...Walt Whitman was one of America’s most inspiring poets. Born a poetic genius in the nineteenth century, Whitman influenced the twentieth century with his idealistic poetry. He envisioned democracy as a way of life and looked to America for inspiration. Walt Whitman’s background influenced his writing in many ways and produced a new poetic style which changed the face of American Literature. Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, New York, to Walter Whitman, a carpenter, and Louisa Van Velsor. He was the second oldest of nine children (Price and Folsom online). At age four, Whitman and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he spent a difficult childhood because of his family’s poor financial circumstances. At age eleven, Whitman ended his formal education and sought employment to supplement his family’s income. He got a job as an apprentice on a liberal, working-class newspaper called the “Long Islander Patriot.” There he “learned the printing trade and was first exposed to the excitement of putting words into print and observing how thought and event could be quickly transformed into language and immediately communicated to thousands of readers” (Price and Folsom online). Whitman began promoting his ideas to the newspaper. By age twelve, he had his first words published (Price and Folsom online). He was fascinated with seeing his own words and thoughts in print. Two years later, Whitman’s family moved back to West Hills leaving fourteen year old Whitman...
Words: 1450 - Pages: 6
...Essay on Whitman and Cunningham Society, just a word that most people use to describe the people around them and the population, holds the meaning of so much more. Society always appears to be used in negative context, because normally, it is used to describe a stereotype. The world is fully of stereotypes that are created by the opinions of everyday people, members of our society. Society can be portrayed in many ways, but it is how it is shown that counts. Michael Cunningham in his works of “In The Machine” and “Children’s Crusade”, and Walt Whitman in his poem “Song Of Myself” portray society as a murderer and their characters as the victims. Through interpretations and descriptions, their journeys and victimizations are brought to life through the literature. The ways in which society affects each person are shown in “In The Machine” as Lucas falls to industrialization, in “Song of Myself” as the reader discovers society’s true effects, in “Children’s Crusade” as Cat breaks away from society and finds her true happiness, and in “Song of Myself” as stereotypes are formed by society. Throughout the story, In The Machine, by Michael Cunningham, the main character, Lucas falls victim to society and its expectations. Lucas is just an average boy trying to get by during the course of the industrial revolution. Throughout the course of this period, people in society began to realize how technology was going to take over their lives. Lucas, became very involved in machines, he began...
Words: 1133 - Pages: 5
...alt Whitman Born on May 31, 1819, Walt Whitman was the second son of Walter Whitman, a housebuilder, and Louisa Van Velsor. The family, which consisted of nine children, lived in Brooklyn and Long Island in the 1820s and 1830s. At the age of twelve, Whitman began to learn the printer's trade, and fell in love with the written word. Largely self-taught, he read voraciously, becoming acquainted with the works of Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Whitman worked as a printer in New York City until a devastating fire in the printing district demolished the industry. In 1836, at the age of 17, he began his career as teacher in the one-room school houses of Long Island. He continued to teach until 1841, when he turned to journalism as a full-time career. He founded a weekly newspaper, Long-Islander, and later edited a number of Brooklyn and New York papers. In 1848, Whitman left the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to become editor of the New Orleans Crescent. It was in New Orleans that he experienced at first hand the viciousness of slavery in the slave markets of that city. On his return to Brooklyn in the fall of 1848, he founded a "free soil" newspaper, the Brooklyn Freeman, and continued to develop the unique style of poetry that later so astonished Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1855, Whitman took out a copyright on the first edition of Leaves of Grass (self-published), which consisted of twelve untitled poems and a preface. He published the volume himself, and sent a copy to...
Words: 744 - Pages: 3
...Walt Whitman Through the history of the United States there have been a countless numbers of poets. With them came an equal number of writing styles. Certainly one of the most unique poets to write life’s story through his own view of the world and with the ambition to do it was Walter Whitman. Greatly criticized by many readers of his work, Whitman was not a man to be deterred. Soon he would show the world that he had a voice, and that it spoke with a poet’s words. Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. Thus Whitman began his “Song of the Open Road”. This paper will attempt to describe his life and poetry in a way that does justice to the path he chose. He was a man who grew up impoverished, who wrote from his experiences, and who tried to lift his fellow men above life’s trivialities. These are the points to be discussed on these pages. To know the essence of Walter Whitman, you would have to understand the heart of his writing. For he is in his pen. Walter Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, New York, on May 31, 1819 . He did not have much opportunity for education in his early life. His parents were mostly poor and illiterate- his father a laborer, while his mother was a devout Quaker. Whitman was one of nine children and little is known about his youth except that two of his siblings were imbeciles. No wonder he demonstrated such an insight for life in his poems...
Words: 1701 - Pages: 7
...Name Professor Course Name Date Walt Whitman, Man of Influence Introduction Walt Whitman’s literary works have occupied the highest place in the world of American literature. He has been recognized as the focal center of creativity having truly American experience in the literary expression. Although a late bloomer in the literature world, Whitman embodies the elements of indigenous realism and the New England philosophy which makes him a truly national spiritual synthesis. His works touched on the trying times in the American history during the civil war and a story that influenced the society in many ways. Though a very individualistic poet, his works have influenced many other modern poets, who take after his style and themes. The most exceptional characteristic feature of his work is that he endeavored to always produce a mystical vision where everything was a part of something bigger and was equal in every aspect. Walt Whitman, indeed, embodies many qualities that highlight the real American character like viciousness, diversity, love for adventure and the ever pioneering fortitude of the American people. He is a symbol of variety, largeness and the tendency toward innovation. Brief History Walt Whitman was born on May 31st, 1819 in West Hills, a village near Hempstead in Long Island, New York. His mother, Louisa Van Velsor was a farmer, while his father, Walter Whitman was a carpenter. The family moved to Brooklyn where Walt attended school. He left school at...
Words: 2816 - Pages: 12
..."The two giants of 19th-century American poetry who played the greatest role in redefining modern verse are Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson" (Burt). Both poets Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are considered as the founders of today’s modern American poetry that are tried to revalue the poetry of the last century. Sooner or later, but they succeeded. They put the keystone of the modern American poetry which drifted in the breeze. The poetry has been redefined in a way to be able to get to the modern society's cultural level. The modern poetry becomes more discreet and it uses the topics of everyday life spiced with emotions. The emotions of the human being began to depict a higher quality. By the poets, so to speak, the mankind adjusts to...
Words: 1192 - Pages: 5
...through heart gives us a better understanding of life’s contents. He shows us this through mind and teachings with explanations, through personal experience, and the difference between both learning in a classroom and learning about what's personal to you. Whitman received little public acclaim for his poems during his lifetime for several reasons. His openness regarding sex, his self-presentation as a rough working man, and his stylistic innovations.” A poet who “abandoned the regular meter and rhyme patterns” Through diction, the poem reveals the sense of patronizing, structured learning. The speaker illustrates harshness to book learning through compatiblity. In line two he gives a stern sound to it, creating the feeling of stress. This happens again in line five, with “Lecture-room.” This represents a tense setting, a place the speaker does not want to be. The speaker imparts a sense of confinement, using the “Lecture – room,” while adding even more emphasis to it by its capitalization and indentation of its own line. In the second stanza, the diction changes dramatically, from structured to a whimsical air feeling. The rising and gliding portray a sensual outlook, as the speaker is now more open and free. Whitman wrote this poem in free verse, like most of his other...
Words: 477 - Pages: 2
...Walter “walt” Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. He was born on May 31, 1819 in West Hills, New York. His parents were quaker’s named Walter and Louisa Van Velsor Whitman. He is the second of nine children. He was later nicknamed “walt” to distinguish him from his father. Whitman moved with his family from West Hills to Brooklyn. Whitman didn't really like his childhood as he looked back on it. At age eleven Whitman concluded formal schooling. He then started looking for employment for further income for his family. Later he became and office boy for two lawyers and later was an apprentice and printer’s devil for the weekly Long Island newspaper. There he learned about the printing press and typesetting. He once attempted...
Words: 1035 - Pages: 5
...Issue of race in Jackson, Mississippi, in The Help: combination of Whitman’s egalitarianism and individualism and Morrison’s description of inequality 1. Introduction Throughout time the issue of race has gone through several important transitions and therefore it has been a controversial writing topic for many novelists and poets. For a long time African American people were disdained and used as slaves and later on as help in the household. Laws, such as the Jim Crow Laws, regarding race and human rights were very rigorous and those who did not abide the law were punished severely. When thinking about the struggle it has been for those with African heritage and the people who have fought to reach equality, Martin Luther King and Megdar Evers come to mind. The novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett, adapted for the screen by Tate Taylor, is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960’s. A young girl, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan aspires to become a writer and averse to the way her friends treat the African American maids and driven by the love for her own maid Constantine, she decides to document the life stories of the servants and tries to get them published. Throughout the story, a realistic representation of the 1960’s society is being viewed and there are several sides to the story. Firstly a side that describes the inequality, secondly the struggle with the law and its representatives and thirdly a relationship of love and respect between the help and the children they...
Words: 1677 - Pages: 7
...Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are both influential poets, who have inspired many young writers. The two authors vary significantly from one another. They both have unique style, content, and approach to writing. Whitman writes in a lengthy manner. “Song of Myself” spans many pages and contains long and descriptive lines. An example of his elongated style is, “I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men and women/And the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring taken soon/out of their laps” (Norton Anthology 1028). This thought is expressed over three lines of his poem. This style contributes to the descriptive and eloquent nature of Whitman’s poetry. The reader absorbs much from his writing. In contrast to Whitman, Dickinson writes in an incredibly choppy style. For example, she states, “Flow plain – and foreign /On my homesick eye -/Except that You than He/Shone closer by-…”(Norton Anthology 1210). This style is evident in all of her works. It evokes a haunted feeling from the reader....
