Walt Whitman

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Recommended: Philosophy of teaching literature

The idea of teaching has been instilled in the minds of humans since the beginning of time. Teaching is necessary to pass on the vital information of humanity to the future generations. However, it has always been a topic of argument and how things are meant to be taught, and whether those ways are just or not. This is the idea of Pedagogy, or the method of teaching by a certain individual. One character in American history who greatly hit on this idea was lad by the name of Walt Whitman. This man greatly expressed the ideas of teaching and knowledge through his works of poetry. Robert Martin explains Whitman as, “the figure of Walt Whitman stands tall as writer, poetic free spirit and a nineteenth-century prefigurer of the Beat generation.” …show more content…

By this he means that teachers should only be there to show the student the road, but not go down the road. A student must complete that journey alone by themselves and the teachers simply just shows them where it starts. Whitman greatly expresses this idea in his section 46 of his Song of Myself, “Not I, not anyone else can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself.” This philosophy by Whitman is so powerful in the sense that all people will be required to take their own path one day without the guidance of their teachers. Whitman’s popular poetry helped instill these ideas into the minds of the readers, as Richard Gambino states, “Whitman's brand of populism mandated that he seek the liberation of people and culture, in a liberated poetic …show more content…

Learning is perpetual, as Whitman explains in song 46 of his “Song of Myself” I tramp a perpetual journey…”. Whitman explains here how life is a perpetual when it comes to learning. Humans never stop learning things in their lives, even after the completion of school. Learning is something humans must experience every day in order to live fulfilling lives. Learning is what gives humans the ability to connect old to new. Chris Ballou Lillie states, “Walt Whitman, the American poet who frequently visited hospitals to comfort sick and wounded soldiers.” Whitman led an amazing example in his life by serving, and through serving one can

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    Walt Whitman is considered one of the famous American writers who lived in the 19th century. The author is primarily known for his poetry, and also best known for his masterpiece, Leaves of Grass, which was published in 1855 as a collection of 12 poems. Whitman’s poems were different from those written during the era, and this is because they had a unique style, as well as a concentration of commonplace subjects. The use of commonplace subjects led to many people calling the author the “poet of democracy.” This paper compares Pre-war Whitman and Post-war Whitman. However, this is done through comparing the Song of Myself, Beat! Beat! Drums!, and The Wound Dresser. In addition, the essay also focuses on other facets of the poet.

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  • Song of Myself by Walt Whitmas

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    ...s a man of the world, the spiritual citizen of the universe.(Baudelaire 7) It is fundamentally a way of thought and thought process which artists, writers, and poets commonly have, Walt Whitman being one of them. He is a mirror as vast as the crowd itself who responds to each movement, then reproduces the multiplicity of life and the flickering grace of all elements of life. (9) Of course he is not a genuine flâneur like Monsieur G. but he continues to take in his city of Brooklyn, his nation of America, and himself as Walt Whitman: the poet and analyzes the world, soaking it in and not letting it pass him by like the many who keep their eyes glued to the never ending sidewalk.

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  • Walt Whitman's Drum-Taps

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    The chronologically earlier poems celebrate the coming hostilities, expressing Whitman’s "early near-mindless jingoism" (Norton 2130). As one progresses through the work, he finds a less energetic, sorrowful, jaded narrator who seems little like the exuberant youth who began. Understandable so, "[Whitman] estimated that over the course of the war, he had made ‘over 600 visits or tours, and went. among from some 80,000 to 100,000 of the wounded and sick, as sustainer of spirit and body in some degree, in time of need’" (Murray).

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    Very few people will contest that Walt Whitman may be one of the most important and influential writers in American literary history and conceivably the single most influential poet. However many have claimed that Whitman’s writing is so free form as evident in his 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself that it has no style. The poetic structures he employs are unconventional but reflect his very democratic ideals towards America. Although Whitman’s writing does not include a structure that can be easily outlined, masterfully his writing conforms itself to no style, other then its own universal and unrestricted technique. Even though Whitman’s work does not lend itself to the conventional form of poetry in the way his contemporaries such as Longfellow and Whittier do, it holds a deliberate structure, despite its sprawling style of free association.

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    Walt Whitman is an American poet, journalist, and essayist whose Versace collection Leaves of Grass is a landmark in the history of American literature.

