Walt Whitman

(1819-1892)

The Influences of the writing style of a Great American Poet

Early Life Born May 31, 1819 in Long Island, New York to

Walter and Louisa Van Velsor Whitman. Walt was the second of nine children.His parents had interest in the Quaker way of life.The Whitman family moved to Brooklyn, New York

when Walt was just four years old.Due to bad investments, the family lived in a series

of homes.Whitman learned about typesetting and printing

press when he worked as an apprentice for the Long-Island liberal newspaper, the Patriot, at age eleven.

Early CareerWhitman moved to New York City in 1835 at age 16 to work

as a compositor. He searched for, but was unable to find any other work

because of the failing economy leading up to the Panic of 1837.

Whitman worked as a teacher for a while when he returned home to live with his family in 1838.

Whitman founded his own newspaper, the Long Islander, where he served as editor, pressman, and distributor.

He continued to work for various newspapers from 1842 until 1848.

Whitman lost his position at the Brooklyn Eagle in 1848 after siding with the free-soil “Barnburner” wing of the Democratic party.

Whitman became a delegate to the founding convention of the Free Soil Party in 1848.

Leaves of GrassLeaves of Grass is a collection of poems that Whitman

began writing in 1850 and continued to edit and revise until he died.

He wished to write an American epic which in which he used free verse and modeled the cadence after the Bible.

Only 795 copies of his first edition were printed in 1855.No name was given as the author. There was just an

engraved pictured of Whitman. The book received the most accolades from Ralph Waldo

Emerson who wrote a five page letter to Whitman.The criticism that was received by the first edition

focused mainly on its “obscene” nature.

Civil WarWhitman wrote a poem entitled “Beat! Beat! Drums!” at

the beginnings of the Civil War. It was a rallying call for the North.

Whitman released one of his most notorious works during this time, “O Captain! My Captain!”.

This poem was an extended metaphor about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln is the captain in the poem and the country is represented by the boat. It no longer has a sense of direction due to the dead captain.

Whitman also wrote “The Great Army of the Sick” which depicted his experiences as a volunteer nurse in army hospitals.

“O Captain! My Captain!” O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done;

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

Poetic StyleThe preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of

Grass read,” The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it."

He showed the meaning of this quote when he wrote “Song of Myself”.

Whitman believed that there was a vital relationship between the poet and the society surrounding him.

Essay QuestionWhat impact does the time period have on

the works of Walt Whitman?

Works Cited"Walt Whitman." wikipedia.org. N.p., 2010.

Web. 5 Apr. 2010.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_whitm an#Early_career>.

"Epic poetry." wikipedia.org. N.p., 2010. Web. 5 Apr.2010.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_poetry>.

Price, Kenneth M, and Ed Folsom. "Walt Whitman." The Walt Whitman Archive. 1995-2010. Web. 11Apr. 2010.<http://www.whitmanarchive.org/biography /walt_whitman/index.html#childhood>.