Essay on Walt Whitman - 1376 Words

Walt Whitman In parting with traditional poetic formalities, Walt Whitman alleviated a burden that impeded his ability to achieve full poetic expression. To Whitman, the strict boundaries that formal meter, structure, and rhyme imposed set limits on his stylistic freedom. This is not to say that these limits prevented Whitman from conveying his themes. Rather, they presented a contradiction to which Whitman refused to conform. In Whitman’s eyes, to meet these formal guidelines one would also have to sacrifice the ability to express qualities and passion of living men. Thus, Whitman contested traditional poetic protocol because it added a layer of superficiality that concerned itself with creating perfect rhythmical, metrical,†¦show more content†¦This meant that stanzas consisted of a predetermined amount of lines or that the poem had a predetermined amount of stanzas. Augmenting this formal structure were predetermined rhyme schemes (such as ‘abab cdcd efef gg’ in Shakespearean sonnets). Based on the above, we can describe traditional poetic etiquette as adhering to the suggested formal patterns predetermined by the tradition of British poetry. Just in reaching the above conclusion, a problem arises that all poets, not just Whitman, face when trying to conform to this style. This problem is that all of these rules are cumbersome. It is difficult for a poet to convey the theme of a poem when he or she is concerned with whether or not each word fits into a designated formal pattern. Yet, some would argue that this is what makes poetry such an elegant art form. Surely, Whitman recognized the genius found in Shakespeare’s sonnets and other constitutive examples of traditional British poetry. However, whether or not Whitman recognized the genius of great traditional British poets, is inconsequential. What did matter was whether or not Whitman felt that this style was appropriate for him. The answer is no. Whitman found problems not simply with the fact that clinging to the traditional style might be burdensome (surely this would not have been an insurmountable task for Whitman), but his main issue with traditional style concerned the ornamental effect of formal regularity: InShow MoreRelatedEssay on Walt Whitman2286 Words   |  10 Pages Walt Whitman was looked upon as the forerunner of 20th Century poetry, praising democracy, and becoming a proclaimed poet of American democracy. He was known as the amp;quot;Son of Long Island,amp;quot; and he loved his country and everything about it. (Current, Williams, Freidel- page 292-293). Whitman lived during the time of the Civil War; a fact that increased his patriotism. Whitman was considered one of the most important American Poets of the 19th Century. 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Whitman was never afraid to express himself no matter how inappropriate or offensive his emotions might have seemed at the time. This is why Whitmans poem still echo that same sentiment and emotion today almost as loudly as when the drums were first tapped. Life in its ever-evolving glory seems at times to be nothing more than a serious of random events that lead us from one place to another. It takes many