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WALT WHITMAN. Poetic Influences and Themes. SPIRTUALITY. Whitman underwent some sort of spiritual experience in the 1850’s that was transformative to his life - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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WALT WHITMANPoetic Influences and Themes
SPIRTUALITY Whitman underwent some
sort of spiritual experience in the 1850’s that was transformative to his life
When Whitman referred to spirituality, he was referring to his belief that every human being was part of the One – a concept that reflected transcendentalist influences
EMPHASIS ON THE BODY Whitman saw the human
body as God’s greatest creation
He celebrated the human body and emphasized its goodness, cleanliness, and purity
CELEBRATION AND PRAISE Whitman viewed his poetry as
a celebration of humankind His poetry praises the
American spirit and embraces life
He saw this spirit in the working hands of Americans – the bricklayers, the carpenters, the ditch diggers, the knife sharpeners, etc.
LOVE FOR ALL THINGS GOOD & EVIL Whitman’s poetry explored
and celebrated the goodness of life and evilness of life in equal terms
Whitman’s poetry showed love and compassion equally for those who were good and those who were evil
EQUALITY Whitman was known as a
democratic poet His poetry emphasized the
equality of all humans, including Blacks and women
This was not a commonly held view at the time and caused controversy
THE CATALOG Whitman’s poetry often
cataloged, or listed, a multitude of images or examples
These images and examples were described in great detail
These images and examples were emphasized equally
At times this cataloging/listing would cover multiple pages
SIMULTANEITY OF EVENTS Whitman’s poetry often
expressed chains of related events happening simultaneously (at the same time)
This technique gave his poetry a sense of timelessness
Whitman saw himself standing at the center of time, viewing all events past, present, and future
REPETITION Whitman’s poetry
coupled the literary device of repetition with cataloging and the simultaneity of events
The repetitiveness created a cadence, almost like a religious chant
REPETITION He used a literary device
called anaphora – the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of a line of poetry
He also used a literary device called epistrophe – the repetition of the same word or words at the end of a line of poetry
INTIMACY OF ADDRESS The voice that Whitman
expressed in his poetry was warm, welcoming, and familiar
Whitman wanted the reader to become a part of his poem
SEXUALITY Whitman’s poetry was blunt
and unashamed in its expressions of sexuality
This sexuality extended to both female and male
INDIVIDUALITY Even though Whitman listed
vast numbers of people and occupations, his poetry greatly valued the importance of the individual in a democratic system
THE USE OF “I” Whitman’s poetry is written
from the first person point of view – the “I” view
The first person poetic narrator was rarely found in poetry of Whitman’s day
This form of narration personalized and made intimate his poetry
MIX OF DICTION Whitman’s poetry used the
common language and expressions of the people of his day
Whitman’s poetry also used the poetic diction of an educated scholar
POETRY OF THE CITY Whitman’s poetry was
among the first to explore the vibrancy of city life
Whitman’s poetry reflected the energy below and on the surface of New York City
THE LONG LINE One clear stylistic technique
of Whitman’s poetry was the use of the long line
These long lines of verse rolled over the reader like a never-ending series of ocean waves
from Song of Myself
The married and unmarried children ride home to their Thanksgiving dinner, The pilot seizes the king-pin, he heaves down with a strong arm, The mate stands braced in the whale-boat, lance and harpoon are ready, The duck-shooter walks by silent and cautious stretches, The deacons are ordain'd with cross'd hands at the altar, The spinning-girl retreats and advances to the hum of the big wheel, The farmer stops by the bars as he walks on a First-day loafe and looks at the oats and rye, The lunatic is carried at last to the asylum a confirm'd case, (He will never sleep any more as he did in the cot in his mother's bed-room;) The jour printer with gray head and gaunt jaws works at his case, He turns his quid of tobacco while his eyes blurr with the manuscript; The malform'd limbs are tied to the surgeon's table, What is removed drops horribly in a pail;
THE USE OF THE ELLIPSIS… Whitman often combined
long poetic lines with an ellipsis
This punctuation technique intimated, if possible, that Whitman had left some things unsaid or unlisted
It also allowed the reader a pause to take a breath
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