Walt Whitman is

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Walt Whitman is
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• This is what you shall do love the earth and
  sun, and animals, despise riches, give alms to
  every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and
  crazy, devote your income and labor to others,
  hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have
  patience and indulgence towards the people, take
  off your hat to nothing known or unknown, or to
  any man or number of men go freely with the
  powerful uneducated persons, and with the young,
  and mothers, of families read these leaves in
  the open air every season of every year of your
  life re-examine all you have been told at school
  or church, or in any books, and dismiss whatever
  insults your soul.

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By Mid 1800s

• We have Poe, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Emerson and a
  myriad of other writers..but what is missing?
• A THOROUGHLY DEMOCRATIC WRITER!!
• Enter Walt Whitman!

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Whitman Background

• Born in 1819 in Long Island Grew up in Brooklyn
• Created own newspaper The Long Islander and was
  a teacher and politician.
• Influenced by Emerson and loved Transcendentalist
  writing

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• Left the East and visited New Orleans. Saw
  Americas Diversity
• 1850 Moved back home and took on a loafing
  lifestyle for 5 years!
• MAJOR SLACKER LIVING OFF MOM AND DAD!
• Known as his days of preparation
• Began to re-create himself in the form of a book!

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Leaves of Grass

• Published in 1855
• First edition contained 12 poems
• Walts attempt to put a person, a human being
  freely, fully and truly on record

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Why is LoG so darn special?

• Whitman became the first American to break free
  of Iambic pentameter.
• Creator of Free Verse
• Free verse was best for Whitman His message was
  that humankind was free free to develop as an
  individual in body, mind, and soul

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Themes in Leaves of Grass

• Democracy
• Average Man
• Poetry called the Divine average because it was
  the kind of poetry an average person could write
• BUTits not THAT simple! ?

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More Leaves of Grass

• Second edition published in 1856
• 20 more poems congratulatory letter from Emerson
• Third Edition 122 poems! Additions and
  Omissions.
• The Book grew like

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Walt and the Civil War

• 1862 became a war nurse and lived on front
  lines for weeks.
• Wrote book of poetry, Drum Taps about Abe
  Lincoln
• Walt viewed him as the representative democratic
  man
• When Lincoln died, Whitman wrote the elegy poem,
  When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd

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The End is Near

• Whitman died in 1892 at the age of 73.
• Before his death, he published seven more
  editions of Leaves of Grass
• His Complete Works was also published the year
  he died.

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Why Walt is SO Great

• Unique and multi-faceted individual
• Free verse affected 20th century poetry
• Identifies with the common man
• One of the most deeply democratic and
  inspirational artists weve ever known
• Walt Whitman is considered The Father of
  American Poetry

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Which is Why
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Homework

• TP-CASTT Whitmans Song of Myself 52. You
  can google it, or find it on page 318 of your
  book.