The Democracy Of Walt Whitman English Literature Essay

The Democracy Of Walt Whit military man English Literature auditionDid you, too, O friend, suppose majority rule was only for elections, for politics, and for a troupe micturate I dictate democracy is only of use there that it whitethorn pass on and come to its f low-spiriteder and fruit in manners, in the highest forms of interaction between people, and their beliefs in religion, literature, colleges and schools democracy in altogether in the public eye(predicate) and private life. (Whitman, Democratic Vistas)Thus speaks Walt Whitman on how everyday life is democracy to him. Whitman conceives of democracy as bigdom from restraint, as liberty to do as one pleases (Ford, Conception). The very idea of democracy is not for politics exclusively for the people themselves in every issue that they do, say, or eventide feel. By examining Whitmans works we potful see his democratic theory constantly portrayed throughout them and how in his lifetime it altered with major events lik e the accomplished war and him orgasm face to face with the iniquities of warf atomic number 18.Walter Walt Whitman born 1819 was an American poet and is often called the father of free verse. Whitmans sustain admiration for democracy can be at least(prenominal) attributed to his parents, who showed their own admiration for their country by naming Whitmans younger brothers afterward their American heroes. At the age of 17, Whitman decided to teach and then in 1841 He decided to set his sights on journalism becoming fire in the working of political democracy. He started off with a weekly paper and then later became an editor in New York. In 1848 Whitman moved to New Orleans to be an editor for a magazine, darn he was there for only a short time he saw the horrors of slavery and fully understand the depravity of it. In 1862 he moved to Washington, D.C. and helped with wounded veterans, all the way contemplating on the Civil war (Walt Whitman. Bio.com).Whitman celebrates democr acy in many of his works and his idea of the soulfulness relational to democracy is a nation as a unified square made up of unique but equal individuals. In the poesy Ones Self I Sing (Whitman, Leaves of Grass) Whitman celebrates the unique individual but alike the news show Democracy, the word En-masse. This meter emphasizes and acclamations the value of the individual living inwardly democratic society. The last stanza speaks of Whitmans concept of unrestrained freedom, freest action formd, under the laws manufacturing business and sings Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power Whitman singles out the word Cheerful referencing to how this theory of life is a jolly one.ONES-SELF I sing-a simple, make out PersonYet utter the word Democratic, the word En-masse.Of Physiology from top to walk I singNot physiognomy alone, nor brain alone, is valuable for the muse-I say the Form complete is worthier farThe Female equally with the male I sing.Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power,Cheerful-for freest action formd, under the laws divine,The Modern soldiery I sing.The relation to a democracy is that if founded on human rights is, as noted by Edward Dowden in The Poetry of Democracy The essential thing which gives one the freedom of the world is not to be born a man of this or that rank, or class, or caste, but simply to be born a man is what gives life worth living for. The routine stanza focusing more on the subject of Whitmans poem and following rime in Leaves of Grass, speaking of The Female equally with the male and Physiology from top to walk I sing saying how Whitman will use everything to sing the individual and democracy. Whitman references his critics of saying that the common person is not a subject of poem with multiple statements of ONES-SELF I sing-a simple, separate Person making note of the praise of a simple man and then the word En-masse showing the frat of the mass of people that are subjects worthy of poetry. Another p ortion of the indorse stanza in Ones-Self I Sing Whitman writes Not physiognomy alone, nor brain alone, is worthy for the muse-I say the Form complete is worthier far The Form is the unity of everything from the mind, the soul, to the dish antenna of the individual. He ends the poem by completing his reference to the common man by stating The Modern Man I singI experience America sing, the varied carols I disclose,Those of mechanics, each one vocalizing his as it should be blithe and strong,The carpenter singing his as he measures his plunge or beam,The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,The wood-cutters song, the ploughboys on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewin g or washing,Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,The day what belongs to the day-at night the party of young fellows, husky, friendly,Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs (Whitman. Leaves of Grass).This beautiful poem by Walt Whitman titled I hear America Singing speaks volumes of Whitmans overcharge in the common man and in democracy itself. In the send-off line I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear Whitman is hearing many versions of the songs of the people. While he doesnt state whether the singing is joyous or sorrowful or just for the sake of singing, he is referencing on how America is a diverse culture or has many faces and stories thereof having varied carols.The next few lines mention multiple positions in the workforce each being blithe and strong. Whitman is expressing how everyone has a story from high to low and although each is different, they all catch their freedom to do so. No issuance their financial position or class each story is robust and lighthearted. The last part on the poem speaks of the women in America with Whitman liquidity crisis of the freedom women enjoy in America with the line each singing what belongs to her. Whitmans main idea of this poem is that America works hard to give their goals and that the riches they get are not seen economically but in the pride of being free and living democracy every day.I go around among these sights, among the crowded hospitals doing what I can, yet it is a classical drop in the bucket. . . the path I follow, I suppose I may say, is my own. (Whitman, Drum Taps)As Whitman aged, his love for democracy and the unify States grew and in his long time he developed the ideas of slavery being immoral and that territories admitted into the United States should only be done so if they were free states. On the other, Whitman dislike the abolitionist movement thinking that the extremist on both sides would curb the United States to war and thre aten to tear his beloved democracy apart. He was right.During the Civil War, Whitman traveled to Washington, D.C. to apply of his younger brother that had been wounded in battle. Upon arriving in Washington and seeing the state of the soldier and the hospitals, Whitman stayed for four years serving as a nurse and helping the soldiers write earn to home. The whole time Whitman was in Washington he was writing notes in little journals and talking and listening to soldiers stories, helping them with their physiological issues. From his journals and experiences that formd Whitmans life, he wrote his give of poetry called Drum Taps.The poetry within Drum Taps shadows Whitmans change throughout the Civil War. Starting off with poems like First O Songs for a Prelude. This poem basically was a recruitment poem for the Civil War with saying that New York is full of pride and joy as the soldiers go off to war. The poems that come later in the book take on a different tone with the poem By The Bivouacs spasmodic Flame, which tells of a soldiers thoughts on coming While wind in cash advance thoughts, O tender and wondrous thoughts/Of life and death-of home and the past and loved, and of those that are far away, this shows Whitmans empathy with homesick soldiers and their emotional experience of the soldier and their plights while at war.Whitmans Come Up From The field of honors, Father depicts the families side of the war by receiving a letter from a stranger O this is not our sons writing, yet his call forth is signd/ O stricken mothers soul/ The only son is dead. Whitman had experience on both sides, often being the one writing those horrible letter to the soldiers families to being part of waiting to receive news of the brother, George. They were fortunate to neer receive that letter. Whitman places his personal experiences in the hospital passing sweet hours/ fadeless and mystic hours with/you, dearest comrade into a battlefield setting in the poem Vigil Stra nge I Kept On The Field One Night. By changing the scenes from the hospitals to a battlefield, Whitman not only captures his own experiences but tells the stories of the soldiers and the war.Whitmans explores the psychological effects from the Civil War on Americans even stating Curious as it may seem the War, to me, proved humanity. The Civil War changed Whitman, altering his views of man in a democracy, where the common man saves the day. Whitman hoped to get to greater unity through the war bringing people of all areas, classes, and wealth together. Whitman, through the Civil War, wrote some of his greatest democratic poetry encompassing all of human nature. He finishes Drum Taps by declaring yet there are two things inure to me/ I lose nourishd the wounded, and soothd many al dying soldier/ And at intervals I have strung together a few songs,/ Fit for war, and the life of the camp.