Whitman Flashcards
Discuss what effect the Civil War had on Whitman’s poetry.
Whitman served as a nurse during the Civil War, and saw up close and personal many of the atrocities committed by a divided nation. Ideologically, the War was hugely disruptive to Whitman’s poetic ideology, which aimed to embody the collective American Spirit.
Later editions of “Leaves of Grass” have many additional poems about the death of soldiers and aimed to encompass the painful division of the country into his vision of America.
(Notably, Whitman doesn’t seem particularly interested in the atrocities of slavery, which were already present in America before the Civil War. Most of his commentary seems to focus on the horror of Americans being killed by other Americans. He states that he is anti-slavery in his Preface, but most of his war poems – or at least the ones that are anthologized – are not about slavery.)
What type of verse does Whitman pioneer?
Free verse
What is the sentiment of “Shut Not Your Doors”?
This poem first in the 1871 edition of Leaves of Grass, and seems to be an appeal to libraries (and readers) to give the book a chance.
What is the form of “Preface to Leaves of Grass”?
It almost assumes the form of a prose poem. There are lots of elipses – it is free flowing and conveys a sense of connectivity.
Preface to Leaves of Grass: How does the Preface conceive of democracy?
It locates America’s greatness not in its government, but in the common people (in a democracy, the common people supposedly influence the government).
Whitman also mentions that the real leaders of the American people will be poets, not Presidents (connects with Shelley’s idea of poets as legislators).
Preface to Leaves of Grass: How does the Preface conceive of America?
As an enormous country full of possibility and ripe for poetic exploration. It is a new type of country, different from England/European traditions, and requires a new kind of poetry suited to its land and people.
Preface to Leaves of Grass: Quote about the American poet?
“His spirit responds to his country’s spirit…he incarnates its geography and natural life and rivers and lakes.”
A Woman Waits for Me: What is the sentiment of this poem?
This poem is likely one of those that got “Leaves of Grass” labeled as obscene. It celebrates the pleasures and transcendence of sex and women who also have a sex-positive attitude.
A Woman Waits for Me: Discuss gender in this poem.
Though Whitman declares that women “are not one jot less than I am”, there is still some issues with masculine dominance going on.
In the final stanza, Whitman imagines himself “grafting” a generation of artists upon the women he sleeps with. It is described almost as an act of his own will that has nothing to do with the woman who is, after all, doing most of the work in being pregnant with the child and presumably raising them to be artists and poets.
This poem celebrates sex and new life but is perhaps a bit tone-deaf to the experiences of women who are 1/2 of the process.
Facing West from California’s Shores: What is the sentiment of this poem?
The poet describes going as far west as possible in America, to the coast of California, and looking beyond towards Asia. He feels wonder at the thought of the ancient civilizations that inhabit those lands before turning around to face his own country again.
At the poem’s conclusion, the speaker is not sure what he was looking for when he set out west, and is puzzled more still by the fact that he did not find it.
This poem illustrates Whitman’s interest in America’s geographic boundaries (or lack thereof).
