Controversial
Walt (1819 -1892)
Walt Whitman’s
poetry collection Leaves of Grass was an innovative group of poems because of
its free-flowing verse. He writes about his philosophy of life and humanity.
Unlike, Emily
Dickerson, who I wrote about was published a number of times in
his life time. His poems conformed to the convention of the time; and he
praises nature and the human action in it. He deemed the human mind as worthy
of poetic praise.
He does this in his
poems: "To
Think of Time," "The Sleepers," "I Sing the Body
Electric." He was also
influenced by Ralph Waldo Emersion.
These poets were the
background of American Literature and were required reading when I was in
college. For me, they helped me understand the growth of America into a
powerful force in World literature.