Contents
Introduction
Chronology
11
14
Chapter 1: Background on Walt Whitman
1. The Life of Walt Whitman
Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price
19
Whitman began his career as a somewhat traditional
writer of fiction and editorials but underwent a transformation in the late 1840s that caused him to develop the
distinctive free-verse style of Leaves of Grass and the patriotic tone of Drum-Taps.
2. Whitman’s Complexity Helps Readers Better
Understand Democracy and Themselves
Richard Gambino
34
Whitman’s appreciation of the common individual stems
from his honest examination of the successes and failures
of American democracy, not from a naive spirituality or
mysticism.
3. Whitman’s Love of Country Did Not Prevent
Him from Speaking Out Against Injustice
David S. Reynolds
42
Although Whitman was a champion of the average citizen throughout his life, his positions in relation to issues
such as slavery, women’s suffrage, and the role of the federal government were far more complex than is often assumed.
Chapter 2: Democracy in
Walt Whitman’s Poetry
1. Whitman Forged His Own Theory
of Democratic Poetics
Patrick Redding
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Generations of poets after Whitman drew inspiration
from his ability to fuse political ideals with expressive
language. Writers of the early twentieth century eschewed
his dependence on plain language but employed a variety
of styles to make their works more democratic.
2. Whitman Celebrated the Creative, Risk-Taking
Spirit of Capitalist Pioneers
Benjamin R. Barber
60
Whitman’s poetry is emblematic of the robust and adventurous spirit of America’s early capitalist pioneers,
whose individualistic spirit helped define American democracy.
3. Whitman’s “Song of Myself ” Presents
a Composite Democratic Individual
George Kateb
71
The contradiction between Whitman’s celebration of the
individual and his faith in Americans as a group is in
fact no contradiction at all, because he viewed the essential goodness of the individual as the most important
component of democratic society.
4. Whitman’s Principle of Democratic Comradeship
Rested on Bonds of Love Between Men
Stephen Alexander
81
British author D.H. Lawrence disagreed with Whitman
on many issues, but he concurred with Whitman’s belief
in the acceptance of homosexual relationships as a sign
of a truly liberated society.
5. Whitman Was Not Socially—or
Sexually—Isolated, and This Informed His
Vision of Democratic Community
Michael Moon
87
Whitman was not, as many critics believe, a reclusive
poet. The lists of personal acquaintances contained in his
notebooks suggest that he was extremely social, and this
geniality is reflected in his poetry.
6. Whitman’s Democratic Legacy Is Uneven
Michael Frank
95
Whitman is typically characterized as a champion of
democracy, but his contradictory views about slavery,
race, and homosexuality indicate otherwise.
7. Whitman Took a Proslavery Position
in His First Novel
Martin Klammer
102
Whitman’s first novel, Franklin Evans, or The Inebriate,
provides several examples of his racist attitudes and
support of slavery as a young writer.
8. The Nazis Reshaped Whitman’s Democratic
Themes with Their Own Message
Walter Grünzweig
111
The Nazis, among the most undemocratic regimes in
world history, adapted Whitman’s poetic style to stir up
nationalist sentiments among the German people.
9. Whitman’s Views Earned Him Scorn
from the Proslavery Press
Eric Conrad
120
Despite evidence of Whitman’s racism, reviewers often
attacked what they saw as his sympathy for the slave
population. Publishers used these attacks to market
Leaves of Grass to abolitionist readers.
10. Whitman’s “Democratic Vistas” Is a Key
to Understanding America
David Brooks
130
Whitman recognized the paradoxical nature of America,
which strives to be a strong nation that promotes democracy while also fostering individualism.
11. Whitman Offers a Complex, Imaginative
Model of Patriotism
Stephen Cushman
137
Whitman provides a helpful example for how Americans can celebrate their country while also engaging in
constructive criticism of it.
12. A Twenty-First-Century Whitman Would
Express His Views Through Rock and Roll
David Haven Blake
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Whitman’s position in nineteenth-century American society can be likened to a modern-day rock-and-roll
singer.
13. Whitman Loved America with a Ferocity
Tempered by Compassion
C.K. Williams
156
Despite his numerous criticisms of the government,
Whitman was extremely patriotic and strove to make
his poetry thoroughly American.
Chapter 3: Contemporary Perspectives
on Democracy
1. Democracy Requires an Informed Electorate
Henry Aubin
165
Those who are not informed about the issues at stake
should abstain from voting in democratic elections.
2. Democracy Does Not Necessarily Promote
Individual Autonomy
Jonah Goldberg
169
The collective understanding of the meaning of democracy has devolved into a competition between narrowminded, self-interested individuals.
3. Short-Sighted and Self-Serving Policies
Doom Democracies
Randy Salzman
174
The federal government’s response to the financial crisis
of 2008 is evidence that special-interest groups—not individual voters—now control government policy.
4. Excessive Individualism Creates Inequality
and Weakens America’s Social Fabric
D. Stanley Eitzen
Distrust of government officials and admiration of selfreliance has been taken to extremes in recent years and
threatens to destroy the democratic process in America.
178
5. American Individualism Is
Threatened by a Growing Climate of
Resentment and Victimization
Peter Goodspeed
185
A lack of empathy for others and the rise of a victimhood culture have created an American society in which
any call for mutual sacrifice is ridiculously equated to
communism or fascism.
6. Individuals Have More Opportunities
than Ever Before
Thomas L. Friedman
191
The recent increase in social unrest around the world is
due to a combination of the failure of the democratic
model and the emergence of a new global consciousness.
For Further Discussion
For Further Reading
Bibliography
Index
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