Theme: The poetry of Walt Whitman
INTRODUCTION
Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the
transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works.
Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of
free verse. His work was controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of
Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sensuality. Whitman's own life came under
scrutiny for his presumed homosexuality.
Whitman's work breaks the boundaries of poetic form and is generally prose-like. He also used
unusual images and symbols in his poetry, including rotting leaves, tufts of straw, and debris. He
also openly wrote about death and sexuality, including prostitution. He is often labeled as the
father of free verse, though he did not invent it
Walt Whitman isn't like other writers, who have clearly defined bibliographies of individual
books. His life's work was Leaves of Grass, a collection revised so many times that it is really
several books in one. He also wrote assorted poetry and prose that is collected here in this
volume. Read it to get a sense of Whitman beyond Leaves.
Walt Whitman is America’s world poet—a latter-day successor to Homer,
Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare. In Leaves of Grass (1855, 1891-2), he
celebrated democracy, nature, love, and friendship. This monumental
work chanted praises to the body as well as to the soul and found
beauty and reassurance even in death. Along with Emily Dickinson,
Whitman is regarded as one of America’s most significant 19th-century
poets and would influence later many poets, including Ezra Pound,
William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, Simon Ortiz, C.K. Williams and
Martín Espada.
Originality
• Born on Long Island, Whitman grew up in
Brooklyn and received limited formal
education. His occupations during his lifetime
included printer, schoolteacher, reporter, and
editor. Whitman’s self-published Leaves of
Grass was inspired in part by his travels
through the American frontier and by his
admiration for Ralph Waldo Emerson. This
important publication underwent eight
subsequent editions during his lifetime as
Whitman expanded and revised the poetry
and added more to the original collection of
12 poems. Emerson himself declared the first
edition was “the most extraordinary piece of
wit and wisdom that America has yet
contributed.”
Thematic freedom
Whitman (1819-92) was ridiculed and ostracized during his lifetime. His seminal work -- "Leaves of
Grass," a collection of free-verse poems -- was called by many obscene for its overt sexuality.
Even Whitman’s family was unimpressed with his work. When he brought the first copy home, his
brother George dismissed it: “I saw the book -- didn’t read it at all -- didn’t think it worth reading --
fingered it a little."
But Walt didn’t care. He was writing for those who believed, as he did, that “whatever satisfies the
soul is truth.”
Whitman had abandoned several occupations -- printer, teacher, editor, shopkeeper and house
builder -- because he felt called to writing, in particular to writing poetry that explored nature and
the self. .
Whitman published the first edition of "Leaves of Grass" with his own money in 1855, then printed,
distributed and promoted it himself. He knew the poetry was shocking, but he also knew that its
bluntness was the source of its power. As he once said, “All faults may be forgiven of him who has
perfect candor.”
Whitman’s Keys
Free-verse poet who authored "Leaves of Grass."
Overcame: Criticism of his poetry.
Lesson: “All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candor.”
“Re-examine all that you have been told. … Dismiss that which insults your soul.”
Why is Walt Whitman important?
Whitman is perhaps America's first democratic poet.
The free verse he adopts in his work reflects a newly
naturalized and accessible poetic language. His
overarching themes—the individual, the nation, the
body, the soul, and everyday life and work—mirror the
primary values of America's founding.
.
Writing
Whitman's work breaks the canons of poetic form and is generally close to prose. He used
unusual images and symbols in poetry such as rotten leaves, straw twigs, and rubble. He also
wrote openly about death and sexuality, including prostitution. He is frequently labeled as the
father of free verse, even though he didn't invent it.
The predominant attitude in Whitman's work is joy and euphoria. In this he is totally opposite to
Poe; for the latter, sadness and melancholy are the most conducive states of the soul to write a
poem. The work and life of Whitman will collide head-on with the bourgeois morality
impregnated with the North American puritanism of the time. His rebellious attitude is expressed
in his poems and caused him more than one problem in his hectic existence.
Whitman is a poet who can be defined as the poet of the self, of religion and of democracy.
Whitman is considered the father of free-verse poetry. But he was much more than that. He
introduced readers to previously forbidden topics -- sexuality, the human body and its functions -
- and incorporated unusual themes, such as debris, straw and leaves, into his work.
• Another related technique is repetition in the verse
of Whitman’s poetry. The techniques of repetition
involve anaphora – the repetition of the same word
at the start of each line, epistrophe – the repetition of
the same words at the end of each line, and symploce
– the combination of epistrophe and anaphora. For
example, in the lines quoted above, “I” is repeated
and is called anaphora. The long stanza from the
poem “Song of Myself” is the proof of variety and
complexity employed by Whitman.
• Cataloging is the third related technique employed
by Whitman in his free verse. A catalog can be
observed as a rhetorical repetition and parallelism in
syntax. Typical, the catalog extends from the lyrical
structure of two to four coordinate clauses and
features parallelism of phrase and clause. It also
employs the repetition of the full range of rhetorical
devices.
• The Last related technique to the free verse
of Whitman’s poetry is the effective
irregularity in the form of the stanza. When
compared to the regular repetition of the
stanza, marked by the regular metric and
rhyme patterns, the style of Whitman
characterizes the continuous irregularity in
the length of the stanza.
• The poems written in the last decade of
Whitman’s career and life appear to be short,
not extended from more than twenty lines,
and even less than ten lines. Whitman does
not engage himself in the artistic
manipulation of forms of the stanza.
Moreover, the subject matter of the poems
written in the past decades appears to
produce an effect of irregular verse. Even
though these stylistic features show the
power of poetry, the long and elongated lines
continue to be a part of his late poetry, as
well as the characteristic technique of
Whitman’s unique prose form.
Walt Whitman was a man with the deep desire to represent the poetry of America. The
love he had for his country transcended the horrors surrounding the Civil War. He
remained loyal to his country and became a voice for both Union and Confederate
soldiers. Whitman went through periods of transformation as a man and poet. From his
views on slavery to how he wrote poetry, Whitman changed over the course of a very
short time. This change allowed him to be one of the most well-known poets in today’s
society and also to be known as America’s Poet, his most desired title. His selfless acts of
tending to the wounded soldiers in Washington D.C. proved that he truly had the desire to
make a difference even though he did not volunteer to physically fight for the Union. The
unconventional form of his poetry and the way in which he saw the world were
incredibly significant to his success as a poet, and although he was not accepted right
away, he earned the title of being America’s Poet with the chronicling of his experiences
on the warfront and in Army hospitals. Whitman will always radiate throughout history
with his words on President Lincoln and the voice he gave countless soldiers who died in
the war.
Birth name: Walter Whitman
Bith: May 31, 1819United States flag West Hills, New York, New
York, United States
Death: March 26, 1892(72 years old)Flag of the United States
Camden, New Jersey, United States
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Nationality: American
Religion: Deism
FamilyFather: Walter Whitman, Sr. Professional information
Occupation: Poet
Years active: since 1842
Employer Brooklyn: Eagle Brooklyn Movement:
Transcendentalism
Genre: Poetry
Notable works:Leaves of Grass
Oh Captain my captain
Distinctions:New Jersey Hall of Fame
Signature:
