walt whitman
Walt Whitman (1819-1892), American poet, whose work boldly asserts the worth of the individual and the oneness of all humanity. Whitman's defiant break with traditional poetic concerns and style exerted a major influence on American thought and literature. Born near Huntington, New York, Whitman was the second of a family of nine children. His father was a carpenter. The poet had a particularly close relationship with his mother. When Whitman was four years old, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he attended public school for six years before being apprenticed to a printer. Two years later he went to New York City to work in printing shops. He returned to Long Island in 1835 and taught in country schools. In 1838 and 1839 Whitman edited a newspaper, the Long Islander, in Huntington. When he became bored with the job, he went back to New York City to work as a printer and a journalist. There he enjoyed the theatre, the opera, and always an omnivorous reader in the libraries. Whitman wrote poems and stories for popular magazines and made political speeches, for which Tammany Hall Democrats rewarded him with the editorship of various short-lived newspapers. For two years Whitman ed
No matter how old you become you will never learn everything there is to know about life. After several years spent at various jobs, including building houses, Whitman began writing a new kind of poetry and thereafter neglected business. Whether a child or adult, no one person will ever know the real meaning of life or it secrets. In his poem "Facing West From California's Shores" (1860,1867) analyzed by critic Kathleen M. Ezra Pound (1885-1972), American poet, critic, editor, and translator, considered one of the foremost American literary figures of the 20th century. His collection is considered to be one of the world's major literary works and stands as a revolutionary development in poetry. After a brief sojourn in New Orleans, Louisiana, he returned to Brooklyn, where he tried to start a Free Soil newspaper. He has seen so much, and yet there is still so much mystery left to discover. He was a firm believer in living life to it's most absolute fullest. He spent the rest of his days writing and living life. Whitman died in 1892, leaving a legacy of literary genius. No one man can reveal the meaning of life, or any aspect of it, in his lifetime. Being "a child, very old" gives the reader the impression that although he has lived many years, there is still much to learn. Facing west from California's shores,Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound,I, a child, very old, over waves, towards the house of maternity,the land of migrations, look afar,Look off the shores of my Western sea, the circle almost circled;For starting westward from Hindustan, from the vales of Kash-mere,>From Asia, from the north, from the God, the sage, and the hero,>From the south, from the flowery peninsulas and the spice islands,Long having wander'd since, round the earth having wander'd,Now I face home again, very pleas'd and joyous,(But where is what I started for so long ago? And why is it yet unfound?) This is not just a poem of traveling on land or sea, but in one's mind.
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