Democratic Individualism in Walt Whitman Poetry

Democratic Individualism in Whitmans Poetry Walt Whitman w demented hang on as a well-kn consume, superb poet. Clargonnce Brown stated, the words of some nonpareil speaking on Walt Whitman, He is the moreover one of the convention tout ensembley recognized American poets who is worth reading (37). Walt Whitman is a poet that writes with purpose. His poetry seems to attempt to discover the more desirable behavior and traits for Americans. It depicts the ideal American democrat, peace maker, and a well-rounded person, in general. not that Walt Whitman is only about republic.He focuses on an important end result which is the happiness and function of the overall form of population. This happiness can be achieved efficiently through democracy and elected behavior, according to Whitman and his beliefs. John Macy wrote, in The Spirit of American Literature, Only one day in the century of American literature is label by the birth of a marker of poems, an Answerer-the day when Whitma n was born (210). Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819 to Walter Whitman and Louisa cutting edge Velsor. Walt was the second of nine children in his household.One can imagine that his life, surrounded by many siblings, was indeed hectic. Their family resided in New York, mostly Brooklyn, during the 1820s and 1830s. Peace and equality could be things that a young boy with eight former(a) siblings would want. His household may have influenced values that would stick with Walt for his entire life, values that would shape his career. At a very young age, twelve years old, Walt Whitman was introduced to the printing trade. This was seemingly the point in his life that influenced his cognize of words and literature.He taught himself to read and did so very often. His favorite literature or the literature that was frequently getable to him was that of Shakespeare, Dante, and Homer. Walt also was fascinated with the Bible. From these pieces of literature, Walt could have taken ideas of sl am, tragedy, trials and triumphs. This time in his life seems to be most potent to the distinguished events and lifestyle that would take place later (Walt Whitman Biography). Walt took melodic phrases as a printer and a teacher before he chose journalism as a more permanent career.During his time as a journalist, Whitman founded and edited many popular newspapers. Then, the Civil War came along and placed Whitman in chaos. He was devastated by the many that were wounded, including his brother, and he vowed to live a simple life. He purged his life as a way of cleansing out any negativity. He seemed to be a peaceful and serene person. Whitman stayed at hospitals in Washington to care for the injured. While doing so, he accepted a job as a clerk for the Department of the Interior until he was fired for his controversial work in Leaves of Grass, a gathering of poems written by Whitman.There were many versions and poems in the collection. From this title alone, one can infer the the me of individualization while being a part of a group. Leaves would be the citizens of Grass, America (Walt Whitman Biography). Walt was a free-hearted man. His success, as stated by Alice Henderson, could be contributed to his comradeship with all record and all men (Brown 35). He lived happily through the joy of others. He was democratic, not just seeing the benefits for himself but how he could avail others. A clerks salary, at that time, was less than extravagant.However, any extra money that Walt Whitman had was charitably abandoned to anyone that needed the money, usually his patients. George Kateb stated, I think that Walt Whitman is a great philosopher of democracy (545), I agree. Walt Whitman could be ones ideal democratic American. As stated by Kateb, even one of the greatest poets of all time, Henry Thoreau, stated that Whitman is apparently the greatest democrat the world has ever seen (545). Democracy is about people helping each other. It embodies individuals an d their role in the entire group or confederation.Democracy gives each individual the skilful to have a role in the world around them. Walt Whitman made his mark in society as a democratic man by giving back to the people that helped serve the res publica when it was at war. Walt Whitmans fame is not just about his passion for democracy. Van Wyck Brooks stated that the veritable reason that Whitman is so relevant is that for the first time he gave us the sense of something organic in American life (112) and precipitated the American character (118). However, democracy is about social equality, fairness, and choice.A democratic body is one that work together to achieve things that are beneficial to all. To Walt, the goal that was worth working for was the preservation of those who are ill or injured, especially due to the war. George Kateb wrote about Whitman and the purpose of