Walt Whitman Biography Essay

While Walt Whitman was trying to start a writing career, he attended a lecture held by Emerson; Emerson’s lecture was about how we as Americans need to start our own ways of writing because we focus too much on European style (Permenter). Take a look at Whitman and everything that he accomplished. Although he was not the first American poet, he was one of the first famous American poets. His Leaves of Grass “represented a revolutionary departure in American literature” (2992), meaning that the poem and its ideas were new to the Americans. He also “opened the field of American and ultimately of modern poetry” (2992). Whitman’s actions are truly what American and American culture stands

Walt Whitman was a revolutionary poet who let his emotions run free through his poetry. Whitman was never afraid to express himself no matter how inappropriate or offensive his emotions might have seemed at the time. This is why Whitman's poem still echo that same sentiment and emotion today almost as loudly as when the drums were first tapped.

Walt Whitman was an American poet whose free verse brought a new style and uniqueness to American poetry. “Free verse is poetry organized according to the cadences of speech and image patterns rather than according to a regular metrical scheme. The meter is irregular and its rhythms are based on patterned elements such as sounds, words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, rather than on the traditional units of metrical feet” (“Free Verse Encyclopedia” 1). You can see his free verse style through his literary works such as “Leaves of Grass” and “Song of Myself”.

Michael Conlin, professor at the University of Wisconsin, stated, "But Whitman was, in the 1850s, consumed by the coming of the Civil War. It was in the midst of the crisis that Whitman wrote some of the most egalitarian and profound verse relating to African Americans." Being born into a lifestyle where he was taught to take full advantage of white privilege and to show nothing more but hatred towards blacks can explain why he was often between mind and matter when expressing himself. The Civil War caused dismay for many whites because they believed that blacks would make life in the North chaotic. Post Civil War drew in even more worry and tension between black and white men. As humans we all want feel accepted by our peers and sometimes worrying about validation from them drifts us away from our own self beliefs. That may have happened to Walt Whitman as well. Deep down he knew that even a scientific theory could not come to the conclusion that integrity, wisdom, and lack of humane quality was based on race. With that thinking, his works provided and showed how e really felt about African Americans. This dismay could have caused him to be called a "nigger lover" by his peers. His thoughts being diminished based on how his peers felt about him may have been what caused him to take advantage of his white privilege and turn the blind eye towards blacks, the ones he once adored and stuck up for. Later on he discovered that that did not solve any problems because he was also confused on how he actually felt himself. That caused his later works to be bright line in which he was helping both races see the sides of their own madness, he too was expressing how he had connected both with the white and the black man. However, some people

The basic meanings of Whitman’s poems are very relevant to what he was facing at the time. As a nurse in the Civil War, he saw many young, dedicated people die for what they believed in. He respected these soldiers, and felt that their deaths should have meaning. Whitman’s poems relate to his ideas that a democracy is built from individuals, and that each individual has a purpose. Although death is an inevitable, Whitman sees all lives as immortal. The legacy people leave behind when they die is something that the poet respected

All Alone      Walter Whitman was an American poet of the 1800’s. Walt was arguably one of America’s influential and innovative poets of his time. Whitman began work as a printer and journalist in the New York City area. He wrote articles on politics, civics, and the arts.

Walt Whitman started off small and became something great. “…Whitman spent his early years…between printing jobs and newspaper writing” (Whitman 422). In the mid-1850s, however, he quit his career to focus on writing poetry. Whitman had received huge criticism on his poem Leaves of Grass. He spent his life editing the poem to be less confusing and more symbolic and expressive. Revising his pieces made people better understand his

Walt Whitman, termed “America’s most uneven great poet” by Tenney Nathanson, is one of America’s greatest poets. Born in 1819 in Long Island, Whitman lived during an era when sexuality, especially homosexuality, a term not coined until years later, was a taboo subject not to be discussed in public. Many of his

It is obvious today from Whitmanís place in American literature that the "scrupulous circles" did pay some attention to his poetry and identifying with at least portions of it. Dana did contend that, "no impartial reader can fail to be impressed with the vigor and quaint beauty of isolated portions" (3).

