A True Patriot: Walt Whitman
When one talks of great American Poets, if the person has any since of intelligence, then they can in now way fail to mention Walt Whitman. Whitman is unmistakingly a great American poet, So great, that Ralph Waldo Emerson said that he was an “American Shakespeare” (Tucker 247). While the debate still goes on about that comment, there is no debate about the greatness of Whitman.
Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, NY on May 31, 1819 on Long Island. He was the second of nine children. He never developed a close relationship with his father, but he was very close to his mother. When he was four, he moved to Brooklyn where he went to school for six years and, when he was eleven, dropped out and began work as a clerk in a Law Office. Shortly thereafter, he became a typesetter’s apprentice. He then began to teach school on Long Island. Bored by this, he began to edit and publish the Long Islander, an area newspaper (Funk 293). But this attempt at a steady job was unsuccessful as well, he then began to write political essays and started to write what would become his life's work Leaves of Grass. He would write various books of poems, most of which would be added to Leaves of Grass, which he re-published nine times. Whitman spent his last days as the sage of Camden, New Jersey, where he died on March 36, 1892 (Magill 406).
Walt Whitman, through his admiration for a fallen President, condemnation of war, and his theme of camaraderie, illustrates a definition of patriotism.
Walt Whitman was an American, and he loved President Abraham Lincoln. He had the upmost respect for the sixteenth President of the United States. His admiration was shown in his most famous work, O’ Captain, My Captain. This is without a doubt the most popular poem of Whitman’s career. In it, he repeats the word Captain; this word refers to Abraham Lincoln, the fallen President. He uses phrases like “fallen cold and dead” to tell of the mournful death of Lincoln. Whitman mentions a “ship”, which is the Union in the Civil War. He also uses the “voyage” to symbolize the Civil War. The overall mood of this elegy to Lincoln is grievance for the lost loved one of Whitman. He had a deep reverence for the President and it was a great pain for him when Lincoln was assassinated (Whitman 63). Another poem that Whitman wrote, that is famous for its grievance of the fallen Presi...
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...d have to be close with those around you. The only way to counteract the horrors of war is the camaraderie of the soldiers, if they developed friendships then they could look past the horrible thing that is war (Magill 406).
A patriot is defined as a person who loves his or her country. If there is anyone that has ever lived in this great country that can be called that, then it should be Walt Whitman. Whitman showed his love for his country and his allegiance to his president. One can deny that he is the greatest American poet, but no one can deny that he is a great American patriot.
Works Cited
Magill, Frank N. ed. Magill’s Critical Survey of Poetry. 7 vols. Englewood Cliffs, 1987.
Tucker, Martin ed. Moulton’s Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. The Mid-Nineteenth Century to Edwardianism. Englewood Cliffs, 1975.
Unger, Leonard ed. American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. 7 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1974.
Whitman, Walt. Drum Taps. Grosset & Dunlap New York: NODATE
Whitman, Walt. “Leaves of Grass.” Timeless, Timeless, Themes: The American Experience. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 2000.
Peter H. Smith. , & , (2012). Democracy in Latin America. (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
What follows is a contemporaneous review of his work that speaks of the esteem that much of the world extended Whitman as patriot and poet of Drum-Taps:
South University Online. (2013). POL2076: American Government: Week 4: People and Politics—Interest Groups. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com
Walt Whitman was an American poet, born in 1819. Whitman published a collection of poetry in which he outlined his democratic vision for America. Walt Whitman was credited with being the founder of a literature that was uniquely American. America was a very new country at this time, the Declaration of Independence, in which America claimed independence from England was signed in 1776 and was still quite recent. In 1781 America had proclaimed themselves as the First New Nation. They then began to create a culture that was uniquely American to give Americans a sense of nationalism. America had been influenced by English literature and now there was a search for a uniquely American literature. Walt Whitman took it upon himself to help to promote American identity. Whitman was very liberal as he was pro-homosexuality and an early supporter of women's equality. Whitman was also a passionate believer of an American Ideology that believed in American's exceptionalism. Whitman used his poetry to spread his democratic vision for America; there are many good examples of the theme of democracy in Whitman's poetry.
