Walt Whitman Influence

Whitman wrote broad stanzas and focused on the whole of America as his inspiration. His lines covered a wide range of topics and generated multiple points of view for the reader. He called his life’s work “Leaves of Grass”; stressing the

Pound thinks of Whitman’s poem as crude and unrefined in “Song of myself”. In section 36 it states:

Walt Whitman is one of americas greatest poet’s. He was born on long Island at a time before it became a city it was all fields and farms at that time. He left school at age 11; but he kept on educating himself especially he was reading the works of emerson who was a famous author and lecturer. Whitman worked as a newspaper editor in Manhattan but he had the hope and desire to become a Poet. He read emersons essay, “the Poet”, and he started to work on his most famous of all his works which was called “Leave’s of Grass”. It was not a hit at-the-time, the public mostly called it scandalous; because it dealt in part with sexual desire and passion. However, he sent a copy of it to emerson, Emerson was one of the few who praised it. Whitman

Walt Whitman changed poetry forever. His radical form of poetry changed how poetry was viewed. This is very similar to the rise of Hip Hop and how it has changed music forever.

In the article, “Lincoln and Whitman,” by David S. Reynolds, Abraham Lincoln had a huge impact on the poetry of Walt Whitman. First off, Lincoln believed Whitman’s poems about him were astonishing and therefore read them to his colleagues. In addition, Whitman’s writing in his poems had changed after the Civil War occurred and his poetic output decreased. For example, before the Civil War, Whitman wrote comprehensive poems. Whitman’s poetry volume, “Leaves of Grass,” thoroughly explained how the relationship between Lincoln and him was nothing short of legendary. Abraham Lincoln was impressed with Whitman’s poem volume and decided to read it aloud to his colleagues. However, Whitman’s content in his poems had changed after the Civil War. Whitman

“Whitman claimed that after years of competing for the usual rewards he was determined to become a poet,” (Cambridge University Press, 1996). At first he experimented with a variety of literary genres that would appeal to people’s tastes of the period, although, he intended to write an American epic and used free verse based on the Bible. In 1850, he began writing poetry that would

Walt Whitman, born on May 31, 1819, is an influential and well-known American poet. Growing up, Walt Whitman lived a modest, yet difficult life. At age 11, Whitman began working in the printing business. Here, Whitman found his love for journalism and poetry. From here, Whitman organized a weekly paper known as, the Long Islander. Unfortunately, the Long Islander rapidly folded. After this venture, Whitman became an editor at various newspaper companies. Two companies include, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and the Crescent. After losing both these jobs, Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass, his most influential work. Leaves of Grass attracted the attention of Henry David Thoreau, the author of “Civil Disobedience.” Sadly, Whitman never gained financially

Walt Whitman was one of the most influential poets in America. In his writings he has unique views on human nature, sexuality, religion, and politics. He was often criticized for his openness towards sex, as shown in his first works called “Leaves of Grass”. His poetry focused on practical and optimistic democracy and the concern he had with equality among all human beings (Whitman, “A Concise Biography”).

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 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.

     Often called "the poet's poet," because of his profound influence on 20th century writing in English, American poet and critic, Pound, believed that poetry was the highest of the arts. You never would have believed that a writer and optimist such as Ezra Pound would have been born in Hailey, Idaho in 1885. From the sound of his work you'd thing he was definitely one of those European Imagist. In 1908, after teaching college for two years, Pound traveled abroad to Spain, Italy, and London. He followed the teachings of Ernest Fenellosa and became very intrigued by Japanese and Chinese poetry. The literary figure who has had the most substantial impact on modern thought

Walt Whitman 's Leaves of Grass define the aspects of democratic poetry. Early reviews of Leaves of Grass claim that Whitman is the original American poet. This is due to how Whitman practices the democratic view of human equality. For example, if we take a look at a review published in the New York Daily Times that was written in 1856, less than a year after leaves of grass was published, the author claims about Whitman “We are much mistaken if, after all, he does not yet contribute something to American literature which shall awaken wonder.” The reviewer recognized early on of Whitman’s genius and was able to predict Whitman’s influence on American poetry. Charles Dana of the New York Daily Times writes a review of Leaves of Grass in July of 1855, just months after its first publication. In the review Dana states “He vouchsafes, before introducing us to his poetry, to enlighten our benighted minds as to the true function of the American poet.”(Dana, Charles A. "Review of Leaves of Grass (1855)This observation, suggests that in American politics, culture, and prior literary sources we were missing this American vision.

As Walt Whitman wrote his multiple editions of Leaves of Grass, each edition always had something new, because he would take his experiences and reflect them into his poetry. For example, the first edition that came out in 1855 wasn’t popular, “Walt Whitman’s literary masterpiece, Leaves of Grass, was first self-published in 1855 with less than glowing reviews.” (Woodworth p. 270). Walt Whitman self-published his first edition due to not being able to find a publisher, the book was beautiful with green leather on the front to give the feeling of “laying down in the grass”. The first edition was mainly focused on nature and the solitude that is found within it. In addition, his involvement in the Civil War appears in the later editions, “When the war broke out, he soon found himself working as a wound dresser for the North. These war experiences became the subject of Drum Taps, a series of poems set during the war.” (Woodworth p. 272). His experiences in the Civil War could be read about in the fourth edition published in 1867. The fourth edition mainly focused on the Civil War and Reconstructionism. Furthermore, his background life before publishing has an influence on his writing, “The life familiar to him is the picturesque, free, unconventional life of the people—not the pale, monotonous, artificial life of literary student, aristocrat, or plutocrat. He enters profoundly into all their difficulties, enjoyments, sorrows, and eager aspirations.” (Noel “A Study of Walt

Three of the most well known Western genii of poetry are Alfred Lord Tennyson, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman. All of these men have exemplary traits and attributes in their respective sectors of poetry. Tennyson, Hughes and Whitman all played a major role in the world of poetry and many factors of theirs’ are still influencing prose to this day. Despite being among the most influential poets of the American canon, Walt wasn’t born quoting Shakespearean poetry. He was born in New York to a poor family and was the second of nine children. After concluding formal schooling at the age of eleven, Walt started to work for the local printer. He became an active member of his local library, joined a public speaking club, and started watching theatrical performances. At his local library, he studied history, theatre, literature, music, geography, and many other sciences. At the age of thirteen Walt anonymously published his first ever poem in the “New-York Mirror”. After a temporary collapse of the printing industry and variety of different jobs, Whitman started to indulge in freelance fiction and poetry writing.

Ezra Pound was an American expatriate poet and a crucial figure in the early modernist movement. His famous contribution to the modernist movement was his influential work of developing the literary style of Imagism. His favoritism towards using musical properties in the poetical verse, and intense use of vivid imagery, helped to not only influence many other famous poets such as Robert Frost and D.H. Lawrence, but also to change the literary world forever.