Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Whitman was born in 1819 in Long Island, New York. However, shortly after Whitman was born, he moved to Brooklyn. His family was big. He had eight siblings and he was the second oldest. During the civil war, Whitman was a nurse for the north. His poem The Wound Dresser , is a direct reflection of his duties in the Civil War. Whitman’s most monumental piece of work was The Leaves of Grass. The first edition consisted of 12 poems. His critics didn’t approve of his style and views. Because reviews from his peers weren’t the greatest, Whitman decided to write his own. Whitman said his first edition of The Leaves of Grass was “the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed.”(Whitman)

Walt Whitman revolutionized American Poetry.(Baym) He strived to be different and attempted to become “The American Poet.” His work was different than other poets at his time. No one really used free verse. All poems had a structure to them but and Whitman disagreed. Because of Whitman’s free verse style of poetry, his work really didn’t get popular in his time. Editors would often change his poetry to fit this structure. Another problem society had with Whitman was his sexuality. Whitman was homosexual and some of his poems reflected that. Whitman’s poems often reflected his political visions too. He was a strong Democratic who was against slavery, and really just wanted freedom for everyone. Whitman’s poems reflected his political views, sexuality, nature, and love for everything.

Live Oak, with Moss is a poem of Whitman’s that didn’t get published in the first edition of The Leaves of Grass due to the homosexuality described in it.