Essay on Walt Whitman - 2286 Words

Walt Whitman was looked upon as the forerunner of 20th Century poetry, praising democracy, and becoming a proclaimed poet of American democracy. He was known as the amp;quot;Son of Long Island,amp;quot; and he loved his country and everything about it. (Current, Williams, Freidel- page 292-293). Whitman lived during the time of the Civil War; a fact that increased his patriotism. Whitman was considered one of the most important American Poets of the 19th Century. (Encyclopedia of World Biography- page 249). He influenced the direction of 20th Century poets such as Erza Pound, William Carlos Williams, Carlos Sandberg, and Allen Ginsberg. Whitman praised democracy and spoke of the flesh as well as the spirit. (Encyclopedia of Biography-†¦show more content†¦Sometimes the narrator was the poet himself. (Lowen, Nancy- page 6). In other passages, quot;Iquot; speaks for the human race, the universe, or a specific character, which was dramatized. Like all Whitmans major poems, quot ;Song of Myselfquot; contained symbols. For example, in the poem he described grass as a symbol of life quot;the babe of vegetation,quot; quot;the handkerchief of the Lord.quot; Whitman praised God and nature. He exposed his gentle nature to his fellow man, and in doing so expressed his love of the world. This was a love he grew up with and carried with him everywhere he went. Whitman loved Long Island and it became a major part of his works. (Webster, Orville III- page 122). He held various jobs throughout his life. He was a printing apprentice, journalist, editor, and school teacher. Walt Whitman sold his first story to quot;The Democratic Reviewquot; shortly after leaving his teaching job. This publication was known to pirate literature from Europe to save money, but it also printed the works of Poe, Lowell, Whittier, Hawthorne, as well as other well-known American lyricists. (Webster Orville III- page 123). It was this publication which gave Whitman his first break as a professi onal writer. The editor of quot;The Democratic Review,quot; John L. O’Sullivan, was so impressed with Whitman and his work, he bought at least three more stories from Whitman that very same autumn for theShow MoreRelated walt whitman Essay1383 Words   |  6 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Walt Whitman nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Walt Whitman was a follower of the two Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. He believed in Emerson and Thoreau’s Trascendentalist beliefs. Whitman believed that individualism stems from listening to one’s inner voice and that one’s life is guided by one’s intuition. The Transcendentalist centered on the divinity of each individual; but this divinity could be self-discoveredRead MoreWalt Whitman Essay901 Words   |  4 PagesWalt Whitman Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, Long Island, New York. 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Through his summer long observation, theRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Whitman s Whitman And Bishop 2009 Words   |  9 Pagesckenboss Nora Burghardt English 11 pd 2 2 May 2015 Exploration of the Individual in Whitman and Bishop   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walt Whitman and Elizabeth Bishop are two of the most highly acclaimed American poets of all time, exploring themes, scenes and emotions that deeply resonate with psyche of the American public. Whitman and Bishop explore the relationship between themselves and their audience by writing about the liminal space between individual and community. As renowned poetic voices for their countryRead MoreLeaves Of Grass By Walt Whitman915 Words   |  4 PagesLeaves on Grass is collection of poems written by an American poet named Walt Whitman. The first edition was published in 1855 but, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting Leaves of Grass, until his death in 1892 at the age of 72. 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