Walt Whitman is one of the most celebrated poets in American literature. His works explore themes of nature, individuality, and democracy, making him a significant figure to study. If you're looking for examples of essays on Walt Whitman, you've come to the right place. In this section, we provide various ...Read More
Walt Whitman is one of the most celebrated poets in American literature. His works explore themes of nature, individuality, and democracy, making him a significant figure to study. If you're looking for examples of essays on Walt Whitman, you've come to the right place. In this section, we provide various essay samples that delve into different aspects of his writing and philosophy.
Understanding Walt Whitman's Themes
Whitman's poetry is rich with themes that resonate with many readers today. For instance, he often writes about the beauty of nature and how it connects to the human experience. His famous work "Leaves of Grass" showcases his love for life and all its facets. When choosing an essay sample on Walt Whitman, consider what aspect interests you the most—be it his exploration of self or his views on democracy.
Selecting an Essay Sample
When browsing through our collection of essays about Walt Whitman, think about your assignment requirements. Are you focusing on a specific poem or theme? Look for samples that highlight these elements clearly. You might find essays analyzing "Song of Myself" or discussing the impact of Whitman's work on modern poetry particularly helpful.
How to Write Your Own Essay
Writing your own essay based on our samples can be a straightforward process! Start by reading through several examples closely to understand their structure and style. Take notes on how each author presents their arguments and supports them with evidence from Whitman's texts.
Next, brainstorm your ideas related to Walt Whitman’s themes or specific poems you want to discuss. Create an outline based on what you've learned from our samples—this will help organize your thoughts effectively.
As you write your essay, remember to express your unique perspective while incorporating insights from our examples. Don't hesitate to quote passages from Whitman's works; they can serve as powerful evidence in supporting your points!
The Final Touches
Once you’ve drafted your essay, take some time for revisions. Check if all your arguments are clear and well-supported by quotes or references from both our samples and Whitman's poetry itself. It's also important to proofread for grammar mistakes or awkward phrases.
Your personal touch is key! Ensure that even though you're inspired by existing essays about Walt Whitman, your voice shines through in every paragraph.
Dive Into Your Analysis!
Tackling an essay about such a profound poet may seem daunting at first—but with our resources at hand and some dedication, you'll find yourself crafting something meaningful before you know it! Explore different angles using our samples as guidance but make sure it's ultimately reflective of what you want to say about Walt Whitman’s legacy.
If you're ready now start exploring more! Our collection is here waiting for you!
In 1917 Marcel Duchamp took a urinal, detached it from its usual setting, entitled it "Fountain" and called it art. By putting such a common, unglamorous object in this innovative context, Duchamp raised a new awareness of the urinal. Its familiarities dissipated as it was...
American poet, essayist and journalist, Walt Whitman, worked to expose his readers to his unique, personal thoughts on the body, nature, and the human experience. Whitman was a humanist, and incorporated both transcendentalism and realism in his work. He is often referred to as the...
Introduction In the course of history, there are certain incisive incidents that mark a period, ring in a new era or alter people’s individual lives most drastically. One such incident is the American Civil War (1861-1865), fought over issues such as slavery, cultural differences and...
“America is singing a democratic song.” Transcendentalism started from the 30s of the 19th century. America had sung a new song in the form of literature. The new period approximately lasted until the end of the American Civil War. The also called the Romantic Movement...
The poem “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman is written in first-person point of view. Whitman writes the poem from his viewpoint using the word “I”. Whitman, as the narrator, hears and observes the hard-working individuals of America as they live their lives, carrying...
Generations of readers and critics alike have denigrated the works of Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg, both equally brilliant poets, separated by a century, yet sharing a poetic vision of both political and sexual freedom, simply because the language and lifestyle represented in their work...
Through his work in poetry, literature, and other media, Walt Whitman is often considered one of the most significant American writers and theorists. He arguably popularized all-American literature with his work, injecting American writing into an era where only genteel and European-traditionist literature was taught...
When one considers the word ‘divine,’ the next word that comes to mind is not naturally ‘average.’ Something divine is holy, otherworldly, and godlike – the exact antithesis of something average. Why, then, in his poem “Starting from Paumanok,” does Walt Whitman combine these antonyms...
Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” is an elegiac poem in memory of Abraham Lincoln. The poem tracks the narrator waiting to lay a sprig of lilac on the president’s coffin, the physical journey that Lincoln’s coffin takes across the country, and,...
For Emerson and Whitman, nature is more than just the trees that line the street, or even the flowers that rest beautifully within the vase. Both men find such a deeper harmony and value within nature, in a way that is very relevant to the...
In the poem “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,” Walt Whitman writes of a speaker who is exposed to the knowledge of the stars in the sky and the Milky Way galaxies, but is restricted from fathoming a deeper understanding in those observed phenomena. Through...
The birthplace of Walt Whitman, New York is where the poet spent much of his life and became the inspiration for much of Whitman’s poetry. Living in an era where mass industrialization and modernization began to change and shape the New York, Whitman wrote “Mannahatta”...
Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is a poem that not only exposes the differences within the people and the geography of the nation, but also shows the theme of equality that unites these differences. Incorporating his experience with the Civil War as well as the...
Walt Whitman and Herman Melville were both affected by the Civil War to such a degree that they each published a volume of poetry concerning the conflict. Although both men confront similar issues and feelings, particular in their poems about death, they do so through...
