I Too by Langston Hughes vs One Song America Before I Go by Walt Whitman
Alexander Tharpe
English 1102
Dr. Wurz
29 September 2013
Originality and Nationality One of the most disturbing things in today’s culture is a loss of originality and nationality. People are no longer proud to be Americans and instead of pushing for new heights people follow in the footsteps of others. People today need heir 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 including working as a printer, political campaigner, writer, editor, freelance journalist, house builder, newspaper, publisher, hospital volunteer, office clerk, lecturer, teacher, and official in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Folsom). This seems to have directly translated into his writing as he is often referred to as the father of free verse poetry. While he was clearly a spark plug in the work place he didn’t start out as a huge sensation of a poet. In fact he at least partially taught himself how to read and write (Shepard). Writing first became a big portion of his life when he began to work with the Long Island Patriot newspaper. Here he was hired as an apprentice to a printer but began editing and really becoming involved with the act of writing literature. Even though this opportunity came at the very young age of twelve, his career as a writer never got its footing until 1855 when he released Leaves of Grass. From there he continued to show influence from his surroundings in his poems. For example when the Civil War broke out he volunteered in a hospital that his brother was in from being wounded in the war, he wrote a handful of
English 1102
Dr. Wurz
29 September 2013
Originality and Nationality One of the most disturbing things in today’s culture is a loss of originality and nationality. People are no longer proud to be Americans and instead of pushing for new heights people follow in the footsteps of others. People today need heir 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 including working as a printer, political campaigner, writer, editor, freelance journalist, house builder, newspaper, publisher, hospital volunteer, office clerk, lecturer, teacher, and official in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Folsom). This seems to have directly translated into his writing as he is often referred to as the father of free verse poetry. While he was clearly a spark plug in the work place he didn’t start out as a huge sensation of a poet. In fact he at least partially taught himself how to read and write (Shepard). Writing first became a big portion of his life when he began to work with the Long Island Patriot newspaper. Here he was hired as an apprentice to a printer but began editing and really becoming involved with the act of writing literature. Even though this opportunity came at the very young age of twelve, his career as a writer never got its footing until 1855 when he released Leaves of Grass. From there he continued to show influence from his surroundings in his poems. For example when the Civil War broke out he volunteered in a hospital that his brother was in from being wounded in the war, he wrote a handful of
Cited: Shepard, Jeffery. Literary Worlds Walt Whitman. BYU, Jan. 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. Folsom, Ed, and Kenneth M. Price. The Walt Whitman Archive. Center For Digital Research, Sept. 2002. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.