Walt Whitman
An influential poet who serves as a
bridge between literary eras…
Walt Whitman


(1819 -1892)
Whitman was born in New York and
lived an interesting life as a printer,
a teacher, a journalist, a carpenter
and eventually a field nurse in the
Civil War.
He was an avid reader, a friend and
admirer of Emerson, and he
eventually produced some of the
most influential and well known
American poetry.
Pictures of Whitman…
So why is this weird looking dude so
important to American literature?
Well…


He lived, wrote, and thought both
before, during, and after the Civil
War. SO……
His work serves as an important
bridge between the
Romantic/Transcendental ideals of
the early 1800s and the shifted
viewpoint on life that predominated
after the Civil War - Realism.
With your partner… (One minute)



What is the metaphor
used to describe Whitman
at the start of this
presentation?
Before today, had you
heard of Walt Whitman?
What did you already know
about Whitman when you
walked in the room?
What are you most curious
to learn about this
influential American
author?
Whitman’s Work as a bridge:
Connection to what was current…

Transcendental values
 A heavy focus on communion with
nature
 A desire to transcend common
experience and gain a collective
feeling of understanding and
knowledge
 An optimistic Romantic belief in
beauty, truth, and democratic
values.
Whitman’s Work as a bridge:
Connection to what was current…

An overall sense of optimism and
enthusiasm for democracy and the
American way of life.
 This is in line with Transcendental
and Romantic thought.
Whitman’s Work as a bridge:
Connection to a new genre…


His experience in the Civil War
brings an element of real,
sometimes horrible experience that
was absent from most work at the
time.
His style signified an important
departure from previous forms of
poetry (which was often very
scripted and reliant on certain
forms).
Whitman…
The Father of Free Verse


Free verse: unrhymed poetry that
does not follow any SET rhyme or
meter. (It can rhyme at times, but
never in any set pattern)
This was new in American poetry,
and it is said that free verse
mirrors the freedom of Americans to
pursue their own happiness.
A stanza from a traditional poem that is
NOT written in free verse.
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave:
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
From “Old Ironsides” by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Now a bit from Whitman
in FREE VERSE.
SPLENDOR of ended day, floating and
filling me!
Hour prophetic—hour resuming the
past!
Inflating my throat—you, divine
average!
You, Earth and Life, till the last ray
gleams, I sing.
From “Song at Sunset” by Walt Whitman
Terms to know with Whitman…





Cataloging: long lists in poems.
Whitman uses extensive cataloging
to build a sense of universality and
commonality to his work.
ALSO KNOW THE OLD STANDARDS:
Simile
Metaphor
Imagery
Now a bit from Whitman
in FREE VERSE.
SPLENDOR of ended day, floating and
filling me!
Hour prophetic—hour resuming the
past!
Inflating my throat—you, divine
average!
You, Earth and Life, till the last ray
gleams, I sing.
From “Song at Sunset” by Walt Whitman
Whitman’s book of poetry

Leaves of Grass



Contains the majority of his work
Whitman published the first several
editions himself, and continued to edit
and re-publish it until his death.
It was said that Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, an important traditional
American poet, threw his copy of the
book into the fire.
Whitman’s book of poetry


Whitman loved
to wander,
absorbing the
“fascinating
chaos.”
He recorded his
observations
and later turned
them into
poetry.
Some of Whitman’s important works
which we will read:


“I Hear America Singing”
“When I Heard the Learn’d
Astronomer”

“Song of Myself” (an excerpt)

“Beat! Beat! Drums!”
Ticket out the door.
On your card…



Define free verse.
List two ways in
which Whitman’s
work is similar to
that of the
Transcendentalists.
List two ways that
his work was
considered new
and innovative.
Ten at the End!! 



Pack up your
things
Pull out your
books
Quietly read for
the last 10
minutes of class