Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman was an influential writer during the Romantic period. A few qualities of Romanticism are the glorification of nature, elevation of the common man, the supernatural, and Nationalism which Whitman really embraced in his writing. Even in his own life, he adopted the persona of the “common man.” Most portraits of Whitman are more casual than the typical portraits from this time period. For example, in the portrait he used for the cover of Leaves of Grass, Whitman is standing in a casual pose, his hat is on cocked, and he is staring straight at the camera. This image went against the traditional route and aligned Whitman with the working people (“Walt Whitman” 1310).

Walt Whitman by Samuel Hollyer July 1854
Samuel Hollyer, “Walt Whitman,” July 1854.

Whitman’s poetry is often described as lyric nationalism. Lyric is the private and individual voice defining opposition, and Nationalism is defining what it means to be an American. Walt Whitman is famous for combining the two genres. His poems have an observant and documentary element to them because he points out the subtleties of America. One reason he is considered a Nationalist poet is because he points out what makes America special or different.

In his poem, “Song of Myself,” Whitman broke with formal poetic conventions. He uses a kind of free verse instead of a structured line arrangement. His poems still have a rhythm and order to them, but they’re less structured and more free-flowing. In “Song of Myself,” Whitman is visualizing himself as one person in a land of many people, but he is also writing a long poem to himself. The idea is that one person among a group of people deserves to be celebrated. This shows a parallel between Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Another thing about “Song of Myself” is that there is a balance between the individual and the people around him. For example, “In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barley-corn less, And the good or bad I say of myself I say of them” (“Walt Whitman” 1343). He was someone who tried to see America in the things that people had in common regardless of if they were a different race, a different class, etc. A hallmark of his style is focusing on himself and then shifting to a larger group.

His poems can often become very sensuous, sexual, and even grotesque at times. It is believed that Walt Whitman was most likely gay, and he was very open about sexuality in his poetry, especially considering he was writing in the mid-1800s. He shows homoeroticism and homosocial behavior, or men bonding with other men, in his writing. This is another instance of him setting himself apart from other authors of the time. However, he is similar to other Romantic writers because he also sees God in nature. He doesn’t use scriptural references, but there is a sense of wonder or awe in his passionate responses to the landscape around him. He wasn’t a pronounced activist, but he did protest through his poetry. Because he was empathetic towards his fellow man, he became sympathetic to these reform causes. In “Song of Myself,” he collapses barriers or race, gender, and class and sees himself as no different from anyone else.

Works Consulted

“Walt Whitman.” The Norton Anthology: American Literature (Volume A), edited by Julia Reidhead, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012, pp. 1310-1343.