Whitman

Walt Whitman was and still is considered an extraordinary poet. Even though he is no longer alive he created a new form of poetry and amazed other poets who also created their own prose. He is considered one of the greatest American poets (Academy). On May 31, 1819 Walt Whitman was born. He lived in Brooklyn in the 1820’s then moved to Long Island. He was obsessed with the poets Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare. He started teaching at a schoolhouse at the age of 17 (Academy). He worked as a teacher until 1841 when he became a journalist. When he went back to Brooklyn he started a newspaper called the Brooklyn Freeman. Later he started to develop his unique style of poetry by which Ralph Waldo Emerson, another poet who created his own style of writing, was astounded (Giantvalley). In 1855, Whitman copyrighted the first edition of __Leaves of Grass__. This edition only held a preface and twelve poems that weren’t titled. He published this edition himself. Then he later sent a copy of his book to Emerson in July of that year. (Giantvalley). The second edition of the book was released in 1856. This book had thirty-three poems, a letter from Emerson praising his first edition and an open letter from Whitman in response to Emerson. Throughout his career Whitman continued to refine the volume, of which he published several more editions adding more to each volume. (Academy) When the Civil War broke out Whitman started to do freelance journalism. He visited the wounded in New York hospitals. Then in 1862 he went to Washington D.C. to care for his brother who was wounded in the war. Whitman was overwhelmed by the suffering of all the wounded he had encountered at the hospital. He decided to stay to work in the hospitals for eleven years. (Giantvalley) He began working for the Department of the Interior as a clerk. He was later fired when the Secretary of the Interior found out that Whitman was the author of __Leaves of Grass__ and was offended by it (Academy). For the most part Whitman struggled to support himself throughout his life. He lived on the salary he received as a clerk and meek royalties. He spent any excess money to buy supplies for his patients for which he continued to care. He had also been sending some money to his mother and brother. Every once in a while, writers sent him purses of money so that he could support himself (Academy). By 1870 Whitman had settled in Camden, New Jersey where he went to visit his dying mother at his brother’s home. Though, after a stroke, it was impossible for Whitman to return to D.C. he stayed with his brother until the publication __of Leaves of Grass__ gave him enough money to buy a home of his own in Camden in 1882. Whitman spent his last years working on editions and revisions to the final edition of the book and prepared his final volume of poems and style__, Good-Bye, My Fancy__. Whitman died in March of 1892 and was buried in a tomb he designed and built in Harleigh Cemetery (Acadamy). When he died Whitman was more respected in Europe than American, his own country. He first got recognition for being a symbol of American democracy instead of as a poet. He wanted his readers to realize how important America was and the spirit of the American practice. He has held the attention of generations after him because he his statement that “the crowning growth of the United States” was spiritual and heroic and because he was able to express his own personality through his poems. Whitman could easily manipulate language; he was strong yet sentimental, he possessed scope and inventiveness. He was considered one of the greatest American poets because he had universality (Whitman 6).