norm of nineteenth century society. He stood as an example of progress‚ carrying a special characteristic separating him from other poets of his time. Those who break the molds of society by providing realistic perspectives‚ such as Walt Whitman did‚ leave more of an impression on others. In the eighteen hundreds he obtained people’s interest in his writing by possessing a great deal of optimism regarding life and what the world has to offer. This attribute of Whitman is astonishing for his time when
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Hannah Mossor Walter Whitman Biography Barlow Water Whitman‚ was born on May 31st‚ 1819 in Long Island‚ New York. He was an essayist‚ poet‚ ad journalist‚ as well as a volunteer nurse in the course of the American Civil War (1861-65). Walt Whitman participated in the shift in the transcendentalism towards realism‚ and both views are present toward his works. Walt Whitman is referred to as “the father of the free verse.” He was one of the most influential American poets. Inside as well as
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The only certainty in life is death. It’s the only absolute we have within existence‚ yet the thought of dying strikes fear in the hearts of many. The thought of leaving family and friends behind‚ never making a mark on the world‚ or the disappearance of an individual’s unique qualities petrifies many people. For others‚ the uncertainty of the afterlife or the thought that there is nothing after our temporal existence is incredibly frightening. Walt Whitman is an example of the former‚ terrified
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Acclaimed as one of America’s most influential authors‚ Walt Whitman wrote of and for the common people. Living through the Civil War and the social reforms that occurred‚ Whitman’s work is rife with democratic ideals and his views on America. As a poet‚ Walt Whitman explored one’s sense of self in America‚ with abundant references to the politics of the 1800s and the Civil War. Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in New York. His childhood was tumultuous‚ partly because of his family’s lacking economic
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novel Walt Whitman: A Measure of His Song‚ every twentieth century American poet has some encounter with Whitman‚ and each encounter is different. “Roy Harvey Pearce‚ in The Continuity of American Poetry‚ suggests that ‘All American poetry [since Leaves of Grass] is‚ in essence if not substance‚ a series of arguments with Whitman…’ One way to understand twentieth-century American poetry is as an ongoing and evolving discussion‚ debate or argument with Walt Whitman‚” (Perlman 22). From these discussions
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to show what Whitman thought of Manifest Destiny. "I loafe and invite my soul‚ I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass." What this seems to be saying is that the country as a whole should just sit back and relax‚ asking if conquering our way to the opposite shore really matters. Whitman obviously does not think so‚ he is happy lying in the grass‚ not caring whether America advances its borders or not. The first of these lines also seems to say that America should be looking inwards
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He discusses the many possibilities of grass‚ saying it could be "the handkerchief of the Lord" or even "the babe of vegetation." However‚ it is his final realization that brings about another one of his themes; Death is not scary‚ but a part of nature. He talks about how the grass is the beautiful uncut hair of graves‚ and all who die return to the ground that their mothers bore them from. In this same theme
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Myself" The historical context is of monumental importance when interpreting Walt Whitman’s poetry‚ specifically the first section of “Song of Myself”. • The absence of historical knowledge‚ for the time in which it was written‚ is likely to leave the reader wondering why the narrator is filled with such conceit. • Once we are introduced to the fact that this poem was written in 1855‚ a time when the author had witnessed American expansion‚ intense patriotism‚ slavery‚ and the stirring
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Whitman’s students lay in grass to watch lady bugs and waded through ponds to catch frogs. Why?—Because Whitman did not see the merit in students learning through second-hand methods. “…But each man and each woman of you I lead upon a knoll” He wanted to truly show his students the world‚ as closely as possible‚ recognizing he could learn as much from them as they could from him. In many ways‚ Whitman helped the American education system along‚ though he would surely still criticize it today. In
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person is politely listening to an renowned astronomer lecture about stars as the astronomer expounds through equations and number and odd pictures that seem to have little to do with stars. The listener becomes confused and nauseous. He promptly leaves the class where he looks up and experience actual stars. This poem explicates that while scientific calculations can quantify and measure the components of starts‚ but the allure can only be fathomed through romantic musing. Only a quixotic perspective
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