Summary:
A brief overview of the life and work of Walt Whitman, one of America's most inspiring and imaginative poets, who plays a vital role in American culture to this day.
Walt Whitman
According to the critics, Walt Whitman is one of America's most inspiring and imaginative poets. Taking ordinary thoughts, Whitman develops ingenious and beautiful stanzas that capture the attention of readers to this day. "Re-examine all that you have been told... dismiss that which insults your soul" (ThinkExist). Taking everyday moments, Whitman provides descriptive, yet intriguing ideas pertaining to the human soul.
As many past authors, Whitman's life outside of being a writer was somewhat disruptive at times. However, critics looked passed that aspect of him. They concentrated solely on his literary impact. Whitman upheld the qualities of a nonconformist, a rebel. The theme of his poetry was generally that of love, life, freedom, and the human soul. There were times when his literature put him in the light of political debates. No US writer had an impact on as many parts of the world as Whitman. His work of Leaves of Grass had been completely translated in 6 languages (Folsom and Price). Whitman also helped shaped the work of minority writers. Still to this day, Whitman is a vital existence in American Cultural. Television shows depict him, "musicians allude to him", and numerous places are named after him (Folsom and Price).
Walt Whitman was very confident in himself and his work. In 1855, he once stated that "The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it" (Arts and Culture). His poetry bared the soul of socialism. He saw himself as one who managed to capture the hearts of readers throughout the world, connecting on a level that was sometimes indescribable. The pride in his multi-cultural lifestyle and background is shown through his numerous poems depicting nature in its rarest form.
Before researching Whitman, I knew of his name. His poetry, I would not be able to recognize. Upon learning, I now see that Whitman had a style of his own. His use of free-verse and themes of life and love are noticeable. Beneath the surface, his complex phrases, are mere simplistic common thoughts on the minds of many Americans. He can easily be described as a romantic, which seems somewhat peculiar given his background. In my favorite poem, "Miracles", Whitman vividly captures the beauty of everyday actions, even though they may not seem beautiful. "Or stand a long while looking at the movements of machinery" (Day Poems). To look beyond, and deep within the most common, over-looked things and turn them into images that remain constant in your mind, only using words is a gift.
