Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, 1887
Born	May 31, 1819(1819-05-31) West Hills, Town of Huntington, Long Island, New York
Died	March 26, 1892 (aged 72) Camden, New Jersey

Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year West Hills is a Hamlet and Census-designated place (CDP in the town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, United States The Town of Huntington is a town located on the North Shore of Long Island, in northwestern Suffolk County, New York. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The City of Camden is the County seat of Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The poetry of the United States arose first during its beginnings as the constitutionally unified Thirteen colonies (although before this a strong An essay is usually a short piece of writing It is often written from an author's personal point of view. Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal He was a part of the transition between Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Transcendentalism was a group of new ideas in Literature, Religion, Culture, and Philosophy that emerged in New England in the Literary realism most often refers to the trend beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. Free verse is a term describing various styles of Poetry that are written without using strict meter or Rhyme, but that still are recognizable as poetry ^[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality. For the 2009 film by this name see Leaves of Grass (film Leaves of Grass (1855 is a poetry collection by the American poet

Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War in addition to publishing his poetry. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey where his health further declined. The City of Camden is the County seat of Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. He died at age 72 and his funeral became a public spectacle. ^[2][3]

Whitman's sexuality is often discussed alongside his poetry. Though he is usually labeled as either homosexual or bisexual,^[4] it is unclear if Whitman ever had a sexual relationship with another man. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation ^[5] Whitman was concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso and opposed the extension of slavery generally, but did not believe in the abolitionist movement. The Wilmot Proviso was introduced on August 8, 1846, in the United States House of Representatives as a rider on a $2 million appropriations

Life and work

Early life

Walter Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, Town of Huntington, Long Island, to Quaker parents, Walter and Louisa Van Velsor Whitman. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year West Hills is a Hamlet and Census-designated place (CDP in the town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, United States The Town of Huntington is a town located on the North Shore of Long Island, in northwestern Suffolk County, New York. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches He was the second of nine children^[6] and was immediately nicknamed "Walt" to distinguish him from his father. ^[7] Walter Whitman Sr. named three of his seven sons after American leaders: Andrew Jackson, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. The oldest was named Jesse and another boy died unnamed at the age of six months. The couple's sixth son, the youngest, was named Edward. ^[7] At age four, Whitman moved with his family from West Hills to Brooklyn, living in a series of homes in part due to bad investments. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ^[8] Whitman looked back on his childhood as generally restless and unhappy due to his family's difficult economic status. ^[9] One happy moment that he later recalled was when he was lifted in the air and kissed on the cheek by Marquis de Lafayette during a celebration in Brooklyn on July 4, 1825. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common ^[10]

At age eleven Whitman concluded formal schooling. ^[11] He then sought employment, due to his family's financial situation, originally as an office boy for two lawyers and later as an apprentice and printer's devil for the weekly Long Island newspaper the Patriot, edited by Samuel E. Apprenticeship is a system of Training a new generation of practitioners of a skill "Printer’s Devil" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. Clements. ^[12] There, Whitman learned about the printing press and typesetting. Typesetting involves the presentation of textual material in graphic form on Paper or some other medium. ^[13] He may have written "sentimental bits" of filler material for occasional issues. ^[14] Clements aroused controversy when he and two friends attempted to dig up the corpse of Elias Hicks to create a plaster mold of his head. Elias Hicks ( March 19, 1748 - February 27, 1830) was an itinerant Quaker preacher from Long Island, New York ^[15] Clements left the Patriot shortly after, possibly as a result of the controversy. ^[16]

Early career

The following summer Whitman worked for another printer, Erastus Worthington, in Brooklyn. ^[17] His family moved back to West Hills in the spring, but Whitman remained and took a job at the shop of Alden Spooner, editor of the leading Whig weekly newspaper the Long-Island Star. The Whig Party was a Political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ^[17] While at the Star, Whitman became a regular patron of the local library, joined a town debating society, began attending theater performances,^[18] and anonymously published some of his earliest poetry in the New York Mirror. The New-York Mirror was a Newspaper published in New York City under many variant titles including The Evening Mirror from 1844 to 1898 ^[19] At age 16 in May 1835, Whitman left the Star and Brooklyn. ^[20] He moved to New York City to work as a compositor^[21] though, in later years, Whitman could not remember where. The City of New York ^[22] He attempted to find further work but had difficulty in part due to a severe fire in the printing and publishing district^[22] and in part due to a general collapse in the economy leading up to the Panic of 1837. The Panic of 1837 was a Panic in the United States built on a speculative fever ^[23] In May 1836, he rejoined his family, now living in Hempstead, Long Island. Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. ^[24] Whitman taught intermittently at various schools until the spring of 1838, though he was not satisfied as a teacher. ^[25]

