Bryant, "America's foremost poet" (Muller 1), uses this concept immensely in constructing the classic poem about life and death, " Thanatopsis". As noted in the Britannica article on Bryant, he grew up a strict Puritan before “rejecting Puritan dogma for deism; thereafter he was a Unitarian” (Brittanica). This shift in doctrinal views is evident throughout “Thanatopsis.” The "nature" in this poem could also be characterized as a single God, which Bryant began to believe in as a teenager, as opposed to his Puritan (Brittanica) background. However, the pioneer of American poetry strove to comment on the man's death in a way that did not make his religious beliefs apparent to except the most ardent readers. Why would anyone want to intentionally disguise their religious association? John Bigelow, Bryant's biographer, recalls that he “used to say that a gentleman should never speak of his love affairs or his religion” (Bigelow 280). It could be theorized that this poet characterized religious experiences as pertaining to mere individuals. Therefore, imposing his religious views on others would somehow limit their individuality in terms of religion. Therefore Bryant strove to “look at death” from the most objective point of view possible. So, while still talking about an omniscient and all-seeing being, he is depicted as