More handpicked essays just for you.
Why is Whitman known as the bard of democracy
Some misconceptions about Whitman's democracy for term paper
Why is Whitman known as the bard of democracy
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In his first anthology of poems entitled “Song of Myself”, Walt Whitman reveals some of his views on democracy through the use of symbolism and free verse poetry. His use of symbolism and free verse poetry creates indeterminacy, giving the reader hints rather than answers about the nature of the poem. In the sixth part of “Song of Myself”, a child asks the narrator of the poem, “What is the grass?” (Whitman). Instead of simply giving an answer, the narrator cannot make up his mind, and stumbles on how to explain the grass to the child. Through the use of specific symbolisms, Whitman, as the narrator, explicates his views while remaining under the façade of explaining grass to the child. The views Whitman conveys remain indeterminate and unclear to the reader because the use of various literary devices. However,through the closer analysis of symbolism, free-verse poetry and metaphors, the anti-democratic and possibly anarchist views of Whitman surface.
The prevalent use of metaphors in the poem leaves room for the reader to interpret the narrator’s words while guiding the reader in the general direction of Whitman’s ideas on democracy. The narrator brings up an important thought about democracy when he says that grass is “itself a child, the produced babe of vegetation.” By comparing grass to a child, the narrator effectively conveys to the reader that democracy was created by humans. This takes importance away from democracy giving the reader the impression that since humans created democracy, humans can also take it away. Later on, according to the narrator, the grass seems to be “the beautiful uncut hair of graves,” showing that the grass is being born from death, or that mortality and death are a key part of how democracy fu...
... middle of paper ...
... narrator seems to be uncertain of how to answer the question. This question would normally be easily answered, but the narrator seems to have trouble answering the question. Why does the narrator have trouble answering this question? Whitman conveys that view that adults do not know the answers to questions about life and society any more than children. Whitman seemed to believe that everyone has an equal value or worth in society. However, in the end the narrator says that he believes that “to die is different than what anyone supposed, and luckier.” This is strange, because it suggests that Whitman may be a dissident of democracy and society. It seems as if he thinks that he would be content to have democracy die, and be replaced by something else. The message is reiterated by the literary devices Whitman uses in order to enhance the overall effect of the poem.
During the late romantic period, two of history’s most profound poets, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, emerged providing a foundation for, and a transition into Modern poetry. In its original form, their poems lacked the characteristics commonly attributed to most romantic poets of the mid to late nineteenth century who tended to utilize “highly stylized verses, having formal structures, figurative language and adorned with symbols” (worksheet). Unique and “eccentric use of punctuation” as well as “irregular use of meter and rhyme” were the steppingstones for this new and innovative style of writing (worksheet). Even though these two writers rejected the traditional approach, both remained firmly dedicated to their romantic idealism of the glass of water being “half full” opposed to “half empty.” Noted for his frequent practice of catalogs and parallelism, Whitman stirred up much controversy with his first edition of “leaves of Grass” in 1855. Many critics responded negatively to the ...
In number six of Whitman's poetic series "Song of Myself," it seems that he is trying to convey the point that to die is not what people make it out to be. Whitman throughout many of the poems in this series, describes death as "lucky" and beneficial. He also explains how death leads to the beginning of life in this poem. The tone at the very beginning of this poem seems a bit youthful. Especially when the question "What is grass?" is posed to him by a child. This opening line gives you a great mental picture of a child about the age of five or six, walking up and asking innocently a question that you cannot answer. By using the line, "fetching it to me with full/ hands;" Whitman gives you that image right from the beginning. From there he goes into this sort of naïve tone, guessing what grass means. By doing so he shows himself to be mortal and not all-knowing.
Walt Whitman is one of America’s most popular and most influential poets. The first edition of Whitman’s well-known Leaves of Grass first appeared in July of the poet’s thirty-sixth year. A subsequent edition of Leaves of Grass (of which there were many) incorporated a collection of Whitman’s poems that had been offered readers in 1865. The sequence added for the 1867 edition was Drum-Taps, which poetically recounts the author’s experiences of the American Civil War.
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.
