Walt whitman biography pdf

Walt Whitman — American poet who linked the Transcendentalist poets with the more realistic style of the Twentieth Century. Whitman Magnus opus was Leaves of Grass , a groundbreaking new style of poetry. He was the second child in a family of eleven. At the age of twelve, Whitman began learning to work as a printer. It was around this time that he discovered a great passion for literature.

Largely self-taught, he read voraciously, including works by the great classic writers — Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and the Bible. After a devastating fire in the printing district of New York, Whitman was left without a job, But, in , at the age of 17, he began his career as a teacher in the one-room school houses of Long Island.

He continued to teach until when he turned to journalism as a full-time career. He founded a weekly newspaper, Long-Islander, and later edited a number of Brooklyn and New York papers. In New Orleans, he became witness to the practice of slavery in the city and was repulsed by what he saw. Whitman opposed the extension of slavery, though did not always support the abolitionists, over concerns about their commitment to democracy.

He closely followed politics throughout his life. As well as journalism, Whitman became absorbed in poetry, writing a unique and distinctive style.

Walt whitman nationality

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. He published the volume himself and sent a copy to Ralph Waldo Emerson in July of He was astonished by the unique style of Whitman. I am very happy in reading it, as great power makes us happy.