Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Not Just a Bridge, but an American Legacy

        
Walt's Life:
       Walt Whitman, born on May 31, 1819, would later become one of America’s most influential poets. Walt was the second of the Whitman’s eight children, who lived together on a small piece of Long Island farmland. Born into meager beginnings, he quickly learned the value of hard work. His father often worked multiple jobs to support the large family, and at age 11, Walt was pulled out of school to help out. He took a job at a printing business where he worked until he became a school teacher. 

      After teaching for several years, Walt's intrigue for journalism and writing grew. He quit his job, and began to write and edit for various newspapers over the following 7 years. Walt fell deeply in love with writing. It was writing, in fact, that he turned to when he saw the nation he loved facing ruin.  

     Walt's patriotism stemmed from his upbringing and his parents, who were staunch believers in the American dream. In fact, they named many of their children after famous American figures, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Walt was against slavery, for he feared it would lead to the downfall of American democracy, which he so greatly admired. He was part of the Free Soil Party, who were adamant supporters of the abolitionist movement, and later absorbed by the Republican Party. 

     Walt published his first piece, Leaves of Grass, in 1855. The collection expressed his concerns with the country's growing tensions surrounding slavery and other Civil War issues. It also became controversial for its uses of sexuality. Walt could only afford to print 795 copies of Leaves of Grass. When the Civil War began, any promises the piece had shown fell through. His publishing company went out of business, leaving him broke. However, Walt would continue revising and adding to Leaves of Grass until his death.

     When the Civil War began, Walt's brother George enlisted. George was later injured, causing Walt to travel south to find him. This started Walt's journey throughout Civil War America. He traveled for years, visiting battlefields and wounded soldiers. During this time, he reflected on war and the future of American. These thoughts were published in his following piece, Drum-Taps, which exposed brutal yet significant moments of war.
     Walt continued writing and volunteering with wounded veterans until he suffered a stroke and was left partially paralyzed. Other than Leaves of Grass and Drum-Taps, Walt also produced works such as Specimen Days, and Democratic Vistas. He later returned to Camden, NJ with him brother, where he later died on March 26, 1892.

Walt's Legacy:

      Walt Whitman is not just a bridge, a stamp, or a school. All these things have been attributed to honoring and remembering his legacy, but they cannot come close to representing the impact this American poet had on his own society and ours. Walt Whitman is, what he would later been known as, the "poet of democracy." Through personalization and eloquence, Walt's poetry gives a different perspective of history. One that can be felt, and experienced. Not only do his poems share deep statements about life, but they bleed with passion, patriotism, and raw emotion. Because of these things, Walt was able to sway the hearts and minds of the 19th century and onward. His works are featured and reflected in school curriculums all over the world, in pop culture, and in everyday life. 

Walt's Influences:

      Walt was influenced by many people over his life. His parents, with their hard American work ethic and patriotism, taught Walt appreciation for his country at a young age. During his Civil War years,  Walt's eyes were opened by all sorts of people. The wounded soldiers gave Walt sight into the war's harsh realities, while also showing him humanity's affectionate side. In addition, Walt was greatly moved by President Abraham Lincoln. Although he never met the man, Walt admired Lincoln profoundly. When the President was assassinated shortly after the war's end, Walt wrote multiple elegies on his death. These include "O Captain, My Captain," and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Boom'd," both which became very popular pieces. 

Walt Whitman in Pop Culture:

      A scene from one of my personal favorites, Dead Poets Society

Quotes From Whitman:

My Prezi:

My Chosen Poem:  "O Captain, My Captain!"

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

                 But O heart! heart! heart!

                   O the bleeding drops of red,

                       Where on the deck my Captain lies,

                            Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

                         Here Captain! dear father!

                            This arm beneath your head!

                               It is some dream that on the deck,

                                 You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

                         Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

                            But I with mournful tread,

                               Walk the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.

Works Cited:

"Walt Whitman." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2015.

"Walt Whitman." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.  

       Photographs:

                      https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Walt-Whitman-Photo-Portrait

                      http://www.likesuccess.com/author/walt-whitman

                      https://www.pinterest.com/smcburnette/walt-whitman/