Once upon a time (May 31st, 1819 to be exact), a great, yet common man was born. His name was Walt Whitman.
Whitman was raised by his father Walter Whitman, who was a carpenter and "sometime farmer" (Reynolds 3), and his mother Lousia Whitman. Whitman's brother, George, acknowledged that "[Whitman's] relations with his father were always friendly, always good" (Reynolds 4). It's also important to impart that Whitman reflected on his father's "freethinking attitudes toward religion" (Reynolds 4), which evidently took lead toward Whitman's acceptance of all men's beliefs, but also allowed Whitman to create a personal and strong faith for himself, which is evident in his poems in Leaves of Grass. Whitman also highly regarded his mother and has described her as "imaginative" and "a good story teller," which evidently sparked Whitman's creative mind as a poet.
As Whitman grew up and began to create a life for himself, he tried a hand at carpentry and also real estate; however, he "could not turn a profit" from either (Reynolds 4). Whitman became an office boy and was given a subscription to a "circulating library" (Reynolds 6). Whitman was apparently entranced with the literature there and soon became an apprentice to an editor of a newspaper, ultimately ending in his learning how to print. Later in life, Whitman received the job of a traveling schoolteacher, but always fell back to jobs in journalism. Throughout this part of Whitman's life, it appears that he traveled to many places: from his home in West Hills area of Long Island, to Brooklyn, to the places his schoolteacher job took him, to New Orleans, and many more throughout the course of his life. Whitman's stints in numerous careers and lifetime travels allowed him a wider perspective, enabling him to empathize with those in different positions (geographically and otherwise). This background also gives leeway to Whitman's writing which appeals to every man, showing an ability to understand different areas of discourse.
While Whitman pranced from job to job, he had "jott[ed] poetic lines in his notebook," which "he carried with him...in the New York area" (Reynolds 10). The lines were merely written "spontaneously, in the passion of the moment" (Reynolds 10). However, it's important to note that the poems followed "loose rhythms of feeling and speech," which contrasted with his earlier poems written for various newspapers in Manhattan that used "traditional rhyme and meter" (Reynolds 8). This is important because Whitman is later known as "the father of free verse" (Reynolds ix). Motivated by his "immediate age" (Whitman) with the "slavery debate and its alarming social and political repercussions" (Reynolds 11), Whitman began to collect his poetry and to create the first edition of Leaves of Grass, which consisted of "twelve untitled poems and a preface" ("Walt Whitman"). This work was to "repair a society he believed was unraveling" (Reynolds 11). The collection was "unconventional," with "erratic" use of grammar, but eventually became a staple for American literature.
During the emergence of his poetry, however, the country "failed to absorb him," (Reynolds 13) but Whitman's goal of reaching the public would not rest with the initial critics' opinions. Leaves of Grass continued to grow. Whitman spent the rest of his life adding and making revisions to Leaves of Grass. The editions changed formatting: he added "elegance" (Reynolds 16), and new organization. Also, as time went on, Whitman tried to create new poems that would unify his nation; however, "he sensed that the new poems would be no more effective...than his previous ones had been" (Reynolds 19). When the Civil War broke out, Whitman began to confront some of the problems raised by the war. He believed that the war "had proven the dignity of the American spirit," but he was also "appalled by the materialism and political corruption of post-war America" (Reynolds 21). Also, in 1862, Whitman traveled "to care for his brother who had been wounded in the war" ("Walt Whitman"). These new ideas and experiences spawned further editions of Leaves of Grass.
After the final edition of Leaves of Grass had been composed, Whitman settled down in a home located in Camden (Jeffares). In Camden Whitman prepared "his final volume of poems and prose, Good-Bye, My Fancy," and later died in 1892. (Jeffares) "At the time of his death, Whitman was more respected in Europe than in his own country" (Jeffares), however, today, modern American readers of Whitman's Leaves of Grass still respond to "his preoccupation with the problem of preserving the individual's integrity amid the pressures of mass civilization" (Jeffares). Walt Whitman is now known as one America's greatest poets.
Works Cited:
Jeffares, Alexander. "Walt Whitman Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com." Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com. Britannica, 1994. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.biography.com/people/walt-whitman-9530126?page=4>.
Reynolds, David S. "Life." Walt Whitman. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
"Walt Whitman." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Academy of American Poets, 1997. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126>.
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