WaltWhitman书.pptVIP

Walt Whitman A giant of American letters Whitman’s life1/2 Born in 1819 into a working-class family Grew up in Brooklyn, New York Son of a carpenter Left school at 11 and became a office boy Strong love for lit. in a very young age Read a lot of Shakespeare and Milton Published his first poem at the age of 17 Whitman’s life2/2 Experienced various jobs Back to NY and worked as a journalist Turn to the manual work of carpentry around 1851or 1852 Began writing a new kind of poetry (free verse) Died in 1892 Major Works of Whitman Leaves of Grass Drum-taps “Song of Myself” “I Sit and Look Out” “O Captain, My Captain!” “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” “I Hear America Singing” Themes in Whitman’s poetry Enthusiasm about new things and new epoch Concern for the whole hardworking people and the burgeoning city lives Advocate the realization of the individual value Pursuit of love and happiness Some are politically commited Whitman’s Democratic Ideals Openness, freedom and individualism concerned him Bring hard-working farmers and laborers into American literature Attack the slavery system and racial discrimination Sings of man’s dignity and equality Whitman’s contribution He believed the American poets would create both new forms and new subject matter for poetry. In terms of poetic form, he advocated a completely American form of poetic expression– free verse. He announced and instructed a complete new age. * *