Walt Whitman (Essay Sample)

Walt Whitman Name Institution Walter Whitman is a renown poet throughout the world. He was born in 1989 on May 31 in Huntington Town, Long Island. He hailed from a family of nine children. He was named after his father. He was later nicknamed ‘Walt' to distinguish him from his father. Whitman launched his poetry career in the mid 1850s and never looked back. In 1855, he published the first edition of his book Leaves of Grass to the surprise of many including his brother. In Leaves of Grass, he talks about democracy, nature, friendships, and love. His works, however, elicited both good and bad comments. The critics argued that he was too open when talking about sex. They further argued that his writings were unorthodox and used subjective stylistic features. Whitman truly is a poet of democracy. Two of his poems express his deep love for America, its democratic form of government and the freedom granted to the American citizens. These two poems are, "One's-self I sing" and "I hear America Singing." His poem "One's-self I sing”, recognizes how essential a citizen of the United States is. He postulates that a democratic state offers the freedom that makes life livable. In his second work "I hear America Singing," he clearly s...