, Bryant wrote his first poem when his grandfather asked him to create a verse from the first chapter of the Book of Job. He came up with:

His name was Job, evil he did eschew,

To him were born seven sons; three daughters, too. (10)

On March 18, 1806 at the age of twelve, Bryant had his first poem published in the Hampshire Gazette. It was titled, "A Poem: Composed by a lad of 12 years old, to...