After his teaching attempts, Whitman went back to Huntington, New York to found his own newspaper, the Long Islander. Long Islander News is a chain of weekly newspapers covering the town of Huntington New York. Whitman served as publisher, editor, pressman, and distributor and even provided home delivery. After ten months, he sold the publication to E. O. Crowell, whose first issue appeared on July 12, 1839. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1839 ( MDCCCXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common ^[26] No copies of the Long-Islander published under Whitman survive. ^[27] By the summer of 1839, he found a job as a typesetter in Jamaica, Queens with the Long Island Democrat, edited by James J. Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Brenton. ^[26] He left shortly thereafter, and made another attempt at teaching from the winter of 1840 to the spring of 1841, then moved to New York City in May. ^[28] There, he initially worked a low-level job at the New World, working under Park Benjamin, Sr. and Rufus Wilmot Griswold. Park Benjamin Sr (1809–1864 was well known in his time as an American Poet, Journalist, editor and founder of several Newspapers Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. ^[29] He continued working for short periods of time for various newspapers, particularly as editor of the Brooklyn Eagle for two years, as well as contributing freelance fiction and poetry throughout the 1840s. The Brooklyn Eagle, also called The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, was a daily newspaper published in Brooklyn, New York from October 26 ^[30]

Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman, age 37, frontispiece to Leaves of Grass, Fulton St. For the 2009 film by this name see Leaves of Grass (film Leaves of Grass (1855 is a poetry collection by the American poet , Brooklyn, N. Y. , steel engraving by Samuel Hollyer from a lost daguerreotype by Gabriel Harrison. The daguerreotype (original French daguerréotype) is an early type of Photograph, developed by Louis Daguerre, in which the image is exposed directly

Main article: Leaves of Grass

Whitman claimed that after years of competing for "the usual rewards", he determined to become a poet. For the 2009 film by this name see Leaves of Grass (film Leaves of Grass (1855 is a poetry collection by the American poet ^[31] He first experimented with a variety of popular literary genres which appealed to the cultural tastes of the period. ^[32] As early as 1850, he began writing what would become Leaves of Grass,^[33] a collection of poetry which he would continue editing and revising until his death. ^[34] Whitman intended to write a distinctly American epic^[35] and used free verse with a cadence based on the Bible. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Free verse is a term describing various styles of Poetry that are written without using strict meter or Rhyme, but that still are recognizable as poetry In Western Musical theory, a harmonic cadence (Latin cadentia, "a falling" is a formula of two chords that conclude ^[36] At the end of June 1855, Whitman surprised his brothers with the already-printed first edition of Leaves of Grass. George "didn't think it worth reading". ^[37]

Whitman paid for the publication of the first edition of Leaves of Grass himself^[37] and had it printed at a local print shop during their breaks from commercial jobs. ^[38] 795 copies were printed,^[39] though the author's name was not given. Instead, facing the title page was an engraved portrait done by Samuel Hollyer. ^[40] The book received its strongest praise from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote a flattering five page letter to Whitman and spoke highly of the book to friends. Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25 1803 &ndash April 27 1882 was an American essayist philosopher poet and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century ^[41] The first edition of Leaves of Grass was widely distributed and stirred up significant interest,^[42] in part due to Emerson's approval,^[43] but was occasionally criticized for the seemingly "obscene" nature of the poetry. ^[44] Geologist John Peter Lesley wrote to Emerson, calling the book "trashy, profane & obscene" and the author "a pretentious ass". (John Peter Lesley (1819-1903 was an American Geologist, born in Philadelphia. ^[45] On July 11, 1855, a few days after Leaves of Grass was published, Whitman's father died at the age of 65. Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy. Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year ^[46]

