Walt Whitman and War Essay

In “Song of Myself” Whitman attempts to speak on behalf of the entire American population. He tries to pull the reader into a world of many possibilities. Whitman makes a

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

Walt Whitman, one of the world's greatest journalist and poets, touched the lives of many different and diverse cultures through his many works in which he placed his feet in the shoes of everyday people and the experiences they faced. However, his attitude towards slavery and abolitionism were never permanent as if he was constantly torn between how he really felt or how others who did not agree with him would judge his views. As the saying goes, "your first teachers are your parents." Whitman grew up in a racist environment, in which he was a descendent of slave owners. Therefore, he grew up embodying white prejudice and coming to a conclusion that blacks were shiftless and ignorant. However, as he grew older and became more educated on the

When the Civil War ended in 1865, the poet was fifty-eight. His most important work was finished, but his fame kept growing. In London alone, twenty-four different companies were publishing his work. His poems were popular throughout the English-speaking world, and they were widely translated, making him the most famous American of his

    Walt Whitman's poem “The Artilleryman's Vision” was about the effects war has on a soldier. He talked about this man having terrible dreams/ visions about war. Even though

Walt Whitman was a man full of adventures yet filled with many questions about Historical events and Religious matters. His curiosity pushed him to pursue his questions and made him ponder on them, influencing him to write many poems that spoke about the blinded truth. His poems increased his fame as critics talked about him despising the fact that many Americans loved him. The Civil war was propounding for him due to his pride for his country and the lives fighting for it. Walt Whitman’s experience in the Civil war with the wounded soldiers and his alcoholic father inspired him to write about the tragedies of the war and about mental instability.

Whitman tackles the troubling depersonalisation of the Civil War by emphasising the anonymity of the dead and striving to consciously individualise them in his poetry. He notes in Specimen Days that in one war cemetery only eighty five of the graves were identified; the staggering unknown of the war effort is a theme that haunts Drum Taps and his retaliations can be seen most clearly in 'Vigil Strange' and its revisions. In draft form, the dead soldier was referred to in the third person but by the time the poem was published Whitman had altered the perspective to describe the comrade in the second person: Found you in death so cold dear comrade, found your body son of responding kisses (never again on earth responding)

Whitman loved America and its democracy. that love can be partially blamed on his upbringing and his parents who loved the country and the democracy too.

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, Long Island, New York. He was the second of six children. From 1825-1830, he attended public school in Brooklyn. After his years of education, Walt Whitman experimented with many different jobs. From 1836-1838, Whitman taught at several schools in Long Island. After teaching, Walt Whitman returned to printing and editing in New York. During this time he edited many papers such as the Aurora (daily newspaper), Evening Tattler, Brooklyn Weekly Freeman, Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the Brooklyn Times. In addition to editing, he also wrote for the Long Island Star. From 1850-1854, Whitman owned and operated a printing office and a stationary store. During

Walt Whitman had a great talent for writing about war and those who were involved. Whitman had a strong sense of empathy that is shown in his poetry, especially towards wounded and disappearing soldiers. This is shown in the poem, Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night. Whitman does not glorify or glamorize soldiers in war, but rather wrote in terms that were very realistic, which in this poem makes for a sufferable and sad feeling. This poem in particular tells a story of a young soldier that has died next to the speaker of the poem while they are fighting a war. When the reader analyzes this poem, it brings about sympathy for the young solider dying, and the respect the speaker has for his fallen comrade. In war, fallen soldiers had the right to a proper and respectable burial. The speaker is making sure this happens, even though the fallen soldier himself cannot witness it, "Vigil for boy of responding kisses, (never again on earth responding,) (Line 23)".

Walt Whitman is known as Americas greatest poet; however, this took some time. Whitman is considered the father of free verse poetry (Reynolds). The free verse was not accepted among the people very well, the people had no idea how to accept it for what it was. Whitman’s greatest work is a collection of poems and stories called “Leaves of Grass”, which Whitman published his first copy in 1855. Whitman’s collection of “Leaves of Grass” is Walt’s songs about himself, America, the American people, religion, intimacy, and death. Whitman described “Leaves of Grass” as an autobiography, saying it is “an attempt from first to last, to put a Person, a human being (myself, in the latter

When Whitman wrote his poetry, he wanted his to be unique and he wanted it so that his poems would be able to reach to many people within their vocabulary. Whitman’s way of making his poetry stand out among others was by making a new way of writing now called free verse. Sensitive subject would also be integrated into his writing. A lot of the work was focused on the United States and the potential, and problems he saw coming with it.

The discussion opened with the question of whether or not Whitman was a supporter of the war, as it was obvious that he was against the suffering caused by it. There seemed to be a definitive consensus that Whitman was against the war. The Civil War, in particular, pitted brother against brother, which was exemplified in Whitman’s prose, Two Brothers, One South, One North. Cory remarked that Whitman glorified the wounded to prove that there was no true winner in war. This brought about the discussion of Stephen’s second question of whether Whitman’s prose and poetry differed in focus and in realism. For many of the class, it was felt that there was a vast contrast between his poetry and his prose. Carrie argued that Whitman’s poetry feels romanticized

Whitman was one of the most influential American poets. The reason I chose Whitman for this

Why? That my question. Why do we do things so evolved around everyone’s opinion? We only see what people want us to see. But this guy finally saw something different. Something that we all are to blind to see. Walt Whitman, this man has written so many poems on life. He always relates to them in some weird shape or form. I’m going to tell you how he relates to three of his poems.