Who is Walt Whitman? – A Critical Look at the Good Gray Poet in Popular and Academic Culture

Over the course of the semester, we have seen Walt Whitman through various lenses from academic culture. We have viewed Whitman through the lense of African Americans, Native Americans, Queer poets, and women, all with their varying degrees of disdain and praise for the controversial poet. We have also studied Whitman’s influence over popular culture through short films, music, and commercials. However, while studying the use of Whitman in popular culture, it seems that Whitman is treated almost entirely different from those who view him through poetic or analytical means. Popular culture tends to put Whitman more on a undisputed pedestal of merit and inspiration, even if his words and image is used to sell blue jeans or iPads. When it comes to popular culture, there seems to be less dispute over Whitman’s controversial work and his inspiring nature than in academic culture.

For my final project, I intend on viewing at these rivaling viewpoints of Whitman in a general sense to come to a conclusion on how the general public should view Whitman. In their article, “Twentieth-century Mass Media Appearances“, Andrew Jewell and Kenneth M. Price look at the various inclusions of Whitman’s work and character in popular culture. The major consensus of the article points to popular culture’s infatuation with Whitman as a sage like figure who “knew better than other writers everything from hospital setting to eternity”. To juxtapose this view, I shall conduct research for more academic sources that analytically take aim at Whitman and his work.

For my final project, I shall create a video essay using the video editing software, Adobe Premiere, in attempt create an engaging display of both sights and music for my research and my own opinions on the subject matter of how much we should praise and criticize Walt Whitman in both an academic and popular sense.

SOURCE:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adobe_Premiere_Pro_CC_icon.svg

SOURCE:https://bigother.com/2011/02/13/walt-whitman-the-simpsons-necropastoral-necrocoastal-necrogeorgic/