...Walt Whitman once wrote, “The proof of the poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he absorbed it” (Koelsch, Nelson, and Berliner 396). Whitman lived in the mid-1800s while America was growing as a country and in the midst of the Civil War. A patriot and whole-hearted Union supporter, he treasured freedom and democracy (Koelsch, Nelson, and Berliner 397). Influenced by the Transcendentalist movement, he also believed the human spirit was reflected in nature (Koelsch, Nelson, and Berliner 407). Whitman certainly left his mark on America. As written in The Continuity of American Poetry, “the history of American poetry could be written as the continuing discovery and rediscovery of Whitman, an on-going affirmation of his critical relevance to the mission of the American poet” (“Walt Whitman”, 2002). Whitman published the poem “Beat! Beat! Drums!” in 1871 and “A Noiseless Patient Spider” in 1863, conveying his belief in freedom and individuality by writing in free verse, revealing his support of the Union during the Civil War, and illustrating the introspection of his soul in later years. Relatively little is known about Whitman’s early life. He was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, New York, to semi-literate parents. Whitman, the second of nine children, was named after his father, a farmer, laborer, builder, and carpenter. He was close with his Quaker mother, and her influence led Whitman to use words such as “Thee” and “Thou” in his future writings. While...
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...David Deaton Mr. Huitt American Lit and Comp 24 January 2014 Dickinson versus Whitman Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson's works have numerous differences. Compared to Dickinson's short and seemingly simple poems, Whitman's are long and often complex. Yet both twentieth century writers share several similarities when scrutinized thoroughly. Though their approaches differ, they often deal with the same themes, and both pioneered their own unique style of writing. Using death as a theme is probably the strongest connection that Whitman and Dickinson share. Whitman's view on death is reflective of his belief in Transcendentalism. In "Song of Myself", Whitman uses the scientific principle of the conservation of energy to assert that there is life after death, because energy cannot be destroyed; only transformed. In stanza six, he writes "And what do you think has become of the women and children?/ They are alive and well somewhere,/ The smallest sprouts shows there is really no death" (Whitman 124-126). Whitman contends that life remains long after death, Dickinson's writings on death are more complex and contradictory. She personifies death, generally seeing as a lord or as a compelling lover. In one of her more popular poems, "Because I could not stop for Death", death is like a kindly courter. He picks her up in a "Carriage held but just for Ourselves-/ And Immortality" (Dickinson 3-4). Many of her other poems are about the moment of death, and what happens when the living...
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...Walt Whitman Through the history of the United States there have been a countless numbers of poets. With them came an equal number of writing styles. Certainly one of the most unique poets to write life’s story through his own view of the world and with the ambition to do it was Walter Whitman. Greatly criticized by many readers of his work, Whitman was not a man to be deterred. Soon he would show the world that he had a voice, and that it spoke with a poet’s words. Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. Thus Whitman began his “Song of the Open Road”. This paper will attempt to describe his life and poetry in a way that does justice to the path he chose. He was a man who grew up impoverished, who wrote from his experiences, and who tried to lift his fellow men above life’s trivialities. These are the points to be discussed on these pages. To know the essence of Walter Whitman, you would have to understand the heart of his writing. For he is in his pen. Walter Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, New York, on May 31, 1819 . He did not have much opportunity for education in his early life. His parents were mostly poor and illiterate- his father a laborer, while his mother was a devout Quaker. Whitman was one of nine children and little is known about his youth except that two of his siblings were imbeciles. No wonder he demonstrated such an insight for life in his poems...
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...In “Song of Myself,” by Walt Whitman, Whitman uses grass and a hawk as symbols to convey an underlying message of equality in America. During this time era, the 1800s, slavery was going on, meaning many racism was also going on. Whitman supports the idea of having equality for instance in the section, “A Child Said What Is The Grass?,” Whitman says, “Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I receive them the same” (Lines 11 - 12). This evidence reveals that Whitman did not care who you are, but that everyone would receive equal actions. Whitman says that all people should treat someone the same as you would want to be treated. If someone wants respect they should also treat others with respect. Whitman uses the slang terms for a French Canadian or African American showing that Whitman does not care if you are a different race....
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...The novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse examines the life of Siddhartha, the main character as he goes on a journey searching for Nirvana. Likewise, the poem “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman also depicts a man’s journey of personal discovery. Whitman begins his poem exclaiming to an unknown listener that is “large and contains multitudes” (Whitman 8). With these words, the poet is saying he is a complex person who is interested about the world. The poet sees the world as exciting and multifaceted. Similar to his vision of the world, the poet’s soul is convoluted and contradictory. Like Whiteman, Siddhartha has a restless soul. For example, “his intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still” (Hesse 5). Moreover,...