democracy. Whitman tries to draw out the fuller moral and empirical significance of rights. There are rights that individuals have as persons, and that the political system of democracy exists in hostel to protect, and also to embody in its workings (546). We appreciate Walt Whitman for explaining the riches of ife while reaping the benefits of democracy. As Kateb stated, individuals have their own identity within the overall body but they also work towards preserving and benefiting the overall body as well. So, when citizens are injured or weak, it is our job to be a support system just as Walt Whitman did many years prior. According to Kateb, This responsiveness or receptivity can also be expound as a way a profoundly democratic way of being connected to others and to nature (546). Democracy, equality, and choice are all demonstrated in many of the poems that were written by the great Walt Whitman.He was a proud and patriotic man. His love for America is depicted in his work. According to Jason Frank, Just as the institutions of democratic contest provide arenas for forming r obust individuality, provoke the readers own democratic and poetic say-so (Aesthetic Democracy). For deterrent example, in Ones Self I Sing and in I run across America Singing, Whitman showed the importance of equality, democracy, and individuality in his life. Those are obviously values that he held remnant to his heart. In I Hear America Singing, Whitman painted a glorified picture of America.According to Zimmer, Walt Whitmans I Hear America Singing receives an invigorating revival in this poetry collection that illuminates the pressures and pleasures of work ( energize hand Poems About Work). His America consisted of different types of people in all different walks and social classes of life. He told of the carpenter, the mother, the mason, shoemaker, and many more. When Whitman says, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else (line 12), he means America does not abide by one race or age it just consists of different types of people that perform their job.One could say that the job is to be an American. Their jobs are to perform their tasks proudly to help the country run smoothly. In line 15, Whitman give tongue to that the Americans are Singing with decipherable mouths their strong melodious songs. They are singing with open mouths and perhaps open hearts. Singing is attributed to celebration and happiness. The Americans that Whitman wrote about could be those that are joyful because they live in America and because they are doing whatever job makes them happy. They are strong, caring, and joyful just as Americans should be, in Whitmans eyes.Out of the two poems, in my opinion, Ones-Self I Sing is the most powerful of the two. It is the one that exemplifies Whitmans love for America and democracy the most. In the first few lines of the poem, Whitman made a huge impact with few words. Ones-Self I sing, a simple separate person, yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse(lines 1-2), tells us that it is okay to be an individual b ut to always remember to be democratic. utter the word Democratic, in all things be yourself but remember to uplift your country, be considerate and think of the well-being of others.In line 5, The Female as with the Male I sing. Whitman praises two the female and male as he would like to see those both equal. The last stanza of the poem speaks of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power (line 6). It means the passion for ones country, the pulse and the energy to live ones life freely, and the power to do anything through freedom. Ultimately, Whitman demonstrates his love for America. From reading a couple of his poems, one can see the importance of democracy in the attention of the country.Democracy is the soul of the country it gives people a sense of individuality while still being a part of an enormous group. Walt Whitman was not only a poet but also a great example for all Americans. Works Cited Brooks, Van Wyck. Americas Coming-of-Age. Garden City, NY Doubleday, 1958. P rint. Brown, Clarence A. Walt Whitman and the New Poetry. American Literature 33. 1 (Mar,1961) 33-45. JSTOR. Duke University Press. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. Frank, Jason. Aesthetic Democracy Walt Whitman And The Poetry Of The People. Review Of Politics 69. 3 (2007) 402. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. Kateb, George. Walt Whitman and the Culture of Democracy. Political guess 18. 4 (Nov, 1990) 545-71. JSTOR. Sage Publications, Inc. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Macy, John A. The Spirit of American Literature. Kessinger, LLC, 2010. Print. Walt Whitman Biography. Bio. com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. . Zimmer, Tracie Vaughn. STEADY HANDS Poems About Work. Kirkus Reviews 76. 24 (2008) 1313. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.