Walt Whitman was a very interesting man. The two poems O Captain! My Captain! and Pioneers! O Pioneers! were both about his present time situations. He included his thoughts on the situations that were presented before him. The first poem, O Captain! My Captain!, at first seems like a pirates voyage across the sea. The more digging that is done towards the poem leads to the conclusion that it is all just one big metaphor. This poem accurately describes the peoples reactions to the civil war from the beginning of the war to the end of the war. The second poem is all about westward expansion and the people that made it possible. In this poem he seems to include the reader to make them more immersed into the poem. While he was writing his poems …show more content…
In the poem Pioneers! O Pioneers! he says the title over and over again throughout the poem. He also says we a lot and gives very in depth description on the situation at hand, “We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger”, “We debouch upon a newer, mightier world, varied world” (Whitman, “Pioneers! O Pioneers!”). In the other poem he says O Captain! My Captain! A few times to get the reader to get attached to the captain to feel bad for him, “O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells” (Whitman, “O Captain! My Captain!”). In that line he says that because everyone wants the president to keep and pushing through. Abraham Lincoln, the captain, is not able to and will die …show more content…
He is able to keep the reader into his stories. He uses many different literary devices to his advantage. Without imagery his readers wouldn’t be able to get the insight that they need or want in order to see the history that Whitman describes. These poems of course wouldn’t be possible without the allusion aspect of them. The history is what is important here. He is thought to be a very smart man because he used these events and poems to get his views and opinions across. What exactly would the poems be without any of these few literary devices? Would they just be bland and distasteful? Perhaps his work wouldn’t be here for anyone to look
Whitman's autobiographical writing style was well-known, and many of his poems are inspired by his personal life. Similar
Walt Whitman is one of nine children, he grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and Long Island and was faced with many different aspects of society. Growing up he had a great fascination of the atmosphere of Brooklyn which led him to journalism at the age of twenty. In 1855 Walt Whitman self-published a collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass which was expanded and revised through many editions until the ninth “deathbed” edition which was published in 1892. His brother was wounded in Fredericksburg Virginia, shortly after Walt Whitman traveled to see him. Once he saw the aftermath he was compelled to work as a nurse in Washington, D.C. as a volunteer nurse, in this time he wrote many more poems.
Walter Whitman was an American writer during the nineteenth century. Primarily, he was known for his practical poetry and down to earth style. In his work, he displayed both realistic and philosophical views. His works, are mainly drawn from both the love of his county and his theistic world view. Whitman was greatly influential to American literature and writings.
“Different Authors write different ways, have different relationships with their audiences, and those are all legitimate”(John Green).Authors Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman who lived and expressed Themselves through Poetry and Writing during the realism era, convey different style characteristics, write in very different ways and connect to their audiences through very different ways. Both authors have very contrasting writing, although both differences and similarities are discovered by such characteristics. The writing of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman shows many similarities and many differences through their backgrounds and themes, and the way both aspects affect their writing. Walt Whitman experienced a very different upbringing,
This allows the reader to think like a soldier. Oliver writes, “the poet uncovers a dead soldier, third ‘a face nor child nor old, very calm, as of beautiful yellow-white ivory.” Oliver points out that the poet is the main character. This is Whitman use of persona. He allows himself to take on the role of the soldier.
We are able to see this when Whitman says “The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands”(Whitman, 5-7). That quote shows how the people like doing there job. But in the poem “I, Too” it talks about racism and how he is going to overcome it, we can see this when Hughes states “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed(15-17)” this shows that he doesn 't care about what they think about him because he know that he is beautiful. This shows how the two poems are different by how they both have different stories and meanings behind the writing. They are different stories because the two talk about two different things like in “I Hear America Singing,” Whitman talks about how everyone loves what they do and want to sing because of it while in the poem “I, Too,” Hughes writes about racism and how he can overcome it, which shows how different the two poems
It is common for a person to admire the stars in the sky. Their brightness and arrangement is a fascinating sight, of course. On the other hand, people tend to forget or plainly ignore what is right under their feet. In “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman focused on what he thought was truly important, details of the green grass. Whitman wrote, “I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars” (663).
To begin with, Whitman throughout the poem shows a lot about what he believes and what he's opposed to as the states that he is both the body and the soul. By providing the lines he provides, it reflects his individualism as well as gives ideas about the topic of his poem as the title says it clear that it is about himself. Whithmand in the poem relates to the Romantic era as he mentions nature a lot making it obvious of his love for it. Romanticism era shown by Whitman is expressed in the poem as he says ïn the beginning, second stanza ¨I loafe and invite my soul, I learn and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer
Throughout his poem, he constantly talks about the importance of coming together and merging. Whitman says, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 1). On the surface, this quote may appear to illustrate that Whitman thinks highly of himself, but it is more than this. The last part of this quote emphasizes that we are all connected and even though we are all individuals, we should not forget that we are connected to one another. Whitman also says, “Urge and urge and urge, Always the procreant urge of the world.
By doing this Whitman introduces himself and at the same time identifies with the reader. He also states that he should be celebrated not only by himself, but also by the reader because they are the same. He also gives off a feeling that his writing is true and good, we get the feeling he is one of us and at the same time a poet. This leads to comparing Whitman with a preacher or public speaker of some sort, he wishes to be
Walt Whitman captures his audience’s attention with his realism poetry and free verse poetry throughout much of his life as a poet. Whitman was a man of the civil war era and in his poem “The Wound-Dresser” shows his life experiences in the war come full force in the way he conveys his contribution in the civil war. His view of the war as a wound-dresser and he describes some of the most horrendous scenes imaginable from the eyes of an everyday man. His poem “The Wound-Dresser” doesn’t show the war from a distance, but from right on the battlefield in its unedited version as written by Whitman. The way Whitman conveys his poems of the everyday man’s life in his time-period is presented by utilizing his realism style to connect to the audience and his gruesomely descriptive vocabulary.
His works are full of realistic qualities. Moreover, they are long with deep messages, as well as well-structured and detailed. Furthermore, his poems are democratic both subject and the language which shows how intellectual was his imaginary and visual style of writing. To both Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, the individualism in society has a huge importance which, at the same time, inspired their style of writing. Also, they accept the importance of God in connection with nature and immortality.
He, unlike other poets of the time, he shines a positive light on women and glorifies their strength and power. Whitman makes the decision in “Song of Myself” to direct
Whitman, in the end, uses his poems to express his inner feelings that he did not want to share directly to the
In this grand poem, Whitman glorifies the unity of all people and life. He embraces the geographical diversity as well as the diversity of culture, work, as well as sexuality or beliefs. Whitman’s influence sets American dreams of freedom, independence, and self-fulfillment, and changes them for larger spiritual meaning. Whitman appreciates hard work as well as being simple and non-egotistical. His major ideas are things such as soul, good health, as well as the love of nature.