Walt Whitman was born to Louisa and Walter Whitman in Long Island, New York, May 31, 1819. He was the second son from a household of nine. He was named after his father who was a farmer and Carpenter. He was born just after the end of the American Revolution. When he was four, his family and he moved to Brooklyn where he went to school until the age of eleven. He left to help support the family and got a full-time job. Whitman looked back on his childhood as generally restless and unhappy, given his families difficult economic status.
Moulton, Charles Wells. Moulton's Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors through the Beginning of the Twentieth Century: Volume 1. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1966. Print.
Saltzman, Joe. "Paparazzi To Go." USA Today Magazine. 138.2774 (2009): 25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Schmidt, Shelley, and Bardes. American Politics and Government Today. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999, pgs. 325-327.
Light, Paul C., and Christine L. Nemacheck. "Chapter 7 Congress." Government by the People, Brief 2012 Election Edition, Books a La Carte New Mypoliscilab With Etext Access Card Package. By David B. Magleby. 2012 Election Edition ed. N.p.: Pearson College Div, 2013. N. pag. Print.
The people of the Congo faced physical, psychological damage due to the violation of their human rights and the rape and other sexual violence, which contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The health care, education and legal systems are in shambles due to the ongoing violence of the war and are still a factor today. The UN still aid in trying to end the ongoing war that’s now in its thirteenth year it is the largest and longest lasting war to date with the uncontrollable attacks from the rebels. The rebels continue to kill and plunder the natural resources with impunity. The international and political support continues but their efforts have proven futile.
Whitman’s work has an arguable style that makes his work appear as an egotistical piece of literature for some and others may find a different deeper meaning within his work. This work is an excellent example of patriotic work that attempts better its audience throughout by making revelations and comparisons of different idea and thoughts about the nation's people. Whitman illustrates his interpretation of what a kind of person is a great person is and how they go about life. He intends to make his audience better as a whole and understand the underlying problem that some have. Whitman's writing truly expresses his feelings about his time and what he expects from them for a better
Some would say that democracy has existed in Latin America for some time. As Harold E. Davis wrote in his article titled “Democracy in Latin America”, the people of Latin America are democratic but their democracy is expressed differently than other democratic countries. When people ask the question about democracy they tend to compare Latin America to the Unites States. There is a big difference in culture between the two and it is difficult to make a fair comparison. Davis believes that Latin America people express their democracy differently through their behavior and institutions. Democracy can exist in many different forms and you see all these different forms around the world. In Latin America there are diffe...
Walt Whitman was a great American because he was a patriot who was a voice for new American ideals and spoke for the people by defying aristocratic influence on the common mans life. Whitman’s story is a true American story. He rose from humble means, both financially and intellectually, and much to his own credit and determination became one of the America’s greatest literary achievers. He became America’s Poet long after his death through great study of his work by later generations who realized just how distinguishingly accurate his account of American life was. His first volume of poetry “Leaves of Grass” was heavily criticized for its vulgar and suggestive content along with forging a new style of writing, called Free Verse, that ignored traditional rules of poetry. Yet, he went on to produce 7 different revisions of the book to include some of the most patriotic poetry in American history. He was a poet making a plea to Americans to take decisive action in creating awareness of self and country. Whitman was opinionated about current issues like Slavery, and rights for women. Whitman and America blossomed simultaneously. Whitman’s growth as an emerging poet parallels America’s turbulent evolution, through civil war and the formative years of the country. Whitman paints a portrait of America with brutal honesty and his voice is so fresh and new, it cannot be ignored. (Zwonitzer, Wignot. Walt Whitman: Poet of Eternity)
Walt Whitman was a great poet who profoundly influenced American culture. From his humble beginnings on the Long Island shore to his early careers working as an office boy and apprenticeship to “The Patriot”, Whitman began to develop his ideals and educate himself. Looking back to the events of his childhood, Whitman began to author great poems and wrote his famous book “Leaves of Grass.” Whitman gave America cultural roots and set an example for poets to follow. Whitman truly was America’s poet.
Walt Whitman lived during the time of the American Civil War and knew people who were part of the American Revolution. He lived in a time when slavery and the rights of African Americans were top issues. He opposed slavery and he wrote poems about the importance of America and in fighting for what is right. He admired Abraham Lincoln and wrote the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” to honor Abraham Lincoln. This poem became one of his most famous literary works.