Whitman's Writings In Leaves Of Grass example essay topic

Walt Whitman 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. The Transcendentalist centered on the divinity of each individual; but this divinity could be self-discovered only if the person had the independence of mind to do so.

Whitman lent himself to this concept of independence. He once said", Everything on earth has the divine spark within and thus is all part of a whole". (web. pg 2 trans.) This philosophy of individualism led to an optimistic emphasis on society. Because Whitman immodestly praised the human body and glorified the senses, "Walt Whitman's poems assert the worth of the individual and the oneness of all humanity". Walt Whitman was an American poet who was born on May 31, 1819, near Huntington, N.Y. He was the second of a family of nine children. His father was a carpenter and his mother, who he a had a close relationship, was a housewife. When he was four years old, his family moved to Brooklyn, where he attended public school for six years before being apprenticed to a printer.

In 1835 he began teaching in country schools. After several yrs. spent at various jobs, including building houses, he began writing a new kind of poetry and thereafter neglected business. Shortly after, in 1955 Whitman issued the first of many editions of Leaves of Grass, a volume of poetry in a new kind of versification, far different from his sentimental rhymed verse of the 1840's. Andrews 2 Whitman's first poem in Leaves of Grass is called "Song of Myself". In this poem Whitman writes about himself and as is characteristic of Whitman, the "self" becomes a metaphor for humanity as a whole. Whitman came to no conclusion and does not satisfy the readers of this poem.

In "Song of Myself" Whitman tells us that the absolute unity of matter and spirit, and all which that unity involves, is the dominant conception of this first and most characteristic period. Whitman said, "The true poet is not the follower of beauty, but the august of beauty". (pg 362 Crit). Whitman's "Song of Myself" was capable of making whoever withes to be so, wiser, happier, better; and it does these not by acting on the intellect, by telling us what is best for us, what we ought to do and avoid doing, but by acting directly on the moral nature itself, and elevating and purifying that. "Song of Myself" is the most complete utterance of Whitman's first great conception of life".

No innovations must be permitted on the stern severities of out liberty and our equality". (web. page 2 USR) That was the message that Whitman was trying to get through to people by reading his poems. In most of Whitman's poems including "Song of Myself " Whitman appears to be surrounded by women and children, and by young men, and by common objects and qualities. He gives to each just what belongs to it, neither more or less. The person nearest him, that person he ushers hand in hand with himself.

"Song of Myself' was the poem that I believe reviewed the most about Whitman's attitude and beliefs. In "Song of Myself " Whitman celebrates individuality and his beliefs of the existence of a shared universal self or soul. This also shoes how he really believed in Transcendentalism which stated strong intense individualism and self-reliance. Critics who didn't believe in Whitman's beliefs rejected his optimistic outlook on humanity and life. They declared such optimism naive and unrealistic.

They felt humans were depraved and had to struggle for goodness. They feared the people who desired complete individualism would give into the worse angles of man's nature. They viewed Whitman's Transcendentalism as selfish and. Andrews 3 Whitman's Leaves of Grass was made up of 11 other poems that were just as inconclusive as "Song of Myself". They were all written to express Whitman's belief of Transcendentalism.

In the Leaves of Grass are the facts of eternity and immortality, largely treated. Leaves of Grass was an at temped, as they are, of a naive, masculine, and affectionate person, to cast into literature not only his own grit and arrogance, but his own flesh and form. His whole work, his life, manners, friendly ships, writings, all have among their leading purposes an evident purpose to stamp a new type of character, namely his own, and indelibly fix it and publish it, for the present and future of American letter and American young men. "First be yourself what you would show in your poem". (Crit pg 359) This seems to be this man's example and inferred rebuke to the schools of poets. Walt Whitman produced moral elevation in the people who read his poetry.

He increased the readers true happiness, and the most valuable of all the "gifts of the universe". (pg 361 crit.) Whitman believed that the man who has in his composition the most love and faith, and the least hate and fear, will stand (other things being equal) in the closest relationship to universal truth and also be the wisest man. Whitman also gave us wisdom, which, is clearly another of the che if:" gifts of the universe". The man with a low moral nature who is full of hate and fear, and the compounds of these, such as envy and jealousy, cannot possibly live a beneficent and happy life. On the other hand, its is inconceivable that the man who is full of love and faith should live a bad life. So that moral elevation, besides giving us happiness and wisdom, gives us the power and inclination to lead good lives. This is what I summed up after doing research on Walt Whitman.

Leaves of Grass is the bible of Democracy, containing the highest exemplar of life yet furnished, and suited to the present age and to America. The book is also an attempt to put a person, a human being freely, fully and truly on record. Whitman's writings in Leaves of Grass expressed his love of America. He truly believed in the idea of perfect and free individuals. his works greatly influenced poets, critics, and students of contemporary society. Andrews 4 Whitman believed in the faith that Americans might reach both material and that were yet unknown. Whitman said, "The chief reason for the being of the United States of America is to bring about the common good will of all mankind, the solidarity of the world". (pg 357 crit) As you can see Whitman truly believed that every body in the world had a good side to them.

In Leaves of Grass he celebrated the free individual in a rough, robust society and set forth his unorthodox views on sex and morality. He used the same theme in all of his poems throughout the book. Its almost seems as if he wrote the book just for one reason. That reason being how important every individual in the world is.

There really has never been any other books that every have given us the hint that it is so important for the human race to remain one. In conclusion, I conclude that Whitman's poems really do express his Transcendental beliefs. I believe he really did try to assert the worth of the individual in all his poems. He used great similes and metaphors to pinpoint his beliefs. Also, his frequent use of cataloging, parallelism, and free verse contributed to his beliefs. Whitman was a great writer who brought up his own way of writing poetry.

His poems were all original. Whitman was not a follower of transcendentalism, I believe he was the leader. Even though he wasnt the founder of transcendentalism I still believe he really contributed to it. With out him I believe there would have been a larger amount of Anti-Transcendentalist. Many people have been inspired by Whitman's work today. Even after over one hundred yrs. after his death, his work is widely known around the world.

Whitman's work will never be forgotten and the impact that he has had on many successful poets will keep going on for century's and century's.