In the months following the first edition of Leaves of Grass, critical responses began focusing more on the potentially offensive sexual themes. Though the second edition was already printed and bound, the publisher almost did not release it. ^[47] In the end, the edition went to retail, with 20 additional poems,^[48] in August 1856. ^[49] Leaves of Grass was revised and re-released in 1860^[50] again in 1867, and several more times throughout the remainder of Whitman's life. Several well-known writers admired the work enough to visit Whitman, including Bronson Alcott and Henry David Thoreau. Amos Bronson Alcott (November 29 1799 &ndash March 4 1888 was an American teacher and writer ^[51]

Amidst the first publications of Leaves of Grass, Whitman had financial difficulty and was forced to work as a journalist again, specifically with the Brooklyn's Daily Times starting in May 1857. ^[52] As an editor, he oversaw the paper's contents, contributed book reviews, and wrote editorials. ^[53] He left the job in 1859, though it is unclear if he was fired or chose to leave. ^[54] Whitman, who typically kept detailed notebooks and journals, left very little information about himself in the late 1850s. ^[55]

Civil War years

Walt Whitman, circa 1860, by Mathew Brady

As the American Civil War was beginning, Whitman published his poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" as a patriotic rally call for the North. Note that Mathew B Brady spelled his first name with only one "t" Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South ^[56] Whitman's brother George had joined the Union army and began sending Whitman several vividly detailed letters of the battle front. During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three ^[57] On December 16, 1862, a listing of fallen and wounded soldiers in the New York Tribune included "First Lieutenant G. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday W. Whitmore", which Whitman worried was a reference to his brother George. ^[58] He made his way south immediately to find him, though his wallet was stolen on the way. ^[59] "Walking all day and night, unable to ride, trying to get information, trying to get access to big people", Whitman later wrote,^[60] he eventually found George alive, with only a superficial wound on his cheek. ^[58] Whitman, profoundly affected by seeing the wounded soldiers and the heaps of their amputated limbs, left for Washington on December 28, 1862 with the intention of never returning to New York. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday ^[59]

In Washington, D. C. , Whitman's friend Charley Eldridge helped him obtain part-time work in the army paymaster's office, leaving time for Whitman to volunteer as a nurse in the army hospitals. ^[61] He would write of this experience in "The Great Army of the Sick", published in a New York newspaper in 1863^[62] and, 12 years later, in a book called Memoranda During the War. ^[63] He then contacted Emerson, this time to ask for help in obtaining a government post. ^[59] Another friend, John Trowbridge, passed on a letter of recommendation from Emerson to Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, hoping he would grant Whitman a position in that department. Salmon Portland Chase ( January 13, 1808 – May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist in the Civil War era Chase, however, did not want to hire the author of a disreputable book, referring to Leaves of Grass. ^[64]

The Whitman family had a difficult end to 1864. On September 30, 1864, Whitman's brother George was captured by Confederates in Virginia,^[65] another brother, Andrew Jackson, died of tuberculosis compounded by alcoholism on December 3. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions ^[66] That month, Whitman committed his brother Jesse to the Kings County Lunatic Asylum. ^[67] Whitman's spirits were raised, however, when he finally got a better-paying government post – a low grade clerk in the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior – thanks to his friend William Douglas O'Connor. The United States Department of the Interior ( DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally O'Connor, a poet, daguerreotypist and an editor at the Saturday Evening Post, had written to William Tod Otto, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, on Whitman's behalf. William Tod Otto ( January 19, 1816 &ndash November 7, 1905) was an American Judge and the eighth reporter of decisions ^[68] Whitman began the new appointment on January 24, 1865, with a yearly salary of $1,200. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year ^[69] A month later, on February 24, 1865, George was released from capture and granted a furlough because of his poor health. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year ˈfɝloʊ}} is a temporary leave of absence especially from duty in the [[armed services]] or from a [[prison]] term ^[68] By May 1, Whitman received a promotion to a slightly higher clerkship^[69] and published Drum-Taps. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. ^[70]

