William Cullen Bryant wrote "Thanatopsis" in 1813, when he was just 19 years old. It is Bryant's most renowned poem, and its popularity has persisted because of its subtle representation of death and masterful management of meter, syntax, imagery, and other literary tropes. When you refer to your male friends as "friends" and your female friends as "female friends," you imply that they are a different sort of friend just because they are female. If her name is unmistakably feminine, you may say "my friend." This avoids the issue without mentioning her gender. Bryant used this technique often in "Thanatopsis". By doing so, he creates poems that are sensitive to their times while still being relevant today. "Thanatopsis" is about accepting death, which was important for a young man living in New York City during the early 1800s. However, through poetic license, it has become one of our greatest poems because it expresses an idea that we all face at some point in our lives. Death is inevitable but we can prepare ourselves for it by being aware of how few days we have on Earth. In conclusion, "Thanatopsis" is William Cullen Bryant's most famous piece of work because it is a great example of poetic license. Through poetic license, Bryant was able to write about a subject that wasn't appropriate for the time period in which he lived yet still express an idea that we all face at some point in our lives.