homosexuality, and this in turn eased his progression into a more liberated method of writing. None the less, he clearly marked himself as America's own poet in the first edition of Leaves of Grass. However, there were objections about these works due to their sexually explicit nature. Emerson even expressed his disdain regarding the matter. In spite of this criticism, Leaves of Grass still earned great renown for Whitman. The collection would later reach the apex of its popularity
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