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    Walt Whitman’s poem Time to Come explores Whitman’s curiosity of what happens when people die. Rather than taking a pessimistic approach, his writing is more insightful about the experience. The title alone introduces an aspect of his purpose; to point out that dying is inevitable. With Whitman captures the reader’s attention and shares his curiosity with vivid images, sophisticated diction, and his use of metaphor and personification in Time to Come.

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    WriteWork contributors. "“Walt Whitman: Appreciation of the Human Body Through Poetry”" WriteWork.com. WriteWork.com, 21 April, 2014. Web. 11 May. 2014.

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  • Criticism Of Walt Whitman

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    Pedagogy is a teaching style that is used to help students learn. Teachers often have a unique pedagogy that they prefer to follow. Some teachers prefer to lecture, others model, some simply assign the work, and to each their own. “…there is some evidence of teachers abandoning formal pedagogies in favor of informal ones…” (Cain). Walt Whitman was no different; he preferred a hands on approach when it came to teaching, and through his approach, he learned as much from the student as they did from him. Walt Whitman had several ideas and themes that came from his pedagogy as recorded in Song of Myself 6, 46, and 47.

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    Poems by Walt Whitman and Hanshan feature strong enlightenment ideals and prevalent references to nature as a way to achieve these ideals. Though the two men lived in very different times, their works carry similar messages. Following the path to enlightenment generally refers to the Buddhist Eightfold Path, though it has been adapted over time to refer to the state of understanding a person reaches, both of oneself and his or her surroundings, as well as of that beyond what can be sensed. Relying solely on one’s talents and denying society and worldly possessions are typically seen as characteristics of an enlightened person, as seen in the writings of both Whitman and Hanshan.

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  • ‘America’ by Walt Whitman.

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    Walt Whitman is arguably America’s most influential poet in history. Born Walter Whitman in May 31st, 1819 to Walter Whitman and Louisa van Velsor, he was immediately nicknamed ‘Walt’ to distinguish him from his father. He came to life in West Hills on the famous Long Island, the second of nine children that grew up in Brooklyn. He came to be fondly known as ‘the Bard of Democracy’, mainly because that was a main message in his work. He is also celebrated as ‘the father of the free verse’. He was a liberal thinker and was vehemently against slavery, although later on he was against the abolitionists because, according to him, they were anti-democracy. He managed to marry transcendentalism with realism in his works. His occupation was a printer school teacher and editor.

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  • Walt Whitman Identity

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    One of Whitman's greatest poems, "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" is also largely shaped by the subject’s reminiscences of his boyhood, and of how his desire to become a poet arose during that crucial period of his development. In Walt Whitman’s America, David S. Reynolds describes Whitman’s visits to his grandparents on Long Island as one of the poet’s favorite boyhood activities. During these visits, Whitman developed his life-long love of the Long Island shore, “sensing the mystery of that territory where water meets land, fluid melds with solid” (Folsom and Price “A Brooklyn Childhood and Long Island Interludes”). Whitman’s connection to the Paumanok shore would extend to his verse and build the spiritual passage between the man-poet

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    Although Whitman uses a great deal of structural ways to stress his ideas, he also uses many other ways of delivering his ideas. First of all, Whitman portrays himself as a public spokesman of the masses. The tone of the poem is a very loud, informative tone that grabs ones attention. The emphasis placed on the word “all” adds to the characterization of Whitman as a powerful speaker. Furthermore, Whitman takes part in his own poem. Participating in his own poem, Whitman moreover illustrates the connection between everything in life. Lastly, Whitman, most of all, celebrates universal brotherhood and democracy.

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    Walt Whitman was arguable one of the most influential poets during the Civil War era. Though never directly involved in war, Whitman was able to talk about the war in a more insightful way than many poets at the time could. Whitman was most active in writing during the times before and after the war, choosing to dedicate himself to helping wounded soldiers during the war instead. Walt Whitman’s poetry reflects the progression of his philosophy of America: his initial view of America was uplifting, represented in his Pre-Civil war poems and while the Civil War poetry presents the degradation of American society, Whitman’s final poetry returns to a realistic, optimistic view for America.

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    Walt Whitman, notorious as the “American Bard”, revolutionized American poetry and improvised the form recognized as free verse. Whitman wrote the poem, “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking,” which was originally published as, ““A Child’s Reminiscence”

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    When thinking of a philosophy of teaching, four major issues need to be considered. Those issues are one’s views on education, the role of the teacher, teaching and learning, and on the children. This is something that someone entering the teaching profession needs to give serious thought to and realize the importance that this will hold in the future. The following essay will express my philosophy of teaching.

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