(A critique of Walt Whitman’s themes and ideas in Song of Myself 6, 46, 47)
Life in its ever-evolving glory seems at times to be nothing more than a serious of random events that lead us from one place to another. It takes many years of grace and wisdom to see that life is much more than that. Life is far bigger than any one person or group of people. Life is a lesson and sometimes lessons need to repeat. Life during the time of Walt Whitman was oddly and sadly similar to our very own time in some ways. Like us, Whitman dealt in "Leaves of Grass" with living in a nation during wartimes; and if you can say anything about war, it is that, it is never fast and never easy.
Whitman is giving a more graphic example of how sex is a natural thing. By comparing the act of reproduction to death he shows just how natural of an act sex is. Everything that is born will eventually die. He feels that the natural curiosities of the human sexual appetites should not be denied or not discussed because of social standards. Not only is sex a "miracle" that is a part of him, but also nature and the universe, and each individual part should be celebrated.
...hat he merely sees women as receptacles for what Whitman gives them, Simpson misses the fact that Whitman sees these women as below him. Whitman mentions protests on their part in the sense that he cannot be called off from what he wants. It implies that he believes in him knowing best, that despite a woman not wanting it, he is more knowledgeable and he knows it will be good for both them and society. Overall, Whitman’s attitude reminds me of many people who claim to be a part of a marginalized group. Whitman does this with the slave as well, he claims to feel the pain, to be supportive of this group that has been systematically oppressed by those more privileged. However, Whitman’s ideal of being a part of this group is a folly because while he attempts to support the female in one poem, he makes sure to take away any agency he may have given her in the next.
In stanza six of the poem "Song of Myself", by Walt Whitman, he poses the question "What is the grass?" I believe that grass is a metaphor for the cycle of life. Throughout the poem Whitman points out images that grass could represent. All of these images stem from the life and death that we come to expect in our lifetime. During your life you will experience death, it at times surrounds you, but if you look past the grief and look to the beauty you will see that it is a cycle that keeps our world in balance. The images of flags, tears, children and older people that are torn from the ones they love, but only to soon return to other lost ones are all parts of Walt Whitman's poem.
He crossed the boundaries of the poetry literature and gave a poetry worth of our democracy that contributed to an immense variety of people, nationalities, races. Whitman’s self-published Leaves of Grass was inspired in part by his travels through the American frontier and by his admiration for Ralph Waldo Emerson (Poetry Foundation). He always believed in everyone being treated equally and bringing an end to slavery and racism. Through his poetry, Whitman tried to bring every people in America together by showing them what happiness, love, unison, and real knowledge looked. His poetry and its revolution changed the world of American literature
In a significant event in section six of the poem, a child asks, “What is grass?” (91). The speaker does not know how to answer, but in this case, grass becomes a visual metaphor for American democracy, a group of equivalent individuals (Casale 64). Whitman struggles to answer the child, but he knows for certain that it –both grass and democracy—is for everyone: “…old people… women, and… offspring taken soon out of / their mothers’ laps” (106-107). This relates to individuality and unity because multiple blades of grass create one field, just as myriads of people unite under democracy (Delancy). Just as grass grows everywhere, the poet believed that American democracy should be spread and become an international concept. Furthermore, grass is separate blades, or leaves, that grow together and form grass, which is considered one whole entity. Whitman loved how nature reflected the paradox of
While the poem can be termed to be democratic, both in subject matter and its language, Whitman is viewed to be cataloging the ‘new’ America that he is seeing around him. The poem includes subject matter such as relationships, patriotism, heroes, family and ancestors, and a view on social commentaries too.
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.
The dominant themes that are more pervasive in Whitman’s poetry are democracy, life/death cycles, individualism, and nature. These themes play major roles in some of his more notable poems such as “Songs of Myself” or “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” He used democracy as a theme to bring society together, and unite everyone based on their general beliefs. He depicted life and death cycles that merge society together on a spiritual level. Despite his eagerness to unite society he also embraced individualism, and is also a persistent theme in most of his poetry.
“I know nothing grander, better exercise, better digestion, more positive proof of the past, the triumphant result of faith in human kind, than a well-contested American national election” (Whitman 23). Walt Whitman, famous American poet and journalist of the nineteenth century, incorporated his work into the development of the transition between Transcendentalism and Realism. With over thirty bestselling poems and letters, including Leaves of Grass, he provided American literature with some of the most influential and innovative pieces of writing. Walt Whitman revolutionized the way in which literature was written through his unique take on governmental roles, the emphasis he places on the individual, and his ambition about the American life.