Effective June 30, 1865, however, Whitman was fired from his job. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year ^[70] His dismissal came from the new Secretary of the Interior, former Iowa Senator James Harlan. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. James Harlan ( August 26, 1820 &ndash October 5, 1899) was a member of the United States Senate and a U ^[69] Though Harlan dismissed several clerks who "were seldom at their respective desks", he may have fired Whitman on moral grounds after finding an 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass. ^[71] O'Connor protested until J. Hubley Ashton had Whitman transferred to the Attorney General's office on July 1. ^[72] O'Connor, though, was still upset and vindicated Whitman by publishing a biased and exaggerated biographical study, The Good Gray Poet, in January 1866. The fifty-cent pamphlet defended Whitman as a wholesome patriot, established the poet's nickname and increased his popularity. ^[73] Also aiding in his popularity was the publication of "O Captain! My Captain!", a relatively conventional poem to Abraham Lincoln, the only poem to be anthologized during Whitman's lifetime. " O Captain! My Captain! " is a poem written in 1865 by Walt Whitman dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal ^[74]

Part of Whitman's role in the Attorney General's office was interviewing former Confederate soldiers for Presidential pardons. A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it "There are real characters among them", he later wrote, "and you know I have a fancy for anything out of the ordinary. "^[75] In August 1866, he took a month off in order to prepare a new edition of Leaves of Grass which would not be published until 1867 after difficulty in finding a publisher. ^[76] He hoped it would be its last edition. ^[77] In February 1868 Poems of Walt Whitman was published in England thanks to the influence of William Michael Rossetti,^[78] with minor changes which Whitman reluctantly approved. William Michael Rossetti ( 25 September 1829 &ndash 5 February 1919) was an English writer and critic ^[79] The edition became popular in England, especially with endorsements from the highly respected Anne Gilchrist. Anne Gilchrist (1828 &ndash 1885 née Burrows, was an English Writer who travelled to the United States, initially to visit Walt Whitman ^[80] Another edition of Leaves of Grass was issued in 1871, the same year it was mistakenly reported that its author died in a railroad accident. ^[81] As Whitman's international fame increased, he remained working in the attorney general's office until January 1872. ^[82] He spent much of 1872 caring for his mother who was now nearly eighty and struggling with arthritis. Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body ^[83] He also traveled and was invited to Dartmouth College to give the commencement address on June 26, 1872. Dartmouth College ( is a private, Coeducational University located in Hanover, New Hampshire, U Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year ^[84]

Health decline and death

Walt Whitman spent his last few years at his home in Camden, New Jersey.

Early in 1873, Whitman suffered a paralytic stroke; his mother died in May the same year. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain Both events were difficult for Whitman and left him depressed. ^[85] He moved to Camden, New Jersey to live with his brother George, paying room and board until he bought his own house on Mickle St. The City of Camden is the County seat of Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. in 1884. ^[86] Around this time, he began socializing with Mary Oakes Davis, the widow of a sea captain, who lived nearby. ^[87] She moved in with Whitman on February 24, 1885 to serve as his housekeeper in exchange for free rent. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common She brought with her a cat, a dog, two turtledoves, a canary, and other assorted animals. ^[88] During this time, Whitman produced further editions of Leaves of Grass in 1876, 1881, and 1889.

As the end of 1891 approached, he prepared a final edition of Leaves of Grass, an edition which has been nicknamed the "Deathbed Edition". He wrote, "L. of G. at last complete—after 33 y'rs of hackling at it, all times & moods of my life, fair weather & foul, all parts of the land, and peace & war, young & old". ^[89] Preparing for death, Whitman commissioned a granite mausoleum shaped like a house for $4,000^[90] and visited it often during construction. Granite (ˈɡrænɪt is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, Felsic, igneous rock. A mausoleum ( plural: mausolea is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons ^[91] In the last week of his life, he was too weak to lift a knife or fork and wrote: "I suffer all the time: I have no relief, no escape: it is monotony — monotony — monotony — in pain. "^[92]

