Symbolism in Whitmans Poem - 2611 Words

Symbolism in Whitman’s Poems A number of influences operated upon Walt Whitman (1819-1892) from childhood which inspired him to become a poet. His father’s democratic ideas went a long way towards making him a poet of democratic ideals. He expressed his ideas about democracy, love, sex, mysticism and science in his poems. While expressing his ideas he used symbols from nature, such as grass, plants, birds and heavenly bodies, enabling readers to understand his ideas clearly. â€Å"Indirection is an important aspect of the technique of communication of a mystic† (Briggs). In his poems he has made use of indirection and symbolism, as well as sensuous and concrete imagery in a highly sophisticated manner, to convey his perceptions. Purpose of†¦show more content†¦The grass In The Leaves of Grass† certain images that appear again and again in the process, acquire a wealth of suggestion and thus become symbols of major significance. For example, the very title is symbolic. Grass grows not only in single blades but also in clusters or clumps. Thus it becomes a symbol of democracy in which â€Å"individuality is in balance with the mass, distinguished singleness in harmony with massive grouping†. The grass occupies the central position in the book, and it recurs in strategic sections where it springs up to the fore with renewed life. It symbolises in its simplicity the miracle of the universe, the fact that the mystery of life and nature lies not in the far away and the wonderful, but in the familiar and the common. Therefore, a leaf or blade of grass is an Language in India www.languageinindia.com 12: 6 June 2012 Premalatha, M. A., M. Phil., Ph.D. Candidate Symbolism in Whitman’s Poems 154 object of contemplation for the poet, and it launches him into his mystic journey. Indeed, the grass in Whitman’s poetry has as many meanings as there are blades or spears. The calamus plant In the Calamus section, the calamus plant or grass symbolises the intimacy of friendship. It grows not everywhere like common grass, but in â€Å"paths untrodden†. Anyone familiar with the long, tapering leaves and the cylindrical flower of the calamus plant will recognize the phallic symbolism immediately (Miller). Whitman seemed to acknowledge the ambiguity of theShow MoreRelatedThe Poetry of Walt Whitman Essay1645 Words   |  7 Pagesfor his book of poems, Leaves of Grass. Whitman could not find a publisher interested in his poems; therefore, he published them himself. Whitman rereleased this collection of poems several times, each time with the addition of more poems. Leaves of Grass eventually grew to include nearly four hundred poems. While many praise Whitman’s wor k now, this was not always the case. Many of Whitman’s poems earned criticism for his use of sexual overtones. For the time in which these poems were written, theyRead MoreSummary Of The Dooryard Bloom 1349 Words   |  6 Pages10, 2015 When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Mourn When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, one of Walt Whitman’s most popular poems was written to show his private mourning over President Lincoln’s death, in a public way. Whitman realizes his mourning is not his alone, it is a national grief, and so he tries to vocalize his in a way that can be shared by everyone; he did so by writing this poem (Rollyson). Whitman, â€Å"drawn to the idea of a president that would emerge from the frontier west,† admiredRead MoreAnalysis Of Allen Ginsberg s Super Market986 Words   |  4 Pagesthe ideal America through symbolism and famous controversial poets. Ginsberg is an American poet and one of the members of the Beats movement. Together, Allen and the Beats writers try to show the natural beauty of America that has been corrupted and lost to industrialisation. In this essay, I will address the symbolism of the setting and its representation of the America of Walt Whitman’s imagination compared to Allen Gin sberg’s view of America. In the beginning of the poem, Walt Whitman is â€Å"pokingRead MoreWar Takes Over Everything in Walt Whitman’s Poem, Drum Taps645 Words   |  3 PagesThe overall theme in Walt Whitman’s â€Å"Drum Taps† is about the way war consumes everything and monopolizes every facet of life; particularly the land the war is fought on. When analyzing the poem, the first stanza talks about the movement of war from the farms, the second stanza talks about the progression of war from the farm to the city. In stanza three this journey continues through the battlefield, through the halls of power and finally into the homes, moving from the public to private spheresRead MoreEssay on Comparing Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson719 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferences. Here, we will focus on the similarities in their lives in order to bring to attention a correlation between Whitmans poem I Saw in Louisiana a Live-oak Growing and Dickinsons poem # 1510. Both poets wrote during the t ime of Romanticism, even though Whitman was Dickinsons senior by some eleven years. This however did not influence the way the writing styles of many of their poems coincided. Loneliness was an important characteristic of both poets lives during the writing years. WhitmanRead More Essay on Whitman’s Bivouac on a Mountain Side1156 Words   |  5 Pages Analysis of Whitman’s Bivouac on a Mountain Sidenbsp;nbsp; nbsp; First published after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, Walt Whitman’s poem â€Å"Bivouac on a Mountain Side† portrays more than just the tangible picture of a transcendentalist’s vision. The mood of the poem reflects the author’s observations and visions of the Civil War while stationed in Washington and Virginia as well as his beliefs about the war by use of imagery and symbolism. nbsp; The use of imagery in â€Å"BivouacRead More Death and Regeneration in Walt Whitmans Poem, When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloomd550 Words   |  3 PagesDeath and Regeneration in Walt Whitmans Poem, When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloomd Whitman in 1865 wrote an elegy for President Lincoln entitled When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd. The Lilacs elegy is an outpouring of the deep sense of loss that Whitman felt after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The Presidents death was a great shock to the poet; it overwhelmed him in a very personal way. Whitman recognized Lincolns excellence and importance. When WhitmanRead MoreLeaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Essay1248 Words   |  5 PagesLeaves of Grass by Walt Whitman In the twentieth century, the name Walt Whitman has been synonymous with poetry. Whitmans most celebrated work, Leaves of Grass, was the only book he ever wrote, and he took a lifetime to write it. A large assortment of poems, it is one of the most widely criticized works in literature, and one of the most loved works as well. Whitman was unmarried and childless, and it has been noted that Leaves of Grass consumed him greatly; James E. Miller Jr. writes: #8230;heRead MorePresident Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman947 Words   |  4 PagesPresident Abraham Lincoln, admired by Walt Whitman, blossomed in â€Å"Whitmans writing and in American mythology†(Eiselein) for his leadership and nobility. Whitman hoped for a rugged, healthy, who knew what real, physical work was, to be the â€Å"[r]edeemer [p]resident of [t]hese [s]tates†(Whitman). His hopes came true â€Å"as in a dream†(Whitman) when â€Å"four years later, just such a beard-faced boatman†(Goodheart) entered the White House. Walt Whitman discovered the â€Å"comprehensive, all-directing soul he hadRead MoreNaked Through The Eddies Of The Sea1780 Words   |  8 Pagesskeptics to take him apart like vultures-- and Whitman published his poems and walked amongst his peers naked for all to see. For him to be a homosexual on top of all of this was an even bigger component of his revealed â€Å"shame†, but he revealed it nonetheless. In â€Å"I Si ng the Body Electric,† â€Å"The Sleepers,† and â€Å"Song of Myself,† Whitman conveys a personal theme of homosexuality through his imagery of the male physique. Whitman’s homosexuality, considered at the time as a taboo, had to be concealed