Words: 488 - Pages: 2
...Carl Sandburg Although Carl Sandburg had a hard life and a rough time growing up, he expressed himself through writing. Carl Sandburg was a famous poet. Sandburg wrote forty-nine different pieces of poetry. Most of Sandburg’s poems were about human nature. Sandburg had a huge impact on many different peoples lives. Many people influenced Carl Sandburg. As a salesman, Sandburg learned about human nature, which influenced him to start writing. Harriet Monroe, a fellow poet encouraged Carl Sandburg to keep writing, free verse in particular. Poetry connected Sandburg to many different strands of American life. Walt Whitman was a huge inspiration to Sandburg. Once he heard Whitman’s pieces, he instantly was inspired. Carl Sandburg had many different themes of writing. Sandburg’s most common theme was free verse. He had many different pieces that was about him expressing himself and how he feels about different topics. Sandburg’s pieces had a big statement that standed out. Sandburg's poems occasionally sound very blunt and boring but oddly they change your perspective and how you look at things. Carl was such a good example of a great man when it came to his writing. He didn’t care what people thought about him, he just wanted people to understand his point of...
Words: 553 - Pages: 3
...Walt Whitman s Views on Slavery Walt Whitman was a very famous writer, and many people believed that he was pro-slavery. He doesn't really talk about it though because it wasn't anyone else business. Walt wrote a bunch of poems on slavery, but they weren't biased. Although those reading Walt Whitman's poetry during his lifetime assumed that he supported slavery a closer inspection proves that he is actually against it. Many of Walt's poems are based on slavery. Mostly all of them are anti-slavery poems. Some of those poems are The Slave-Ships, Expostulation, The Yankee Girl, The Hunters of Men, A Summons, The Moral Warfare, Ritner, The Farewell, Pennsylvania Hall, The New Year, and The Slaves of Martinique. The Slave-Ships Walt doesn't really express his feelings that much. He expressed himself in his writing. He thinks that everyone should be treated equally and have the same options life, Everyone believes that he is pro-slavery because his parents are, and they were slave owners. Walt felt bad for the slaves because they had to do work for the white people, and he thinks that it would have made it better for white people to do work for themselves. Most people thought he was pro-slavery because his parents being slave owners, and that's what he grew up learning. Also his Friends were pro-slavery, so sense he hung out with them everyone figured that he was to. Back then it was pretty much the way everyone lived. They owned slaves, or paid people to do stuff for them...
Words: 369 - Pages: 2
...A part of the poem “O captain O captain” by Walt Whitman is “O captain my captain! our fearful trip is done;The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. Now not only people that have lost a limb or life in battle are heroes. Everyone that has served and helped is a hero. Not only soldiers are heroes, police officers, firefighters and more. A hero perseveres through times that seem impossible to handle. A quote from the poem “Frederick Douglass” by Robert Hayden is. “Beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world where none hunted alien, this...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...David Deaton Mr. Huitt American Lit and Comp 24 January 2014 Dickinson versus Whitman Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson's works have numerous differences. Compared to Dickinson's short and seemingly simple poems, Whitman's are long and often complex. Yet both twentieth century writers share several similarities when scrutinized thoroughly. Though their approaches differ, they often deal with the same themes, and both pioneered their own unique style of writing. Using death as a theme is probably the strongest connection that Whitman and Dickinson share. Whitman's view on death is reflective of his belief in Transcendentalism. In "Song of Myself", Whitman uses the scientific principle of the conservation of energy to assert that there is life after death, because energy cannot be destroyed; only transformed. In stanza six, he writes "And what do you think has become of the women and children?/ They are alive and well somewhere,/ The smallest sprouts shows there is really no death" (Whitman 124-126). Whitman contends that life remains long after death, Dickinson's writings on death are more complex and contradictory. She personifies death, generally seeing as a lord or as a compelling lover. In one of her more popular poems, "Because I could not stop for Death", death is like a kindly courter. He picks her up in a "Carriage held but just for Ourselves-/ And Immortality" (Dickinson 3-4). Many of her other poems are about the moment of death, and what happens when the living...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...Walt Whitman was a journalist and a poet.Who was most influential in the 19th centery.He was born in Long Island on may 31,1819. His childhood was not a joyful one.His family kept on moving from one place to another because of the bad economic conditions.He started working at the age of eleven and then after that he started working other jobs.Whitman claimed poems to be his first love and regardless of the job he was in he continued to write his poetries.He kept on writing poems until they were published.He view everything in many and different ways. Whitman attended the newly founded Brooklyn public schools for six years, sharing his classes with students of different ages and they were all most poor since children from wealthy families attended private schools. In Whitman’s school, all the students were in the same room, except African Americans who had to attend a separate class on the top floor.most of Whitman’s meaningful education came outside of school when he visited museums went to libraries and attended lectures. The poet died on March 26, 1892 The cause of death was miliary tuberculosis.The autopsy revealed that one lung had completely collapsed and the other was working only at one-eighth capacity. Walt Whitman did and wrote many things he was best known for his realist poetry and political works during the civil war.He wrote poems that showed how he connected to the community.For example two of his best poems were “Manahatta” and “Crossing Brooklyn...
Words: 534 - Pages: 3
