Walt Whitm The Most Influential American Poet

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Walt Whitman, perhaps the most influential American poet of his time and in some ways of ours still. Considered the “father of free-verse” and in some areas the “father of modern poetry. Walt Whitman changed the entire face of poetry. At first poetry rhymed, that was it, period, end of story. Walt Whitman changed that and in a way created free verse and took it from a sentimental idea to that of a very common and popular type of poetry. Without him having done this, then those who hate all the rhymes within poetry would never be able to pass an english class. According to Whitman, an ideal poet, especially an American poet did not view himself as being above the common man. They did not just follow tradition blindly without any reason, they