Walt Whitman Research Paper

Walt Whitman, a famous American poet, was born on May 31, 1819 to Walter Whitman and Louisa Van Velsor. His father, Walter Whitman, was a house builder. The second eldest son of nine, Whitman grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island in the 1820s and 1830s. When he was just eleven, Whitman concluded his time in formal schooling. To help his family make extra money, he was an office boy for two lawyers. At the age of twelve, Walt became a printer’s apprentice and was exposed to the printing trade. Thus, Walt Whitman’s love for writing began. At age sixteen, he became a school teacher. Then, at the age of nineteen, he founded a newspaper. Though he liked both of these occupations, he claimed that writing and poetry was his “first love”. Walt Whitman

Though Whitman was not always loved in the United States, in England he was favored by many. Two British writers who enjoyed and praised his work were Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Charles Swinburne. As he developed as a poet, more Americans began to appreciate his work. Walt Whitman is often referred to as one of America’s most significant poets. Whitman’s original writing style provokes new thoughts and discusses new ideas. Whitman’s writing is quite philosophical but also enjoyable for the reader. Some major themes of his writing include love, nature and praise. Though they focus on different subjects, Whitman was influenced by the Holy Bible for writing his famous “Leaves of Grass”. In the 1850s, he produced the first volume of his “Leaves of Grass”, which was a book of his poems. The poems celebrated the freedom of America, love, nature and satisfaction in one’s self. Whitman later came out with multiple additional volumes of “Leaves of Grass”. Some poems from his 1855 edition of “Leaves of Grass” include “I Sing the Body Electric”, “The Sleepers”, and his famous “Song of

The poem talks about how Whitman celebrates himself and his love for nature. In the poem, Whitman implies that everyone is equal and that people should not fear but appreciate nature. In the poem, he shows a dislike of self-righteous judgements. At the end of the poem, he talks about being one with nature. This is one of Whitman’s most popular poems and is liked for the statements made in it. Another one of Whitman’s popular poems is “I Hear America Singing”. This is a short but sweet poem and is appreciated for its simplicity. “I Hear America Singing”, is about the daily American life, consisting of mechanics, carpenters, shoemakers, woodcutters, families and more. In this poem, Whitman acknowledges the life of the common man and the simplicity of daily life. Whitman believed that he himself was part of the common man and no higher than anybody else. After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated just days after the end of the American Civil War, Whitman was inspired to write. Thus, “O Captain! My Captain!” was born. Whitman wrote this poem to express the great leadership that President Lincoln had demonstrated. “O Captain! My Captain!” is three stanzas and one of Whitman’s most renowned poems. The last line, “Walk the deck, my Captain lies, fallen cold and dead”, implies the death of a captain. This “captain” was Lincoln. Another tribute to Lincoln was Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last