Whitman died on March 26, 1892. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year ^[93] An autopsy revealed his lungs had diminished to one-eighth their normal breathing capacity, a result of bronchial pneumonia,^[90] and that an egg-sized abscess on his chest had eroded one of his ribs. An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy, or obduction, is a Medical procedure that consists of a thorough Examination The cause of death was officially listed as "pleurisy of the left side, consumption of the right lung, general miliary tuberculosis and parenchymatous nephritis. Miliary tuberculosis (or disseminated TB) is a form of Tuberculosis that is characterized by a wide dissemination into the human body and by the tiny size of the lesions "^[94] A public viewing of his body was held at his Camden home; over one thousand people visited in three hours^[2] and Whitman's oak coffin was barely visible because of all the flowers and wreaths left for him. ^[95] He was buried in his tomb at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden four days after his death. Harleigh Cemetery is a historic Cemetery located in both Collingswood and Camden New Jersey. ^[2] Another public ceremony was held at the cemetery, with friends giving speeches, live music, and refreshments. ^[3] Later, the remains of Whitman's parents and two of his brothers and their families were moved to the mausoleum. ^[96]

Lifestyle and beliefs

Portrait of Whitman by Thomas Eakins, 1887-88

Alcohol

Whitman was a vocal proponent of temperance and rarely drank alcohol. Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins ( July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was a realist painter, Photographer, sculptor See also Prohibition, Teetotalism The Temperance Movement attempted to reduce the amount of Alcohol consumed within a community or society in He once claimed he did not taste "strong liquor" until he was thirty^[97] and occasionally argued for prohibition. Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol ^[98] One of his earliest long fiction works, the novel Franklin Evans; or, The Inebriate, first published November 23, 1842, is a temperance novel. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 1842 ( MDCCCXLII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common ^[99] Whitman wrote the novel at the height of popularity of the Washingtonian movement though the movement itself was plagued with contradictions, as was Franklin Evans. The Washingtonian movement ( Washingtonians, Washingtonian Temperance Society or Washingtonian Total Abstinence Society) was a 19th century fellowship ^[100] Years later Whitman claimed he was embarrassed by the book^[101] and called it a "damned rot". ^[102] He dismissed it by saying he wrote the novel in three days solely for money while he was under the influence of alcohol himself. ^[103] Even so, he wrote other pieces recommending temperance, including The Madman and a short story "Reuben's Last Wish". ^[104]

Poetic theory

Whitman wrote in the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass, "The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it. " He believed there was a vital, symbiotic relationship between the poet and society. ^[105] This connection was emphasized especially in "Song of Myself" by using an all-powerful first-person narration. "Song of Myself" is an epic poem by Walt Whitman that is included in his work Leaves of Grass. ^[106] As an American epic, it deviated from the historic use of an elevated hero and instead assumed the identity of the common people. ^[107] Leaves of Grass also responded to the impact that recent urbanization in the United States had on the masses. ^[108]

Religion

Whitman was deeply influenced by deism. Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation He denied any one faith was more important than another, and embraced all religions equally. ^[109] In "Song of Myself", he gave an inventory of major religions and indicated he respected and accepted all of them – a sentiment he further emphasized in his poem "With Antecedents", affirming: "I adopt each theory, myth, god, and demi-god, / I see that the old accounts, bibles, genealogies, are true, without exception". ^[109] In 1874, he was invited to write a poem about the Spiritualism movement, to which he responded, "It seems to me nearly altogether a poor, cheap, crude humbug. Spiritualism is a Religion founded in part on the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772 "^[110] Whitman was a religious skeptic: though he accepted all churches, he believed in none. ^[109]

Sexuality

Whitman and Peter Doyle, one of the men with whom Whitman was believed to have had an intimate relationship

Whitman's sexuality is sometimes disputed, although often assumed to be bisexual based on his poetry. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation ^[4] The concept of heterosexual and homosexual personalities was invented in 1868, and it was not widely promoted until Whitman was an old man. Whitman's poetry depicts love and sexuality in a more earthy, individualistic way common in American culture before the medicalization of sexuality in the late 1800s. ^[111] Though Leaves of Grass was often labeled pornographic or obscene, only one critic remarked on its author's presumed sexual activity: in a November 1855 review, Rufus Wilmot Griswold suggested Whitman was guilty of "that horrible sin not to be mentioned among Christians". Rufus Wilmot Griswold (February 13 1812 – August 27 1857 was an American anthologist, editor, Poet, and Critic. ^[112] Whitman had intense friendships with many men throughout his life. Some biographers have claimed that he may not have actually engaged in sexual relationships with men,^[5] while others cite letters, journal entries and other sources which they claim as proof of the sexual nature of some of his relationships. ^[113]

