Walt Whitman. American Poet

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1 Name Per. Walt Whitman American Poet By Eleanor Hall Most of the time when we hear the words poem and poetry, we think of verses that have rhyming words. An example is the opening lines of Henry W. Longfellow s famous poem about Paul Revere, Listen my children and you shall hear, Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. Walt Whitman was a poet who lived at the same time as Longfellow but whose poems almost never rhymed. His poems sound as if someone were just talking. Here are some lines from his famous book of poems, Leaves of Grass: A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more that he. Before Whitman, no one had written poetry in quite that way. Some critics felt Whitman was a great poet, but many others criticized and ridiculed his work. They said it wasn t poetry at all, and they were upset because he sometimes wrote poetry on subjects they didn t think proper. Whitman didn t let the criticism stop him, however, because he believed in himself and in his own ability. He was convinced that poetry did not have to follow rigid rules, and most of all, he believed it should come from the heart. Since he couldn t make a living writing poetry, Whitman worked as a printer and a journalist and wrote poetry in his spare time. During the Civil War, he served in a hospital for wounded soldiers in Washington, D.C. As a result of that experience, he wrote many poems about the terrible things that happen to people during wartime. Whitman s poems tell us a lot about the kind of person he was. They show that he had a great affection for the common people of America, including the slaves who he believed should be set free. His poems also show that he loved to be out-of-doors in the fields and woods, even though he lived and worked in cities most of his life. Today, critics consider Whitman s poetry to be among the finest ever written by an American author. Many poets now use the free style of verse that Whitman pioneered.

2 Image and Metaphor In Poetry Poets use words to create mental images or pictures in the mind. Many times the word pictures they create are metaphors. A metaphor is a comparison of a thing or an idea with some other thing or idea. For example, Walt Whitman wrote a poem about the death of Abraham Lincoln called O Captain! My Captain! In this poem, Lincoln is pictured as the captain of a ship rather than the President of the United States. Below is the first stanza of that poem, one of the few Whitman wrote in rhyme. Now that you know the Captain in the poem is a metaphor for President Lincoln, can you explain the meaning of the other italicized metaphors? If you have trouble, get out an American history book and review Lincoln s years as president O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring; But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of blood Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. 1. What does The ship represent 2. To what does our fearful trip refer? 3. In what sense was the fearful trip done? 4. Whitman says,...the prize we sought is won. What was the prize and how was it won? Could there have been more than one prize? 5. What historical event was Whitman describing in the last two lines?

3 Turning Poetry into Prose The word prose means ordinary language while poetry refers to language used in a special way. Poetry has rhythm and meter a beat, much like music. Walt Whitman didn t follow the strict rules for rhythm and meter that earlier poets followed. Instead, he used a style of writing that allowed him to express his feeling with greater freedom. Nevertheless, his work was poetry, not prose. Here is a simple example. Whitman wrote a poem about the death of Abraham Lincoln which he called, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed. In prose or ordinary language, we would probably say When lilacs last bloomed in the dooryard. It s a small change, but it makes a difference. Read both lines out loud. Can you hear and feel a rhythmic beat in the poetry more than in prose? Notice that the words themselves have not changed, only the order in which they are written. Now, have some fun with prose and poetry. Below are verses from two famous poems. Read each carefully (out loud, if possible). Then try to write in prose what the poet said in verse. Poetry The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door, Only this, and nothing more. Prose Poetry The Arrow and the song By Henry W. Longfellow I shot an arrow into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where; For, so swiftly it flew, the sight Could not follow it in its flight Prose

4 Turning Prose into Poetry Now that you have turned poetry into prose, go in the opposite direction and turn prose into poetry. This may be a little more difficult, but it can be a lot of fun too. Below are two statements written in prose. Choose one of them and write a poem about it. Think of your poem as a song with rhythm and a beat. You may make your poem rhyme if you wish, but remember that poetry doesn t have to rhyme. You may also use other words than the ones given in the sentences below if you wish. Let your imagination go, and don t worry if someone criticizes or laughs at your poem. Remember, they laughed at Walt Whitman, too. Prose statement 1 The sun came out while it was still raining and a full rainbow suddenly appeared against the dark clouds. It stayed only few moments, then vanished when the clouds covered the sun again. Prose statement 2 What I like to eat most of all is thick-crusted pizza covered with tomato sauce, mushrooms, olives, peperoni, sausage, and lots of cheese. I like it baked until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the crust is crisp and brown.

5 Song of Myself Walt Whitman gave one of his long poems an interesting name. He called it, Song of Myself. The words of the poem show that Whitman had a lot of self-esteem. To have self-esteem does not mean to be conceited or stuck up. It means to have respect for yourself and to believe in your own worth. In his poem, Whitman said, I celebrate myself. Once in a while, it is helpful to stop and consider the good things about yourself and about your life. On the lines below, celebrate yourself by completing the sentences. My own Song of Self My friends like me because It makes me happy when I am best at I am very interested in A job I would like to have when I am an adult is If I could travel anywhere, I would go On weekends, I like to At home, I help My hobby is I would like to have I like to read books and stories about The kind of music I like best is My favorite television program is The school subject I like best is The school activity I like best is The sport I most like to participate in is The sport I most enjoy watching is At home, my favorite food is In a restaurant, I prefer to order The clothes I like best are Other things I like about myself are Other things I can do well are I will make possible my most impossible dream of

6 Walt Whitman Puzzle 1. He wrote The Raven. 2. Whitman had an affection for people. 3. Whitman was born in 4. A metaphor for President Lincoln 5. Ordinary language 6. Most of Whitman s poems didn t 7. O Captain! O Captain! Is about 8. Language that has rhythm and meter 9. Whitman wrote Song of 10. Respecting yourself is 11. Whitman served in a military 12. A fellow poet of Whitman 13. In poetry, Whitman didn t follow rigid 14. Whitman wrote Leaves 15. The beat in poetry is called our fearful trip is done is a 17. Where Whitman served in hospitals. 18. The kind of poetry Whitman pioneered 19. Like music, poetry has 20. Whitman wanted to abolish this 21. One of the jobs Whitman held. 22. He went on a midnight ride. 23. Another job held by Whitman. Can you find the secret message?