Walt Whitman Research Paper

Thomas Hart

5-4-17

Walt Whitman Essay

Mr. Leonard

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman was born on May 31st, 1819 in West Hills, New York. When Whitman was thirty- six, he published the collections Leaves of Grass; the book is now very important in today's American Literature. His main job though was to be a nurse in the civil war. During his work there, he made a collection called Drum Taps in 1865. Whitman eventually died on March 26th, 1892 in Camden, New Jersey.

Whitman started out in Long Island as one of the most influential poets in America. Whitman had eight children in his family and including some that died. Walt Whitman grew up on a farm with his dad struggling to keep them on it and living. His father worked as a farmer, carpenter,

His brother was wounded and was treated there. After he found him, Whitman moved to Washington D.C, the next year and found a part-time job in the paymaster's office, spending most of his time visiting wounded soldiers. In 1865, Whitman published a collection called Drum-Taps, which was based on the civil war. It included eighteen poems, one of which included President Abraham Lincoln.

After the Civil War, Whitman met a guy by the name of Peter Doyle, a young confederate soldier. Whitman fell in love with Peter Doyle, and as Whitman's health began to decrease, Doyle was there nursing him. Peter Doyle did not have the same feelings for Whitman, but they stayed friends. Whitman's life would eventually have a dramatic turn to it in 1873. In January if 1873, Whitman suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. After this, he wanted to go stay with his mother in Camden, but three days after his arrival, his mother passed away.

Over the next twenty years, Whitman took another try with Leaves of Grass. It got attention by the Boston newspaper and it was put on it. The sales went up for Whitman and he gained enough money to buy himself a house. His last and final book, Good-Bye, My Fancy, was published a year before his death. In all, Whitman published around 300

When he was reading the newspapers and editing them, he noticed what was going on, especially slavery. Slavery was the one that inspired him to visit the soldiers that were wounded. The only type of poems he wrote were influential ones. He was named the most influential poet in America and still is. He always had a positive attitude, until he would hear about all the Slavery, women's rights, and other issues during that time. He would write about things he thought that were bad and that would weaken America. Although he was named the most influential poet in America, he did not get that much recognition back then. His work was not as famous as other poets. He got really famous after he died, and his work is more valuable now. His work has more recognition now and more people are interested in it.

One of the most famous works that Walt Whitman published is called Song of Myself. In this poem he celebrates life and himself. He talks about nature, and how much he loves the world. He explains that everything in this world just fits in so perfectly. Walt Whitman is an interesting man because he thinks of himself as many different people. He also makes something that can be described in a couple of words, 1,000 words. He expands his thoughts and tells them in different