Walt Whitman and the use of poetry
Every poem is an answer to the question: what is poetry for? Write about how any onepoet has confronted this question in his or her work. Every poem is the poet's attempt to answer the question: what is poetry for, and no lessthe work of Walt Whitman, perhaps one of American's greatest poets. In "Song of Myself", hewrote "Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems", and hisone masterpiece the collection "Leaves of Grass" proved very much so.In the first poem in the collection, "One's Self I Sing", Whitman stated what his poetrywill be, "Of Life immerse in passion, pulse and power/... The Modern Man I sing". Poetry isWhitman's chosen form of expression of the triumph of the self and the celebration of life. Hebelieves that one has to "celebrates [sic] natural propensities in himself; and this is the way hecelebrates all". This is exactly what he advocates in his greatest poem "Song of Myself", "Ofthese one and all (referring to aspects of life), I weave the song of myself". This will be a themewhich resonates throughout his life's work, that he sees himself as an embodiment of allexperience. He declared this intention of his poems quite explicitly, "Thou Reader throbbest life
ForWhitman, many of his poems, particularly in "Drum-taps" and "Memories of President Lincoln",two chapters in "Leaves of Grass", embodies the memories of the Civil War. In this way poetry also becomes an outlet for the poet to be heard. Literature is always on the side of the underdogs, therefore so is poetry. Even the title of his best work, "Leaves of Grass" is a presentation of his conviction. More than anything else, Whitman believed that poetry, "true poems" had to penetratethe surface into the secret of things, to mirror "the true realities" and reveal the unseen"eidolons" to the less sensitive. In celebrating life, Whitman's poetry is thus reflective of the exultation of the moment. / Walt you contain enough,why don't you let it out then?" In his poems, he often addresses the reader personally,questioning our views directly. Nobody is forgotten, becauseto Whitman, every form of life is celebrated and should be remembered, "I will not have a singleperson slighted or left away" ["Song of Myself"]. There is once again the idea ofthe truth. Poetry thus becomes a silent transaction of thought, an exchangeof individual views. The simplest thing in life can be the most profound: "What is the grass? . You shall stand by my side and look in the mirror with me". Poetry reflects truth beautifullywithout removing from it the emotions that come with knowledge. Through poetry he isable to express his ideas overtly without imposing them, "For that great idea,/ That my brethen,that is the mission of poets".
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