One characteristic that distinguishes 19th century American authors is their inclusion of characters and narrators who were often absent from the work of European writers, including wage laborers, prostitutes, slaves, soldiers, sailors, and so on. Choose two works by different author from the following list: Whitman and Melville. Question: What thematic, literary or poetic techniques do they employ to address the benefits and/or risks associated with the American ideal of e pluribus unum?