Whitman has had a lasting impression on the American culture because of the way he imagined America; he saw it as a triumphant place of innovation, diversity, and natural beauty. We have journeyed with Whitman as he wrote throughout his life and rewrote and added to the manifesto that is Leaves of Grass. We have […]
Author Archive | chacei
Walt Whitman, Martín Espada, and the Republic of Poetry
Before reading Whitman and studying the ins and outs of his life and how he wrote about life in general, I couldn’t find him in other poems. But, just as you can trace the origins of Rom Coms to greek mythology, I have realized so much of the modern poetry I have read and learned […]
Contradictions and Confessions in Ginsberg’s “America”
Allen Ginsberg’s poem, “America,” is a monologue addressing the entire country of America, as if it had a conscience of its own. Similar in tone to Whitman’s more prophetic poems, the speaker in “America” is interrogating the country with political-themed questions. Important to note is the unreliable speaker; in the beginning of the free […]
Whitman’s Yonnondio
Whitman’s Yonnondio- Walt Whitman said this Word- which actually means Lament for the aborigines, an Iroquois term- As if it were a name That could be called in the twilight Before the sun went all the way down Before the wolves began to howl Before our country became What it is today. Walt […]
Romantic Relationships in Civil War Hospitals- A Summary and Response to Daneen Wardrop
Daneen Wardrop’s article, “Civil War Nursing Narratives: Whitman’s Memoranda During the War, and Eroticism,” provides a lense focused on the style and tone of Whitman’s Civil war narratives, and pays close attention to the ways he consistently conveys themes of “democracy, the typical American, motherhood, and the eroticism that forms between nurse and patient,”(Wardrop, 1). […]
Porter’s Noteworthy Discussion on Engaging with Texts
Lavelle Porter’s article, “Should Walt Whitman be #Cancelled?” introduces numerous perspectives on the legacy of Walt Whitman from scholars and artists who, in some cases, have rejected his work on the basis of racist and derogatory language. Porter asks the question, “What do we do with uncle Walt, now?” in reference to the many critics […]
Life and Death in WW’s “Warble for Lilac-time”
The speaker in Walt Whitman’s “Warble for Lilac-time” observes the scenery of a spring day, and is sure to notice the beauty of it. The scents of newly bloomed lilacs, the sky, the birds and their wings. Almost all of the imagery in this poem is focused on nature’s beauty. Unlike much of Whitman’s poetry, […]
Crossing Cistern Student- A Response to Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”
Crossing Cistern Student Response to “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman 1 Patterned bricks below me! I see you face to face! Live oaks above– sun there half an hour high– I see you also face to face. Classes of young men and young women dressed in the usual outfits, how curious you are […]