His poetry was considered revolutionary to poetry as it didn't hinge on structure or meter, but rather had a smooth, "spoken word" flow to it. ... An appreciation for the opera contributed to Whitman's poetry not only in theme but also in rhythm. Critics and poets called it "thought-rhythm" and it was popular in Old Testament poetry. ... Music and Whitman's poetry go hand-in-hand, as more of his poetry has been set to music more than any other poet; used in works by Vaughan Williams, Delius, Holst, Hindemith, Sessions, and Rorem. ... Whitman will always be remembered for his...

• Word Count: 1470
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Today, Whitman is known as the Great American I, because of his individualistic approach to poetry, as seen in "Song of Myself." ... Because of this, many composers have taken Whitman's poetry and set it to music (About the poetry). ... Ralph Waldo Emerson, another American icon, said of Whitman's poetry, "I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of the "leaves of Grass." ... The recent trend when analyzing and criticizing the poetry of Whitman is to glorify his homosexuality as it pertains to his work (Constructing Whitman). ... His poem "Leaves of Grass," will continue to ...

• Word Count: 1108
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Emerson, however, recognized its greatness, and now most people agree that it was the first book of truly American poetry. ... After several years spent at various jobs, including building houses, he began writing a new kind of poetry and thereafter neglected business. ... Inspired by the suffering he saw, he wrote the volume of poetry called Drum-Taps', published in 1865 {Benet, 187}. ... Frost was named consultant in poetry for the Library of Congress in 1958 and received the Congressional Gold Metal in 1960. ... It is a poetry which literally begins in delight and ends in wisdom...

• Word Count: 3004
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth basically encapsulates the definition of Romanticism in 19th century poetry as a result of Wordsworth adherence in the writing of this poem to most every aspect involved in the formation of that definition. Other famous poetry belonging to the same era also qualify as Romantic poetry based on the same definition, but none quite so fully as The World Is Too Much With Us. ... Romantic Poetry in the 19th Century Romanticism in the 19th century came about as a result of circumstances peculiar to the era, such as changes in philosophy, religious d...

• Word Count: 1321
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Walt Whitman gives much insight into himself and others in his poetry, and gives his readers a great deal to think about. ... It is also important to note that the poetry of Walt Whitman was unlike any of his contemporaries. First of all, Whitman's poetry almost never contained a rhyme scheme and secondly, he used language of the "common man." ... Although Whitman produced many books of poetry and prose, "Leaves of Grass" contains most of Whitman's "classics." ... Whitman was a man who wrote his poetry without compromise and gave honest interpretations of what he thought to be true. ...

• Word Count: 1471
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Whitman's approach to poetry is a reflection of his thought. ... It is almost as he is tossing seeds into his poetry and allowing the leaves of grass to grow together in whichever form or path they choose for themselves. ... Whitman's writing clearly does not fall into the typical framework of poetry as established by his predecessors, however his work has established its own style. This is what makes his poetry so suitable for expressing one's soul. ... Whitman's poems without a doubt have a style and form to them even though it conforms to none of the rules by which poet...

• Word Count: 1169
• Approx Pages: 5

The romantic writers replaced the static universal types of classical 18th century literature with more complex, idiosyncratic characters and a great deal of drama, fiction and poetry. ... He worked in about twenty different newspapers and magazines printing fiction and early poetry. ... It appears that Whitman's increasing frustration with the democratic party's compromising approaches to the slavery crisis led him to continue his political efforts through the more subtle and indirect means of experimental poetry, a poetry that he hoped would be read by masses of average American...

• Word Count: 3041
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Adding to his fame as a poet, he is often called the "father of the free verse; the open form of poetry. ... Although controversial at first, "I Sing the Body Electric"" is a brilliant example of open form poetry and the virtue of the bodies of both men and women. ... Yet, woven in between these scenes of discomfort are lines of beautiful poetry and pure genius. ...

• Word Count: 861
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman's poetry contains the same themes of Emerson but writes in a more concrete way opposed to abstract theories. ... Emerson's Self Reliance influenced both poets to speak their universal truths through their poetry. ... Through poetry, Dickinson and Whitman speak their own genius. ...