Biographer David S. Reynolds described a man named Peter Doyle as being the most likely candidate for the love of Whitman's life. ^[114] Doyle was a bus conductor whom he met around 1866. They were inseparable for several years. Interviewed in 1895, Doyle said: "We were familiar at once — I put my hand on his knee — we understood. He did not get out at the end of the trip — in fact went all the way back with me. "^[115] A more direct second-hand account comes from Oscar Wilde. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of Wilde met Whitman in America in 1882, and wrote to the homosexual rights activist George Cecil Ives that there was "no doubt" about the great American poet's sexual orientation — "I have the kiss of Walt Whitman still on my lips," he boasted. George (Cecil Ives (born in Germany on October 1 1867 - died June 4 1950 was a German-British poet writer penal reformer and early Gay rights campaigner ^[116] The only explicit description of Whitman's sexual activities is second hand. In 1924 Edward Carpenter, then an old man, described an erotic encounter he had had in his youth with Whitman to Gavin Arthur, who recorded it in detail in his journal. Also see Ed Carpenter. Edward Carpenter ( 29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English ^[117] Late in his life, when Whitman was asked outright if his series of "Calamus" poems were homosexual, he chose not to respond. The " Calamus " poems are a cluster of poems in Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. ^[118]

There is also some evidence that Whitman may have had sexual relationships with women. He had a romantic friendship with a New York actress named Ellen Grey in the spring of 1862, but it is not known whether or not it was also sexual. He still had a photo of her decades later when he moved to Camden and referred to her as "an old sweetheart of mine". ^[119] In a letter dated August 21, 1890 he claimed, "I have had six children - two are dead". Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common This claim has never been corroborated. ^[120] Toward the end of his life, he often told stories of previous girlfriends and sweethearts and denied an allegation from the New York Herald that he had "never had a love affair". ^[121]

Shakespeare authorship

Whitman was a proponent of the Shakespeare authorship question, refusing to believe in the historic attribution of the works to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. The Shakespeare authorship question is the debate dating back to the early 18th century about whether the works attributed to William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon William Shakespeare ( baptised Whitman comments in his November Boughs (1888) regarding Shakespeare's historical plays:

"Conceiv'd out of the fullest heat and pulse of European feudalism -personifying ill unparalleled ways the medieval aristocracy, its towering spirit of ruthless and gigantic caste, with its own peculiar air and arrogance (no mere imitation) -only one of the "wolfish earls" so plenteous in the plays themselves, or some born descendant and knower, might seem to be the true author of those amazing works -works in some respects greater than anything else in recorded literature. "^[122]

Slavery

Whitman opposed the extension of slavery in the United States and supported the Wilmot Proviso. The Wilmot Proviso was introduced on August 8, 1846, in the United States House of Representatives as a rider on a $2 million appropriations ^[123] However, he was not an abolitionist and believed the movement did more harm than good. Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies He once wrote that the abolitionists had, in fact, slowed the advancement of their cause by their "ultraism and officiousness". ^[124] His main concern was that their methods disrupted the democratic process, as did the refusal of the Southern states to put the interests of the nation as a whole above their own. ^[123] Whitman also subscribed to the widespread opinion that even free African-Americans should not vote^[125] and was concerned at the increasing number of African-Americans in the legislature. ^[126]

