How Did Walt Whitman Influence Society

One man comprised a book of over three hundred poems with nine editions that he wrote from 1855 to his death in 1892. This man was Walt Whitman. He was an inspirational and influential writer who wrote many poems along with several books. Whitman got his start in literature working as an editor and journalist for many political newspapers in the 1940s. He is most well known for the previously described book called Leaves of Grass. Whitman wrote during the period of literary individualism known as the Transcendentalist movement which greatly shaped his writing. His 1865 poem "O Captain! My Captain!" sparked a debate over its significance with many critics having differing views on the topic. Walt Whitman's writing was profoundly influenced by the
individualistic movements and the political divide of the country during his time.
Walt Whitman was a renowned American poet, known worldwide for his influential literature. He was born on May 31, 1819 to his father Walter Whitman, a carpenter and farmer, and his mother Louisa Van Velsor. Despite his education only going to the extent of elementary school, Whitman's first real job was as a teacher in Long Island. After this, he began his writing career in journalism as an editor in 1842 for a paper called the New York Aurora. Subsequent to this he worked for many papers and often incorporated his own political views into his work. Whitman was even said to be fired from his job at the Eagle in 1848 because his opinion of a widely debated piece of legislature, the Wilmot Proviso, did not align with that of the owners of the newspaper. Walt Whitman's political views mixed with his experience in the Civil War
working as a nurse from 1861 to 1864 strongly impacted his work and he ended up writing many poems about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln himself. Whitman continued to write and expand his collection of works as he gained popularity as he grew older. Whitman's writing was slowed but did not stop after suffering stroke in 1873 that left him partially paralyzed. He continued to add editions to Leaves of Grass quite literally until his death with the last edition being referred to as his "Deathbed Edition" which was published in 1892. This was the same year of Whitman's death on March 26 and it was said to be caused by complications that were due in part to his stroke. Much of Whitman's success and recognition for his works came posthumously and today he is recognized as an accomplished and esteemed writer in the field of literature.
Walt Whitman's writing career took off during the late 1830s with journalism. During this time, there was a fierce political divide in the country between Democrats and Republicans. The main argument between these groups was about the continuation of slavery. This was a practice that Whitman himself disagreed with and that he wrote about in many of his works. At this time, people in the north, where Whitman lived, were harboring fugitive slaves although the law strictly prohibited it. Although he disagreed with slavery itself, he also voiced his opinion that these slaves should be returned if found. Also in these years, the Industrial Revolution was advancing at an expedited rate. Many manufacturing jobs were available in the north giving the people the money that they needed to be able to spend it on luxuries such as literature and boost the economy. This led to Whitman's recognition in the writing field through the mass consumption of poetry in the U.S.. The Second Great Awakening was gaining momentum during this time also, which produced many reformers such as abolitionists, women's rights advocates, many new religious leaders, and Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism was a huge literary movement that Whitman was a part of during this time which encouraged writers to move toward individualism and self-reliance. This movement had a tremendous effect on his writing, and his style adapted to the change, shifting his views toward literary and social independence. Much of Whitman's work was criticized and reviewed by a colleague in this movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson. All of these influences; political, economic, and literary, all show how Walt Whitman was modified by the world around him.
Many of the poems in Walt Whitman's massive collection of writings are arranged into a book with multiple editions named Leaves of Grass. One of Whitman's most famous works comes from this book and is titled "O Captain! My Captain!" This poem was written later in Whitman's life, just after the Civil War had ended, in 1865. Soon after it was written it was incorporated into the fourth edition of Whitman's aforementioned book of poems, Leaves of Grass. The entire poem is an extended metaphor for the American public's mass devastation over the death of Abraham Lincoln just after the Civil War's end. Abraham Lincoln is referred to as the captain as a symbol of power and the leader of the Union, which is symbolized by a saved ship. These two symbols are seen in the excerpt,"My captain does not answer [if his death is a dream], his lips are pale and still… The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done" (Whitman 17-19). He describes here that although the Union is preserved under Lincoln's leadership and the war that was fought hard and long for is over, the victory comes at the cost of his life. Whitman takes his description one step further and uses vivid imagery to show the reader how the whole country mourned the death of their fallen president. Details of the public's reaction to his death are displayed by the excerpt, "Rise up! For you the flag is flung, for you the bugle trills; / For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths, for you the shores a-crowding" (Whitman 10-11). He describes Lincoln's death, showing the American people how, during military funerals, a flag is raised for the dead and the song Taps is played on the bugle. Whitman also captures the widespread respect and admiration for Lincoln through the gathering of the masses to unite in mourning and the many gifts they had borne following the news of his death. This poem by Walt Whitman was arguably the only work that truly got famous when Whitman was alive, however, it has remained a part of many schools' curriculums since it was created.
Although the poem "O Captain! My Captain!" was a widely read piece, many people debate over the literary significance of Walt Whitman's distinguished poem. When this poem was first published it was critically acclaimed as a great work, however many have dissented from this original opinion since its publication. Many critics of this work offered the thought that the simplistic nature of this poem was far too infantile for a writer of his caliber. Professor Ezra Greenspan of the University of South Carolina claimed that, in this poem, Whitman was trying to please a wider audience by writing to attempt to comfort the American people that grieved Lincoln's death. In doing so, he was not able to create the elaborate art that all of his other pieces seemed to achieve. On the other hand, many critics vehemently defended Whitman's work, insisting that the regular style of this poem was used deftly to suppress the public's outbursts and distress over their fallen leader. One of these supportive critics was Betsy Erkkila, a novelist, who portrayed Whitman as a man who struggled within this work to restrain his emotions. She stated that he immortalized Lincoln while maintaining a minimal interjection of his own feelings and political views into his poem. Despite the myriad of differing views on "O Captain! My Captain!", one thing can be assured, this poem is one that is still relevant to this day and is utilized to convey the unique writing style of Walt Whitman and the transcendentalists similar to him.
Walt Whitman's style of writing was deeply impacted by the world around him. During the time before he started writing, the Transcendentalist movement was started to promote individualism in literature. Whitman was encouraged, by writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson to practice this style of thinking and it eventually became his main approach to writing. Not only was Whitman a Transcendentalist, he also was a Republican in the 1800s. This led to him writing about politics in many ways including producing many works about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. His most famous poem was titled "O Captain! My Captain!" and was written in 1965. This poem let the American public mourn Lincoln's death while Whitman also was able to subtly express his own sadness for the fallen commander. The society that Walt Whitman lived in resulted in his development as a writer and the creation of his own unique style of writing.