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...March. 21st, 2013 Prof. R. Rodriguez Walt Whitman Poems critique I found it difficult to understand most of Walt Whitman’s poems as I found some of them to be a little unorthodox. As I do to most poems in general. So I narrowed them down to two of the poems that I liked. In the first poem I read, Song of myself, Whitman jumps from topic to topic in almost every other line. The poem gave me a problem understanding where he was going with his poems as a speaker. I do have an understanding though, that Whitman himself is the speaker (as we call all poets)in this poem. Whitman pretty much declares it is “Walt Whitman day,” it’s the celebration of his life. He embraces the outdoors with this simple line, “The atmosphere is not perfume, it has no taste of the distillation, it is odorless, It is for my forever, I am in love with it” (21). This explains how much he loves the world and nature, and how everything blends together for him. There is some rhythm in this poem, but really no rhyme. Whitman uses some metaphors, and personifications. Whitman describes the “I,” that represents things that go on in everyday life. The “Me myself” is the observer of the “I”, as it observes everything in his life, and the “Soul” represents one of the essences of life which is nature. The other short poem, When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer, was an easier read for me, because I didn’t have to read it ten times like I did for the other ones. In this poem it seemed...
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...Mary Hammer Hammer1 English 102 Prof. Thuran Poem Analysis Essay This essay will examine two poems by Walt Whitman, “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”. These two poems are similar in several ways yet differ in many as well. Each poem can be broken down and analyzed to relate to the human experience. Walt Whitman “A Noiseless Patient Spider” is about a spider as well as one’s soul. Whitman does a great job making two different things similar. A spider’s legs are always moving searching for a good place to make its connections to create its web. The speaker of the poem describes the spider as “a little promontory it stood isolated” (L.2) A promontory is a land mass protruding out surrounded by water. The spider is standing on a ledge protruding out surrounded by a vast emptiness. Whitman says “marked how to explore the vacant vast surrounding” (L.3) meaning the spider is working vigorously to find the correct place for its web. This relates to the second stanza which is about a person’s soul which is alone in the world constantly searching for a companion to quote, “ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, and seeking the spheres to connect them.” (L.8). this poem really leaves you to wonder how exactly a person really connects ...
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...novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse examines the life of Siddhartha, the main character as he goes on a journey searching for Nirvana. Likewise, the poem “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman also depicts a man’s journey of personal discovery. Whitman begins his poem exclaiming to an unknown listener that is “large and contains multitudes” (Whitman 8). With these words, the poet is saying he is a complex person who is interested about the world. The poet sees the world as exciting and multifaceted. Similar to his vision of the world, the poet’s soul is convoluted and contradictory. Like Whiteman, Siddhartha has a restless soul. For example, “his intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still” (Hesse 5). Moreover,...
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...We shall overcome The music behind the Civil Rights Movement We shall overcome The music behind the Civil Rights Movement Jennifer Christopher Christopher.jenniferj@gmail.com HUMN 303 Course Project December 14, 2014 Jennifer Christopher Christopher.jenniferj@gmail.com HUMN 303 Course Project December 14, 2014 There is no other social movement in the entire history of the United States that is more poignant and significant than the civil rights movement – not even the Boston Tea Party. Some may argue that this movement was nearly our downfall as a country since it allowed the world to see all of our imperfections. How can we say that all men are created equally in our Constitution when in the south, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens? We had no rights and contrary to what was stated in our Constitution, we definitely weren’t freed. As a researcher and student, you cannot research this period of time without perusing the countless articles, news reels, pictures, and the written accounts given by people who actually participated in the marches and sit-ins. My research led me to numerous articles and videos of events that occurred during this time period. My heart ached as I watch people of all color being hosed down and attacked by dogs. I cried at the images of seeing young black men swinging from tree branches as onlookers stood there laughing and pointing at these “Strange Fruits”. I wondered what their crime was and why the crowd felt...
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...use to describe the people around them and the population, holds the meaning of so much more. Society always appears to be used in negative context, because normally, it is used to describe a stereotype. The world is fully of stereotypes that are created by the opinions of everyday people, members of our society. Society can be portrayed in many ways, but it is how it is shown that counts. Michael Cunningham in his works of “In The Machine” and “Children’s Crusade”, and Walt Whitman in his poem “Song Of Myself” portray society as a murderer and their characters as the victims. Through interpretations and descriptions, their journeys and victimizations are brought to life through the literature. The ways in which society affects each person are shown in “In The Machine” as Lucas falls to industrialization, in “Song of Myself” as the reader discovers society’s true effects, in “Children’s Crusade” as Cat breaks away from society and finds her true happiness, and in “Song of Myself” as stereotypes are formed by society. Throughout the story, In The Machine, by Michael Cunningham, the main character, Lucas falls victim to society and its expectations. Lucas is just an average boy trying to get by during the course of the industrial revolution. Throughout the course of this period, people in society began to realize how technology was going to take over their lives. Lucas, became very involved in machines, he began working with machines, and eventually obsessed with machines. What...
