Walt Whitman

Who is Walt Whitman?
Walt Whitman was a celebrated writer of the 1800's. He was born in 1819 and lived in Brooklyn and Long Island. He came into the literary world at the age of twelve in a printing business, and self-taught himself to write. He began working as a teacher, then moved back to the newspaper business as an editor. In 1855 Whitman published the first edition of his poem book Leaves of Grass, in 1856 he released the second edition containing 21 more poems. Throughout his career Whitman continued to publish new editions of Leaves of Grass. Later after the civil war Whitman moved back home with his brother and had trouble making ends meets. He ended up settling in Camden, NJ where he wrote his final volume of poems Good-bye, My Fancy(1891). Whitman died a year later in 1892.

What type of literature did he write?
Walt Whitman wrote poems.

Is he a realist or a romanticist? Why?
Walt Whitman is a realist writer. As one of the first realist writers Whitman captured poetry and linked it into the everyday life of people incorporating realism traditions of church, social and human life. An example of his realist work is the poem I Hear America Singing that portrays his American spirit and shows through poetry the simple facts of real life.

I Hear America Singing- Leaves of Grass

I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank 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;	5
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.