WALT WHITMAN
Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.
Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War in addition to publishing his poetry. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey where his health further declined. He died at age 72 and his funeral became a public spectacle.
Whitman's sexuality is often discussed alongside his poetry. Though biographers continue to debate his sexuality, he is usually described as either homosexual or bisexual in his feelings and attractions.[4] However, there is disagreement among biographers as to whether Whitman had actual sexual experiences with men.[5] Whitman was concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso and opposed the extension of slavery generally. His poetry presented an egalitarian view of the races, and at one point he called for the abolition of slavery, but later he saw the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy.
Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman, age 37, frontispiece to Leaves of Grass,
Main article: Leaves of Grass
Whitman claimed that after years of competing for "the usual rewards", he determined to become a poet.[35] He first experimented with a variety of popular literary genres which appealed to the cultural tastes of the period.[36] As early as 1850, he began writing what would become Leaves of Grass,[37] a collection of poetry which he would continue editing and revising until his death.[38] Whitman intended to write a distinctly American epic[39] and used free verse with a cadence based on the Bible.[40] At the end of June 1855, Whitman surprised his brothers with the already-printed first edition of Leaves of Grass. George "didn't think it worth reading".[41]
Whitman paid for the publication of the first edition of Leaves of Grass himself[41] and had it printed at a local print shop during their breaks from commercial jobs.[42] A total of 795 copies were printed.[43] No name is given as author; instead, facing the title page was an engraved portrait done by Samuel Hollyer[44], but in the body of the text he calls himself "Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a kosmos, disorderly, fleshly, and sensual, no sentimentalist, no stander above men or women or apart from them, no more modest than immodest"[45]. The book received its strongest praise from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote a flattering five page letter to Whitman and spoke highly of the book to friends.[46] The first edition of Leaves of Grass was widely distributed and stirred up significant interest,[47] in part due to Emerson's approval,[48] but was occasionally criticized for the seemingly "obscene" nature of the poetry.[49] Geologist John Peter Lesley wrote to Emerson, calling the book "trashy, profane & obscene" and the author "a pretentious ass".[50] On July 11, 1855, a few days after Leaves of Grass was published, Whitman's father died at the age of 65.
During the first publications of Leaves of Grass, Whitman had financial difficulties and was forced to work as a journalist again, specifically with
Civil War years
As the American Civil War was beginning, Whitman published his poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" as a patriotic rally call for the North.[61] Whitman's brother George had joined the Union army and began sending Whitman several vividly detailed letters of the battle front.[62] On December 16, 1862, a listing of fallen and wounded soldiers in the New York Tribune included "First Lieutenant G. W. Whitmore", which Whitman worried was a reference to his brother George.[63] He made his way south immediately to find him, though his wallet was stolen on the way.[64] "Walking all day and night, unable to ride, trying to get information, trying to get access to big people", Whitman later wrote,[65] he eventually found George alive, with only a superficial wound on his cheek.[63] Whitman, profoundly affected by seeing the wounded soldiers and the heaps of their amputated limbs, left for
Writing
Whitman's work breaks the boundaries of poetic form and is generally prose-like.[1] He also used unusual images and symbols in his poetry, including rotting leaves, tufts of straw, and debris.[102] He also openly wrote about death and sexuality, including prostitution.[82] He is often labeled as the father of free verse, though he did not invent it. About poetic theory Whitman wrote in the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, "The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it." He believed there was a vital, symbiotic relationship between the poet and society.[103] This connection was emphasized especially in "Song of Myself" by using an all-powerful first-person narration.[104] As an American epic, it deviated from the historic use of an elevated hero and instead assumed the identity of the common people.[105] Leaves of Grass also responded to the impact that recent urbanization in the
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