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...perfect circle - starting with birth and completing with death to start the cycle again. They express that the circle of life is the best model to completely understand how life works. In the poem, “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, he describes his distinct interpretation of the classic symbol of the circle to represent the meaning of life that differs from most poets. Whitman believes that the circle of life can be found within the grass on the ground. Whitman sees grass as a vehicle for people to find comfort with death and learn how life works. Through the extended metaphor of grass, Whitman taught us not to be fearful of death and that all people are connected together. First of all, Whitman used the metaphor of grass to help explain to people how they should not be afraid of dying, rather to...
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...– not that the feeling stayed around for too long. The pleasant sound of their infantile pitter-pattering feet on the freshly laid gravel slowly morphed into the dreaded sound of a car pulling up – to my disgust and complete sorrow… their mother – and once my so called ‘life’ partner - was here to retrieve my only vanities much too soon. In that sickling moment that seemed to last forever, goodbyes were never so hard and never so damn unwanted. There I sat – alone- in an unoccupied hollow house- much resembling a cave, or a dark echoing farm shed. I lazily dunk my overused tea bag in and out, in and out of my now cold dull tea. Scanning over newly hung wall pictures of them, memories flowing back into my helpless mind; I grew angry at myself for losing control of things. My new box apartment just didn’t...
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...purpose. The hardest part is that, sometimes we don’t have something to look for, because others have already dictated us where to go, what to do, and what to find. Then time comes that what we think that we want is just what others want for us. Fortunately, I’m finally free from such situation. I found it, thank God. Some people say that I’m one of an influential person because I look reliable and dependable. I must say, that kind of people look at me superficially, because the thing is that I am reliant and dependent. Not in a way that when I do this and that, I need someone to back me up. I am dependent about decisions, I don’t know how to answer yes and no, and what I always know is I don’t know. I’m uncertain of some things that I find myself useless when someone asks me something. When someone needs my help, sometimes I want to yell at him or her because most of the time, I also need a help and I just can’t call for one because they think I already can, that I am great enough. I have a problem in expressing my emotions. I once made a poem about this part of me entitled, The Mask. Obviously, there was an invisible mask on my face stopping me from looking sad, angry, happy, etc. I think the reason is that before, I used to look indifferent just to cover up my vulnerability, but was I wrong. It grew to become a talent. I thought I’d grow up looking strong and invincible because of this talent. It became a pain in the chest – becoming heavy and full of grudges and bitterness because...
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...Everyone thinks about different things at all times usually without awareness but critical thinking requires skill. It is a skill that is acquired with practice. Critical thinking allows individuals the opportunity for intellectual growth. It also helps them to make rational decisions without regret. There are limitations that hold individuals back from critical thinking. A person has to acknowledge and admit to these barriers before they can begin to overcome them. Self-Concept There are many different barriers to critical thinking. One that would influence my critical thinking would be self-concept. It is the way that we view ourselves and can inhibit sound thinking. I know that there are numerous times where I doubt myself and my abilities to do certain things. I second guess myself or tell myself that I am just not good enough to do a particular job. This hinders my ability to utilize critical thinking as I am too busy worrying about my self-concept. In order to overcome this barrier; I will have to allow myself to let go of these views. I need to attempt to change my idea of self-image. It will benefit me to have more of a can do attitude instead of a I can’t do it. Stress Stress can cause so many issues to include mental, physical, and emotional. It can definitely prevent us from having the ability to think critically. Stress can lead to preoccupation with an idea, concentration difficulties, deterioration in judgment and logical thinking,...
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...I love challenging myself. I know I will not always succeed, but that doesn’t stop me from trying my hardest anyway. As Michael Jordan would say, “I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something, but I can't accept not trying.” During my junior year at Maine East High School I took three AP courses, one of which was AP chemistry. My friends told me I was setting myself up for “failure” as AP chemistry is a difficult class, but I called it “a challenge to overcome.” I want to be a doctor, and I know that chemistry is a subject I must know well. I set my eyes above the horizon to earn an A in the class. However, I was a bit overconfident, as the year before I had easily earned an A in a standard chemistry class. When I received a D on my first test, I quickly realized I had to change my study habits in order to overcome this hurdle. I started...
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