Walt Whitman 1819-1892

Background One of 8 children                                      One of 8 children Lived in both a country setting and the city of New York (Brooklyn) Family was not prosperous Little formal education

Background Worked in journalism until the age of thirty He kept journals and diaries that became the basis for much of his literary work.

Whitman’s Poetry In 1855, he published his most important collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. He revised it nine times before his death in 1892. “Song of Myself” is one of 12 poems in the book “Song of Myself” has 52 sections

Whitman’s Poetry Continued Leaves of Grass was controversial - content - style/form - of 800 copies printed, most were thrown away

Whitman’s Style Uses free verse– verse that has irregular meter and line length (broke all the rules of poetry) Whitman was considered the first American poet - poetry did not follow traditional poetry His use of free verse allowed him to express himself without restraint