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819. By the age of twelve “Whitman began to learn the printer’s trade, and fell in love with the written word,” (“Walt Whitman” 1). Later he found employment in journalism. He worked at different newspapers and founded one of his own; a weekly paper called the Long-Islander. In 1855 he began publishing his poetry and today is known as “America’s world poet,” (“Walt Whitman” 1). Whitman is a master of words and a capable commander in chief of the English vernacular. This ability to create masterpieces in just a few lines is evident in a poem he published in 1865 entitled When I Heard The Learn’d Astronomer. By employing vocabulary that has an immense amount of meaning he is able to bring the page to life and bring meaning to an inconsequential occurrence.

Walt Whitman was one of the greatest poets of the eighteen hundreds. Most of his poems can be found in his short book Leaves of Grass. He is one of the best known America 's poets and set the standard for intellectual patriotic poems.

Walt Whitman’s portfolio of poetry was a crucial staple in the American identity. Whitman used his poetry to contribute to the evolution of self-reliance, human freedom and concepts of democracy. These influences can be seen throughout all of his poems, but more relevantly in “Song of Myself”, “For You O Democracy” and in “Live Oak, with Moss”. After analyzing these works thoroughly, Whitman has undeniably aided in the development of American identity and influenced many more American poets and literary authors. Whitman is able to influence his beliefs by creating personal connections in his poems that will resonate with his audience. During the time of Whitman, the Civil War was on the rise

Whitman’s poetry is a result of observing the beginnings of industrialization in New York, which produced a ground-breaking manufacturing of not only machinery, but of thought. Whitman was a pioneer of this era; incorporating the modernity of the time to his works. “Whitman witnessed the rapid growth of the city and wanted to write a new kind of poetry in tune with mankind's new faith, hopeful expectations and energy of his days.” (Reynolds 34) He embraced the typical American mindset and applied it to his poetry to sufficiently represent a universal experience. Though Whitman is often the victim of accusations of homosexuality based on the controversial content of his poetry, his innovative themes and the revolutionary style in which they were delivered was not compromised. Many diverse characters manifested themselves in the voice of Whitman. Through his writing, he shrewdly offers an egalitarian approach to viewing society and the individuals that compose it. This revolutionary technique is an undeniable product of the rapidly growing economy and social environment that surrounded him. The approaching industries effected people of all varieties, which Whitman captured in his poetry. While embodying a

Walter “Walt” Whitman was born May 31, 1819 in West Hills, NY to Walter Whitman and Louisa Van Velsor. Whitman was the second son of nine children and he grew up in a family of modest means who grew up assuming the concrete existence of their country, because they were of the first generation of Americans who were born in the newly formed United States. Whitman did not grow up with an especially affectionate father, he was a stern and rumored alcoholic, but he did have his mother whom he became quite close with and would have a reoccurring role for emotional support in his life.

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, Long Island New York. He was raised by his mother, Louisa Van Velsor, and father, Walter Whitman. His father was a home builder, and his mother stayed home and took care of her nine children. Growing up, Whitman was very ambitious and did a little bit of everything from working at a printing press when he was only twelve years old to teaching to journaling. He believed in anti-slavery during the Civil War and a lot of his journals reflected equality and telling us we are basically all the same. In 1855, he sent out his first edition of “Leaves of Grass” to be published but it was not received well by readers. After receiving negative feedback from it, Emerson sent him a letter praising it and Whitman rewrote a second edition which included Emerson’s letter of approval. Whitman continued working various jobs and ended up settling down in Camden, New Jersey where he looked after his dying mother. In his epic poem, “Song of Myself” he relays the theme that we are all the same and connected in the same unique way. It related to his culture during his time but, it is also very relevant to our culture today. He reminds us throughout the poem the importance of how we should accept each other in our communities.