Walt Whitman “Spontaneous Me” “Walt Whitman revolutionized American Poetry” (Norton 2190). A statement made by many‚ in which the American society can agree upon. His bold style of writing grasps the reader into a world where nature and sexuality meet. Whitman’s collection entitled Leaves of Grass was published in 1855 to a nation barely accepting of new ideas (Oakes). During the time of slavery and great religious value‚ Whitman’s pieces were considered immoral‚ traitorous and were often banned
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Who were Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman exactly? In simple terms they were some of the founders of a uniquely American style of poetry. While their lives only spanned the last eight decades of the nineteenth century‚ their influence on literature has spanned centuries. They became the iconic writers because of their blatant disregard for previous rules of poetry. Dickinson and Whitman’s poems were unique to them and them alone. Besides being unique during their time‚ their works give insight into
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Poet Walt Whitman was born in Westhills‚ Long Island‚ May 31‚ 1819. Walt Whitman lived in Brooklyn as a child‚ his childhood was unfortunately unhappy and boring. He finished education at the age of eleven‚ he then found a job for extra income. As a poet he was not afraid to write about anyone or thing. In the poems “O Captain! My Captain!” and “To You” Walt Whitman uses punchuation and writing about dramatic things to get his points about life across. I think this makes him a good poet because
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As stated in the Declaration of Independence‚ America was built on the principles of “life‚ liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These political ideas bred a type of individualism never seen before. Fueled by these ideas and America’s diverse economic and cultural backgrounds‚ writers like Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson came to embody American literature. Two pieces by these writers that portray their unique individualism are Song of Myself and Self Reliance‚ respectively. While both works
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Walt Whitman is a poet from the 1800s that has written a book called “Leaves of Grass”. The poetry collections contained in this book consist mostly of Whitman’s personal experiences; however‚ there are poems that have themes such as death and democracy. In his collection “Drum Taps” Whitman speaks about the Civil War and its effects on the American people. Many scholars‚ and myself believe that throughout this collection he changes his tone. Leslie Jamison says that critics have dismissed Walt Whitman’s
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Walt Whitman Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet‚ essayist‚ journalist and humanist. He was born on May 31‚ 1819‚ the second son of nine children‚ of Walter Whitman‚ and Louisa Van Velsor. They lived in Brooklyn and Long Island in the 1820s and 1830s. At the age of twelve‚ Whitman began to learn the printer’s trade. 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
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Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson both had different and similar views‚ which influenced how they wrote their poetry. Their social context‚ life experiences‚ and gender are reflected in their poetry. Emily Dickinson focused a lot on death and her struggles of being a woman during her time. Her poems often described the inner state of mind. Waltman attempted to combine universal themes with individual feelings and experiences‚ such as his personal experiences with the Civil War. Whitman and Dickinson
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own unique style of writing. Walt Whitman is an idol for being an original and a unique artist. He has a distinctive voice that many have attempted to duplicate and have been unable to do so. Whitman wrote in an epic like proportions; he developed his own rhythmic structure‚ creating complex lines and stanzas. Whitman’s style of free verse becomes synonymous with his name and works‚ and helped distinguish him as a great American poet. By using free verse poetry‚ Whitman tore down the boundary and structure
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“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman has many different themes that involve Whitman himself and the nation he lived in. Whitman writes about life and death‚ equality‚ self appreciation and many other ideas. If I had to write the song of myself with my own themes and ideas they would be a relevantly similar to Whitman’s. The first theme I would write in the song of myself would be to live the life you’re given and use all the opportunities you’re provided with wisely. The second theme I would write in my
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sense of self back and need to start taking pride in what they do and where they’re from. In “One Song‚ America‚ Before I Go” by Walt Whitman and “I Too” by Langston Hughes‚ the speakers celebrated the concepts of individuality‚ originality‚ and nationality. People of all kinds are influenced by their everyday life and it shows in their work. Walt Whitman is no exception to this rule. Whitman was born in 1819 on Long Island‚ New York. From there he was a free spirit. He worked many different jobs
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