Part I: Read the
excerpt from "Song of Myself" on pages 407-412 then read the ideas
below and consider the questions which follow.
It took several years for the American public to embrace
Whitman’s poetry. At first, most readers – and there were few of them – were
shocked by the unconventional subject matter, the unusual forms, and the break
with standard rhyme and meter. A famous poet of that time, John Greenleaf
Whittier, threw his copy of Leaves of
Grass into his fireplace in disgust.
Whitman, however, did have some early supporters besides
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each expressed a different view about what is most
important in Whitman’s work. As you read the two excerpts below, notice their
difference perspectives.
“That’s what Leaves
of Grass all comes to. The declaration
that the people are first. Not a portion of people. Not the saving remnant. But
the everyday people. The vast overflowing populations.” – Horace Traubel, 1912
“We can trace an order
in [Whitman’s] ideas. First comes religion or the concept of the universe; then
personality, or the sense of self…; then love… and comradely emotions; then
democracy, or the theory of human equality and brotherhood.” –John Addington
Symonds, 1893
- Find
passages in Song of Myself that
support the views of these critics.
- Which
of these views do you think is more accurate? Explain.
Remember to cite you evidence from the text and use
proper grammar in your response. Improper and informal voice will be ignored or
deleted. Responses are due Monday,
November 2, at midnight.