It is a beautiful truth that all men
contain something of the artist in
them. And perhaps it is the case
that the greatest artists live and
die, the world and themselves
alike ignorant what they possess.
Lorem Ipsum Dolor
Walt Whitman
The man
Walt Whitman was born in 1819 on a farm in
Long Island, New York. When he was five
years old, he and his parents moved to
Brooklyn, where he attended primary school.
When he was eleven he started work as an
office boy, then worked as a printer and as a
reporter. In 1846 he became the chief editor
of the Daily Eagle. For two years his job was
to gather not only the local news, but
information from all over America and also to
write about democratic policy, morals,
civic virtues and the trends of the time.
He also read a lots of books about human
rights and commons people’s
opportunities and possibilities.He
travelled to New Orleans and Chicago,
becoming aware of the enormity of his
country and the variety of its inhabitants.
The man
In 1849 he became disappointed with the
democratic party because it was weak
and divided of the problem of slavery. As a
result he lost his interest in political
journalism and devoted all his energy and
ambitions to poetry. In 1892 he published
the first edition of Leaves of Grass, whose
composition took almost all his life (the last
edition, the ninth one, appeared in the very
year of his death, 1892). During the Civil
War (1861-1865) Whitman was a
supporter of the North and, too old to fight,
he volunteered as hospital visitor. In 1873
he retired to New Jersey, where he
continued to write poetry and essays and
received visits from admirers and followers.
He died in 1892.
His works
❖
Franklin Evans, or The Inebriate (1842)
A novel against the massive consumption of alcoholic beverages.
❖
Leaves of Grass (1855)
Poetry collection, considered his masterpiece.
❖
Drum-Taps (1865)
Poems composed during the Civil War.
❖
Democratic Vistas (1871)
Major work of comparative politics and letters.
Whitman’s poetry
IWhitman called himself “an american
bard”. This statement shows the poet’s
conception of himself as the prophet
who had task to reveal the truth and
sing the glory of his country. Although
being a common man, he though to be a
seer, and so he had to serve as the
spiritual eyes of humanity. He felt the
need to teach the country morals (to
love the nature, to despise wealth, to
hate tyrants, to be generous with the
poor, to follow the laws of God). These
morals are one of the subject of his poetry
together with the exaltation of common
people, the nobility of hard manual
work, the beauty of nature, the
greatness of technology and the charm
of crowded cities.
Whitman’s poetry
II
He said to be the poet of men and
women, whose equality he exalted, and
that he was the poet of soul as well of the
body. He spoke of physical love and he
dealt with theme of sex with such direct
mess that he provoked reactions among
the puritans, who condemned him as
immoral. This is connected to the idea of
the individual, who is made up of
spirituality as well as sensuality. He
was the poet not only of America as a
compact nation, but also of individual, to
whose uniqueness he gave great
importance (“One’ s self I sing, a simple
separate person/ Yet utter the word
Democratic, the word En-Masse”).
Leaves of Grass
Whitman’s poems were collected in a volume called
Leaves of Grass. It is an ever-expanding working progress,
intimately connected to Whitman’s vision as the voice and
chronicler of the american experience. Whitman’s ambition
is to show all the facets of America. Some of his most
famous poems are: Song of Myself, O Captain My Captain,
O Me! O Life!, When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer.
❖
Song of Myself
Song of Myself
The poem is written in free verse style. It mixes romanticism and a kind of realism that would only become important in
United States literature after the American Civil War. It is emphasized an all-powerful “I”.
❖
O Captain My Captain
O Captain My Captain Alla morte di Giuseppe Mazzini
The captain in the poem refers to Abraham Lincoln who is the captain of the ship, representing the United States of
America. The first line establishes a happy mood as it addresses the captain. The phrase "our fearful trip is done" is
talking about the end of the Civil War.
❖
O Me! O Life!
O Me! O Life!
The main idea behind this poem is life. Everyone has their ups and downs, good and bad, happy and sad. But as long
as you push your way through all the negative you will make something great of your life and you will contribute a verse,
that will keep you going in the play.
When i heard the Learn'd Astronomer
Walter White from Breaking Bad reading the poem
It's the difference between learning through books or teachers, having someone tell you information and experiencing
something for yourself. The poem implies that learning through experience is much more profound and meaningful,
than learning through graphs, charts, and lectures.