... not a man to follow others. "Self-reliant, with haughty eyes, assuming to himself all the attributes of his country, steps Walt Whitman into literature, talking like a man unaware that there was ever hitherto such a production as a book, or such a being as a writer" . Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published on the fourth of July in 1855. He was thirty-six years ... that was designed to shock, startle, surprise, and disturb. The others varied from psychological dream fantasy to poetic-absorption of the universe. His preface even called for a new "Kosmic" poetry. Whitma...

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