Walter Whitman

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Born to Walter Whitman Senior and Louisa Van Velsor, Walter Whitman came into this world on May 31, 1819. Whitman grew up on Long Island and in Brooklyn as one of nine children. In his childhood he fell in love with writing and reading. He loved to write so much that he self-taught himself using classic authors such as Homer and Shakespeare. He also used the bible to teach himself to read. When Whitman was seventeen he took the job of a teacher. He taught in a one-room schoolhouse and taught until 1841 when he was twenty-three. After teaching he pursued a career as a journalist, which was much more suited to his tastes. He worked on several papers during his lifetime and also became a published author. His first published work was self-published in 1855 and was the first edition of a poetry book called Leaves of Grass. The book contained twelve poems that were original works of his. The second edition of Leaves of Grass was published in 1856 and consisted of thirty-three poems. Whitman often worked on his poems and writings while riding the ferries around New York. He would sometime...

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