...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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...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...
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...Name Professor Course Name Date Walt Whitman, Man of Influence Introduction Walt Whitman’s literary works have occupied the highest place in the world of American literature. He has been recognized as the focal center of creativity having truly American experience in the literary expression. Although a late bloomer in the literature world, Whitman embodies the elements of indigenous realism and the New England philosophy which makes him a truly national spiritual synthesis. His works touched on the trying times in the American history during the civil war and a story that influenced the society in many ways. Though a very individualistic poet, his works have influenced many other modern poets, who take after his style and themes. The most exceptional characteristic feature of his work is that he endeavored to always produce a mystical vision where everything was a part of something bigger and was equal in every aspect. Walt Whitman, indeed, embodies many qualities that highlight the real American character like viciousness, diversity, love for adventure and the ever pioneering fortitude of the American people. He is a symbol of variety, largeness and the tendency toward innovation. Brief History Walt Whitman was born on May 31st, 1819 in West Hills, a village near Hempstead in Long Island, New York. His mother, Louisa Van Velsor was a farmer, while his father, Walter Whitman was a carpenter. The family moved to Brooklyn where Walt attended school. He left school at...
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