WALT WHITMAN
FATHER OF AMERICAN POETRY
1819-1892
Early Life


Born on Long Island & raised in Brooklyn
No formal education, but very well read
 Sir Walter
Scott
 Shakespeare
 Homer
 Dante

Trained to be a printer
 Alternated
between printing and journalism

Became Editor of The Brooklyn Edge @ 27
 Fired

in 1848 because of his opposition to slavery
Traveled cross-country before going to work on
a paper in New Orleans
 observed
the diversity of the American landscape
and people
 “I Hear America Singing”

1850: quit journalism to devote his energy to his
writing
Whitman: The Poet


Heavily influenced by Emerson’s vision of a “new
kind of American poet”
Writing broke every poetic tradition of rhyme and
meter
Free verse
 Celebrated America and the common man


1855: 1st Edition of Leaves of Grass
Highly criticized
 Whittier (noted Fireside poet) threw his copy in the fire
 Emerson touted the collection as “the most
extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has
yet contributed”

Leaves of Grass




Whitman’s “life work”
Continually revised, reshaped, and expanded
the collection until his death in 1892
Viewed the collection as a single long poem that
expressed his evolving vision of the world
Used his poetry to convey his beliefs
 Democracy
 Equality
 Spiritual
unity
 Potential of the human spirit
Leaves of Grass

1st Edition: 1855
 12

unsigned and untitled poems
“Deathbed” Edition: 1892
 383
poems
 Captures diversity of the American people
 Conveys the energy and intensity of all types of life
Whitman: Style
all people of all times are
connected by their shared
experience of life
 Free Verse:
poetry with irregular meter and
line length; sounds like natural
speech; does not follow strict
rules or formulas
**Whitman is the 1st American poet to write in
free verse

Epic theme:
Whitman: Style





Long Lines
Catalogues/Lists
Anaphora:
Diction:
Onomatopoeia:
the repetition of phrases or
sentences with similar
structures or meanings
word choice
words whose sound imitate
their meaning
YAWP!
“SONG OF MYSELF”
page 428
1
1.
2.
3.
4.
Look at stanza 1, how does this stanza convey
epic theme?
What does Whitman mean in stanza 3 when
he writes “My tongue, every atom of my blood,
formed from this soil, this air”
What attribute of Whitman’s writing/life is he
referring to in the 4th stanza?
Original energy = ___________?
6
1.
2.
What does this section reveal about Whitman’s
attitude about life and death?
What is the connotation of each of the
following words:
a)
b)
c)
Onward
Outward
Luckier
9
1.
2.
3.
What is the overall tone of this section?
What is the image that Whitman creates in
this section?
Why might he include this content in “Song of
Myself”
14
1.
What aspects of life does this section
celebrate?
17
1.
2.
What ideas are emphasized in this section?
How does the structure of the stanza reinforce
its message?
51
1.
2.
3.
4.
How is this section different than the others in
this excerpt?
What is the overall message of this section?
What is the tone of the section?
How does this section fit into the final edition
of this collection?
52
Analyze the following lines:
I too an not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world.
I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.
Whitman’s Style “hunt”
Find an example of each attribute of Walt
Whitman’s style.
Write the attribute this line illustrates, the
poem section, and the line from the text.
“I HEAR AMERICA SINGING”
page 435
Analysis Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What do the “varied carols” represent?
Identify two aspects of Whitman’s style that are
most evident in this poem.
How do we see epic theme in this piece?
What types of people does Whitman include in
the poem (List them! There are 12.)
What image of America does Whitman portray in
this poem?
In the final lines Whitman makes a distinction
between the day and the night. Analyze these
final lines.
Group Writing Assignment



Presumably after his trip cross-country,
Whitman writes “I Hear America Singing” to
illustrates the diversity and drive of the
American people.
In your small groups, write an imitation of
Whitman’s piece about UHS. Utilize similar
stylistic elements in your writing.
Your Title: “We Hear UHS Singing”