1. Walt Whitman

2. Background Born on Long Island and raised in Brooklyn, New York
Began his career as a teacher
Trained to be a printer
Dismissed as editor of the Brooklyn Eagle because of his opposition to slavery
Spent time in New Orleans
Worked in the hospitals in Washington DC caring for soldiers wounded in the Civil War
Become devoted to writing poetry in 1850
First publication, Leaves of Grass, was attacked by critics for being unconventional (free verse)
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3. Background
Leaves of Grass expresses Whitman’s evolving vision of the world
Philosophy grew out of ideas of the Transcendentalists
Among Transcendentalists' core beliefs was an ideal spiritual state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions.
Whitman’s self-exploration led him to look at his relationship to the natural world
Leaves of grass grew from 12 to 383 poems
Buried in a tomb he designed and had built in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, NJ
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4. from preface to 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass
Whitman discusses his purpose for writing and his poetic vision
Ends with a prophetic statement: “The proof of a poet is that his country has absorbed him as affectionately as he absorbed it.”
In the first paragraph, the speaker addresses the subject of the past
Attitude:
What came before passes to each new generation and will continue to do so
The speaker embraces the lesson taught by the past
The speaker has a tremendous amount of love and respect for the country
Americans have the “fullest poetical nature.”
America and Americans are rich in vitality, action, and growth which provides poets with endless ideas and subjects upon which to write
The United States themselves are the greatest of all poems
America has a very diverse culture

5. from Song of Myself
The picture indicates that Whitman favors the simple over the formal
Whitman suggests that intuition and conscience transcend experience and are thus better guides to truth and logic
Whitman believes in the unity of life and in the divinity in nature and people
Whitman believes himself to be more hyper-sensitive to nature
Whitman’s description of the grass reveals his respect for nature
He believes he is one with nature
He believes grass and air are everywhere as the “thoughts of all men in all ages and lands”
Both animals and men are subject to the laws of nature and the never-ending cycle of life
The speaker believes that there really is no death
Life recycles and renews
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6. from Song of Myself
Pronouns in the poem refer to external truths and spiritual bonds that link humanity and nature
Speaker may address a spiritual being or the vast universe itself
“I” may refer to the speaker and the nation as a whole
The speaker echoes the biblical ideas of returning to the dirt from which man was made
All of the dead are alive and well somewhere in nature
The speaker’s spirit and message will be somewhere waiting when he is gone
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7. I Hear America Singing
The speaker is praising the working class (laborers)
He respects and is inspired by physical labor
White collar workers are absent from the poem

8. A Noiseless Patient Spider
Literary devices
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Repetition
The speaker compares the spider weaving its web to a soul looking for meaning
Only a lover of nature would not the parallels between his soul and a common insect

9. By the Bivouac’s Fitful Flame
The speaker contemplates the meaning and purpose of war
The speaker is full of questions and uncertainty
War is full of contradictions

10. When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer
The speaker places greater value on the experience of seeing and feeling the grandeur and mystery of the stars than he does on any objective mathematical or scientific knowledge of astronomy
It is better to row a boat than to talk about rowing a boat

11. Review: Whitman discussing the vitality and diversity of Americans
Whitman is pleased Americans learn from the past while preparing for the future
Whitman uses the natural cadence of human speech in his poems
Whitman began writing his poetry at age 37
Whitman chose to write in free verse, in contrast to earlier poets he admired
Whitman believes his observations are universally shared
In “Song of Myself,” Whitman links the individual to a universal self
Whitman has genuine affection for other people
The singing in “I Hear America Singing” is the individuality of Americans
In “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” the speaker moves from the world of intellect to the world of wonder
In “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” the speaker compares the spider the his own soul
In “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” the speaker admires the spider’s ability to use its body to explore its surroundings
In “By the Bivouac’s Fitful Flame,” the speaker is in the midst of war

12. Links http://www.whitmanarchive.org/