Legacy and influence

Walt Whitman has been claimed as America's first "poet of democracy", a title meant to reflect his ability to write in a singularly American character. A British friend of Walt Whitman, Mary Smith Whitall Costelloe, wrote: "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass. . . He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him. "^[127] Modernist poet Ezra Pound called Whitman "America's poet. Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Ezra Weston Loomis Pound ( Hailey, Idaho Territory, United States October 30 1885 – Venice, Italy November 1 1972 was an American Expatriate . . He is America. "^[128] Andrew Carnegie called him "the great poet of America so far". Andrew Carnegie (properly kɑrˈneɪgi but commonly /ˈkɑrnɨgi/ or /kɑrˈnɛgi/ (25 November 1835 – 11 August 1919 was a Scottish -born American Industrialist ^[129] Edward Hopper, who knew Whitman's poetry well, was, like the poet, "a brilliant impresario of the archetype. " Hopper's pictures of naked women by their windows were (says the critic, Walter Wells) most likely influenced by Whitman, most notably the poet's controversial "A Woman Waits for Me. " ^[130]

The literary critic, Harold Bloom wrote, as the introduction for the 150th anniversary of Leaves of Grass that, "If you are American, then Walt Whitman is your imaginative father and mother, even if, like myself, you have never composed a line of verse. Harold Bloom' (born July 11, 1930) is a Literary critic. Bloom defended 19th-century Romantic poets at a time when their reputations You can nominate a fair number of literary works as candidates for the secular Scripture of the United States. They might include Melville's Moby-Dick, Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Emerson's two series of Essays and The Conduct of Life. None of those, not even Emerson's, are as central as the first edition of Leaves of Grass. "^[131]

Whitman considered himself a messiah-like figure in poetry. ^[132] Others agreed: one of his admirers, William Sloane Kennedy, speculated that "people will be celebrating the birth of Walt Whitman as they are now the birth of Christ". ^[133] Whitman's work breaks the boundaries of poetic form and is generally prose-like. ^[1] He also used unusual images and symbols in his poetry, including rotting leaves, tufts of straw, and debris. ^[134] He also openly wrote about death and sexuality, including prostitution. ^[135] He is often labeled as the father of free verse, though he did not invent it. Free verse is a term describing various styles of Poetry that are written without using strict meter or Rhyme, but that still are recognizable as poetry ^[1]

Whitman's vagabond lifestyle was adopted by the Beat movement and its leaders such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac in the 1950s and 1960s as well as anti-war poets like Adrienne Rich and Gary Snyder. Irwin Allen Ginsberg (ˈgɪnzbɝg (June 3 1926 &ndash April 5 1997 was an American Poet. Jack Kerouac ( March 12 1922 &ndash October 21 1969) was an American Novelist, Writer, Poet, and Adrienne Cecile Rich (born May 16 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American poet essayist and Feminist. Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American Poet (often associated with the Beat Generation ^[136] Whitman also influenced Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, and was the model for the character of Dracula. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary Antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. Stoker said in his notes that Dracula represented the quintessential male which, to Stoker, was Whitman, with whom he corresponded until Whitman's death. ^[137]

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Callow, Philip. From Noon to Starry Night: A Life of Walt Whitman. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1992. ISBN 0929587952
• Kaplan, Justin. Walt Whitman: A Life. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979. ISBN 0671225421
• Loving, Jerome. Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself. University of California Press, 1999. ISBN 0520226879
• Miller, James E. , Jr. Walt Whitman. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1962
• Reynolds, David S. Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. ISBN 0679767096

External links

• Poems by Walt Whitman An extensive collection of Whitman's poetry
• Poets.org – Biography, related essays, poems, and reading guides from the Academy of American Poets
• Walt Whitman: Online Resources at the Library of Congress
• The Walt Whitman Archive includes all editions of "Leaves of Grass" in page-images and transcription, as well as manuscripts, criticism, and biography
• Listen to selections from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" - RealAudio
• Walt Whitman Page by Camden County, New Jersey Historical Society
• MS Lowell 15. Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892. Passage to India : autograph manuscript; Washington, 1870. 21s. (21p.) Houghton Library, Harvard University. The Academy of American Poets is the preeminent organization in the United States dedicated to the art of Poetry.
• Walt Whitman household in NJ in 1880 census
• Walt Whitman's grave site at Find A Grave.com

Sites

• Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site
• Walt Whitman Camden Home Historic Site
• http://litscholar.net/thesis/thesis_precis.htm "Reconstructing Reality: The Mythmaking of Walt Whitman and Leslie Marmon Silko"