Compare And Contrast Post War Whitman And Post-War Whitman

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Comparison of pre-war Whitman and post-war Whitman 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. However, before directly going into the comparison of the author …show more content…

Specifically, the title shows that he is no longer a prophet, or an authority figure, but the titles imply that the speaker is weak and is in submission. On the other hand, at the end of the poem there is also an evidence of pre-war Whitman, when he admits “I confess I have urged you onwards with me” (Holloway 124). These words provide the same meaning as the Whitman 1855, in the Song of Myself, whereby, he writes, “shoulder your duds, and I will mine” (Holloway 126). However, the two writings differ because in the 1855 poems, Whitman saw a journey that had promising results, while in a 1892 poem, Whitman ends the poem in disillusioned state, as he writes that without our last idea, what is our destination? (Bloom 234) However, this results from the fact that Whitman, after being side-by side with death, seems to not have all answers concerning the journey of life and, as a result, his poem shows the nature of

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