Walt Whitman’s poetry contains many basic elements that come together to characterize his own stance in 19th century social and political thought. An analysis of Whitman’s “Song of Myself” and “I Sing the Body Electric” specifically highlight Whitman’s concern with the human body. Through these...
Two poems can sound so alike and mirror each other almost identically, but mean completely different when taken into account the context in which the respective poems were written in. When Walt Whitman wrote his poem “Songs of Myself” in 1852 at its earliest edition,...
Introduction: Understanding the American Dream What is the American dream? It is not just a set of individual goals but the concept that every citizen has an opportunity to achieve success. The poem, “I Hear America Singing,” is a joyous reflection of many working individuals...
Walt Whitman wrote “Oh Captain! My Captain!” to honour Abraham Lincoln after the President was assassinated in April 14, 1865. Lincoln’s death inspired Whitman to write one of his most memorable works — a simple, three-stanza poem of sorrow that bore little resemblance to his...
Song of Myself is a poem of bold declarations that egotistically assert Walt Whitman’s place and purpose in the context of a world of immense scope and romantically instilled vigor. And yet located within this chaotic unfurling of identity there is one piece of the...
Song of Myself by Walt Whitman, and Self-Reliance and The Poet by Ralph Waldo Emerson can relate to each other about the authors’ thoughts on transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is the connection between people and nature. These writers believe that the universe and the individual soul have...
Introduction Glory, from Him who moves all things that are, penetrates the universe and then shines back, reflected more in one part, less elsewhere. Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online...
The America’s “world poet” and a modern-day successor to writers like Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare, Walt Whitman was a prominent American poet, teacher, journalist, and also a nursing volunteer during the Civil War. He was a voracious reader and was largely self-educated. Whitman’s poetry...
Introduction In his January 6, 1865 letter to fellow writer and self-confessed radical William O’Connor, Walt Whitman states in no uncertain terms that his poetry collection Drum Taps “delivers my ambition. . . to express. . . the pending action of this time and land...
What is the American Dream? Well first… the american dream is something that people all over the world come to America for. People from other countries come to the United States for better education and a chance to have the best life possible. The texts...
Propelling subjects into action, inciting inanimate objects into movement; verbs meet and surpass these functions. Without verbs a sentence would fail to be such, a clause would fall in rank down to a phrase or a simple phrase. There are three, generalized categories of verbs...
Equality in “The Wound-Dresser” and “Song of Myself” Introduction The theme of equality permeates both “The Wound-Dresser” and “Song of Myself.” Whitman remarks upon judgments that others make and refutes them with his own ideas of impartiality. These manifest particularly strongly in Whitman’s attitude towards...
Upon reading Jonathan Edwards’ Personal Narrative, one would undoubtedly find that Edwards’ descriptions and expressions of his insurmountable love for God (and all things in relation to the Christian faith) are of an extreme degree uncommon to that of the ordinary believer. It is therefore...
There are several parallels between the ideas presented in the Socratic dialogue Meno by Plato and the ideas suggested by Walt Whitman’s poetry in the first edition of his work Leaves of Grass. Though the Meno is presented as a work of philosophy, and the...
Walt Whitman’s “Spontaneous Me” (Norton 2151-2152) crystallizes his attempt to create poems that appear natural, impulsive and untamed. The natural effect is a carefully crafted technique that appears throughout his writing, hinting at a philosophy of life while seeming to simply offer observation. As in...
Hilda “H.D” Doolittle uses heavily-allusive imagist poetry to redefine gender-roles and contradict the characterization of women as delicate and fragile. H.D pulls from ancient Greek literature to write strong not-traditionally-feminine women into her own current culture and re-inscribe traditionally feminine figures — Helen of Troy,...
Walter Whitman(1819-05-31)May 31, 1819West Hills, New York, U.S.
Died
March 26, 1892(1892-03-26) (aged 72)Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation
Poet, essayist, journalist
Date
May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892
Activity
Walt Whitman was an American poet, journalist, and essayist whose verse collection Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855, is a landmark in the history of American literature.
Works
“Calamus”, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”, “Democratic Vistas”, “Drum-Taps”, “I Sing the Body Electric”, “O Captain! My Captain!”, “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking”, “Sequel to Drum-Taps”, “Song of Myself”, “Specimen Days & Collect”, “Starting from Paumanok”
Themes
Subjects of Whitman's poetry included slavery, race, religion, and sexuality. These were topics that were important to ordinary people, even if his ideas on these subjects were different from commonly held ones, and the fact that he wrote about them in first person made them even more meaningful.
Style
Whitman's work broke the boundaries of poetic form and is generally prose-like. Its signature style deviates from the course set by his predecessors and includes "idiosyncratic treatment of the body and the soul as well as of the self and the other." It uses unusual images and symbols, including rotting leaves, tufts of straw, and debris. Whitman openly wrote about death and sexuality, including prostitution. He is often labeled the father of free verse,
Legacy
Walt Whitman’s poetry was innovative for its verse style and for the way it challenged traditional narratives. He championed the individual soul over social conventions, presenting himself as a rough and free spirit. His poetry has continued to resonate with new generations of Americans, and he is considered a symbol of American democracy.
Quotes
“What is that you express in your eyes? It seems to me more than all the print I have read in my life.”
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.”
“I have learned that to be with those I like is enough”