• Word Count: 861
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This paper will attempt to describe his life and poetry in a way that does justice to the path he chose. ... His preface even called for a new "Kosmic" poetry. Whitman celebrated an untamed communion with nature with overtones of sensuality that appeared shocking even though his poetry expressed solid transcendental doctrine. ... It is not enough to say only that Whitman was new and bold in his poetry. ... His form was similar to "thought-rhythm", or "parallelism", which also can be found in Old Testament poetry and in some Indian sacred books. ...

• Word Count: 1688
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Many of Whitman's Works were written to remember prominent people of the past such as Abraham Lincoln, past significant events in American history such as the Civil War, and living experiences that he which he would put into poetry form. ... Whitman left quite and impression and indentation on the American public and literature with this lengthy poetry. ...

• Word Count: 537
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In today's world politics impact everything whether people notice it or not. This big role that politics plays in life gives many a narrow-minded view. The people within the parties of politics have their views, some being more extreme then others. Most have an unwillingness to see further than thei...

• Word Count: 860
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Walt Whitman was arguably one of America's most significant and groundbreaking poets. He was born on May 31, 1819 into a working class family in West Hills, New York. Whitman was the second son of Walter Whitman Sr. who was both a carpenter and a farmer. The Sr. Whitman was never very successful at ...

• Word Count: 277
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

To contend with such enjambments and anarchy to social conventions of poetry, the reader must look at the individual words and its metaphorical meanings. ... The four lines of controlled poetry interjected amidst chaos are the poems" pivotal force in changing winds of direction. ...

• Word Count: 1354
• Approx Pages: 5

Walt Whitman was a follower of the two Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. He believed in Emerson and Thoreau's Transcendentalist beliefs. Whitman believed that individualism stems from listening to one's inner voice and that one's life is guided by one's intuition. Wh...

• Word Count: 617
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

It is interesting how poets from different writing periods can have similar views. Walt Whitman was a Transcendentalist, and Rainer Rilke wrote at the beginning of the Modernist period, yet both have very similar ideas about a poet's dedication to "things." Whitman believed that a poet's thoughts were "hymns of praise" (1855 preface to Leaves of Grass) to things, and Rilke believed that a poet had to "win the confidence" (Letters to a Young Poet) of things. Both poets also felt that we have to reach a certain level before we truly experience life. Of course, both poets had differe...

• Word Count: 2891
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

Walt Whitman Walt Whitman, a great poet, is said to be one of the best poets of his time. "A very lazy person with a lot of time on his hands" was what Whitman thought of himself. Though he was nothing of that sort. Whitman took his poetry seriously and everything he wrote came from his heart. ...

• Word Count: 666
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

This paper will examine the writings of Walt Whitman, "Leaves of Grass-, John Winthrop's "A Model of Christian Charity- and Thomas Jefferson's "First Inaugural Address & Autocracy and Liberty- (Bellah 44, 22, 27). The conclusion will address my thoughts on Walt Whitman's "Leave of Grass-. ...

• Word Count: 676
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Whitman's Elegies and His View of Death An elegy is a poetic response to the experience of loss. Although the elegy is among the oldest poetic forms with a rich history in myths and in religious texts, the elegy was a popular nineteenth-century genre. Walt Whitman was familiar with both old and con...

• Word Count: 1210
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Throughout the past month or so, I have had the pleasure of learning about Romanticism and in what ways it can be expressed. Romanticism is a type of poetry, which is usually expressed through writing. Most of Romantic Poets are close to nature, and have a unique style to which the show their feelin...

• Word Count: 1075
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

After reading and discussing the poems: "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, "I Too" by Langston Hughes, and "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, I realize that culture is all around us. My topic is based off of the moving of immigrants. Sometimes we sit around and judge, not knowing that America is really made up of immigrants. Immigrants come from different countries to make a better life off of money. Immigrants do this because they weren't as wealthy as the United States. ...

• Word Count: 678
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School